The Century Of The Self album by Airbag

The Century Of The Self,  Airbag's 2024 album
If you've had a difficult week or a bad day, this is the right album to make peace with yourself and the world, to return to a state of relaxation while taking proper and necessary care of your soul.

We discussed this band in the article for Bjorn Riis's latest album, Fimbulvinter.

"Airbag," as is well known, is the opening track of Radiohead's 1997 masterpiece (one of the band's references), "OK Computer." It's not uncommon for some of the sounds on this album to be reminiscent of them, but be warned: this is a neo-prog album; Airbag's influences are numerous, including symphonic and psychedelic rock.

The lineup features Tostrup, Riis, and drummer Henrik Bergan Fossum, for five tracks that position Airbag as one of the most important bands on the Norwegian progressive scene in recent decades.

A beautiful album from start to finish, from "Dysphoria" with its beautiful guitar solo to the closing track, "Tear It Down." It's not a complex album; the compositions are linear. Rather, it's an introspective and atmospheric album, a technically excellent progressive rock that focuses more on emotion than technical exaggeration. The influences of Ping Floyd and early Radiohead are evident without explicit references, but they're there.

The compositions are excellent at evoking a wide range of emotions. The vocals leave plenty of room for the music, and when present, they deliver performances full of melancholy and intensity.

Riis stands out on this album not only for his fantastic guitar playing, his trademark, but also, if not primarily, for his splendid bass work, which creates melodies that are crucial to each song.

It's an album of immersive, relaxing music, perfect for leaving behind the hustle and bustle of work and everyday problems, traffic, and the arrogance that surrounds us. For just over 45 minutes, you can disconnect from everything, which is ultimately what we all expect from music.

Highly recommended!

Tracklist
1. Dysphoria (10:38)
2. Tyrants and Kings (6:47)
3. Awakening (6:44)
4. Erase (7:50)
5. Tear It Down (3pm)
Duration 46:59

LineUp
- Asle Tostrup - vocals, keyboards and programming
- Henrik Bergan Fossum - drums
- Bjørn Riis - guitars, bass, keyboards and backing vocals
With:
- Kristian Hultgren - bass (1.5)
- Ole Michael Bjørndal - guitar (1,2,5)
- Simen Valldal Johannessen - keyboards (5)