AEROSTATION

AEROSTATION     “Rethink”

By Dark Starr

Featuring Alex Carpani, this is basically a trio or a duo depending on how you look at it. That’s because the lineup of the act is listed as Alex Carpani (lead and back vocals, keyboards, all virtual guitars) and Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (drums), but Jacopo Rossi (bass) is listed as a guest musician. No matter the lineup, though, the mix of modern and classic progressive rock built into this works so well. 

Coming in ambient and trippy, opening track, “The Dive” is just a short, weird effects laden intro piece. Pounding in with hard rocking modes, “A Distant Cry” makes me think of RUSH to a good degree. It has some cool twists and turns and leans toward MARILLION at points and DREAM THEATER at others. It’s such a potent and effective piece of music. “Life Is Calling” comes next, and frantic prog with a killer bass groove is on the menu. While it is decidedly modern prog, it has plenty of ties to classic prog. I can make out both RUSH and DREAM THEATER at times here, but this is unique at the same time. 

Frantic and so cool, there is a playful prog vibe as “Meet Me At The End Of The World” gets going. When it settles in for the vocal part it takes on less driving stuff. There is a rep that comes later, bringing an intriguing angle. The driving riff returns and builds as that continues. Everything about this song is cool, but I particularly like some of the keyboard work later. 

A percussive element like a ticking clock gets things going on “The Wait Is Over.” The music comes in tentatively and dramatically from there along with vocals. It builds out gradually. It’s another killer tune. “Drive My Soul” is appropriately driving at the start. It works out from there with a lot of style and charm. It’s not a big change, but rather more smoking hot modern progressive rock. Coming in more melodic and understated, “Life Is Too Short” grows out with more killer modern prog. It lands more on the AOR side of the spectrum. It’s a real powerhouse number that’s somewhat accessible and still meaty. 

“Fly Over Me” is one of my favorite tracks here. It has a nice balance between a more melodic section and a driving one. While it is somewhat accessible, it’s still decidedly proggy. It’s not that this is a huge change from the rest – because it isn’t. This just gels so well and works like a charm. The keyboards on the later sections of it really shine so brightly. While I like “Soulshine” a lot, I’m not crazy about some of the vocals (sampled or synthesized, perhaps?) that show up at times on it. Fortunately, there is a lot of music here without it. Still, this one isn’t as strong as it could be. I dig the rubbery bass and driving groove of “Run As The Sun Goes Down” a lot. It’s another winner on a disc that’s full of winners. Starting slow, mellow and reflective, “Messiah” eventually grows out to something in line with the rest of the album. It’s not necessarily a standout, but that’s more about the quality of the entire album. It makes for a great final shot. 

AEROSTATION