Short Reviews [Airbridge - 2023 - "Openings"]

Airbridge are a band of which I have long been aware of, but I am not sure I have heard much music from them until this, their newly released third album. Formed in Norfolk in 1980, they were part of the movement attempting to keep prog going in a very hostile media environment, releasing their debut album ‘Paradise Moves’ in 1982. They broke up in the Eighties before coming back together a decade or so ago, and their 2021 album featured two of the musicians who played on the debut, Lorenzo Bedini (guitars, keyboards, vocals) and Sean Godfrey (bass, vocals) along with their original sound engineer, Dave Allaway on drums. Having taken nearly 40 years to produce a second album they have been rather less tardy this time around, although Sean has now left and been replaced by Jason Crompton (bass, piano, vocals) while they have also brought in Maddalena Pastorelli on vocals. Although produced by the band themselves it was mastered by Andy Glass, so I can only presume the overall sound is by design which is somewhat surprising given that we do not have the musical clarity I would have preferred, as there are times when the music is coming to us through layers of gauze. That is a shame as there are some interesting ideas on this release, bringing in Eastern influences and styles which are quite different to the norm as well as plenty of neo prog which is probably not surprising given their history, while we also get some theatrical elements which owe much to Captain of the Lost Waves. Vocally they are not as strong as they could have been while the overall levels of songwriting show a band who never progressed to the top level in their previous career and are unlikely to do so within this one. The overall quality makes me think of the demo tapes I used to be sent in the early Nineties, and while there is promise here and there, there is actually little that makes me want to keep playing it apart from the need to do so to write the review. I am sure there will be platy of people who will reminisce about the early Eighties scene and will get this for old time’s sake, but there are plenty of others I would rather listen to for enjoyment as opposed to nostalgia. Not one to which I will often be returning.