Last year Alex Carpani released with The Good Man (see review) one of the best progressive rock albums of 2024. A true masterpiece! It ended up on the fourth place in my personal top 10. Fans of Carpani didn't have to wait long for another release from this keyboard player. However, this time around not under his own name but with the band AEROSTATION. Rethink is the follow up to of their eponymous album released in 2018. However, don't expect the same kind of music you could hear on the earlier mentioned album. This other musical project of Carpani is used to explore the boundaries of rock by blending different genres and styles. To be precise you could say that they use influences of alternative rock, crossover prog, hard rock, electronic music, sophisticated pop, and ambient. To do this he came up with a band consisting of only three members. You could say that we are dealing with a power trio without a guitarist. Alex himself does all the lead and background vocals, plays fluid keyboard parts and powerful guitar-like sounds on his custom keytar. Helping him out are a rhythm section consisting of the well know drummer Gigi Cavalli Cocchi, who we know from the excellent Mangala Vallis albums and his collaborations with international prog bands such as Moongarden and the Alex Carpani Band. He is accompanied by Jacopo Rossi on bass. Jacopo is a well-known musician on the international metal scene with bands such as Dark Lunacy, Nerve and Antropophagus. So, three musicians with tons of energy. Fans of Carpani who will go deeper into the album will hear that there is a musical connection with the earlier released Carpani album So Close. So Far (2016, see review). This is also an album on which Alex tried to connect different musical styles which resulted in an album which could be described as a musical mix of sympho-pop with modest goth-pop-rock-metal influences. So, if you like this album a lot Rethink is there for you to discover as well. As for this album I will not tell you about the songs separately. I can tell you that Rethink consists of 11 tracks which are very well balanced. Well-thought-out. Dynamic and forming a single very cohesive sound. But one thing is sure sure. All songs are of a high quality, but are not too complex and easy to follow. You might say that some of the more sing-a-long songs on The Good Man come close as a musical reference for the lovers of progressive rock. Most songs are up tempo and are swinging all the way. My favourite of all the tunes is without any doubt the closing song. Messiah is a fantastic rather mellow progressive rock kind of song. The album's content revolves around the courage to rethink one's own life, priorities, and relationships, as well as to release one's spirituality into new spaces. Anyone who loves progressive rock music that isn't afraid of big melodies and modern sounds will find what they're looking on Rethink, the second album released by this band. A band which plays progressively in the best sense of the word, without letting the past hold them back. The fact that these three musicians come from completely different backgrounds is evident in every note. They don't think of rock as a genre, but rather as a territory waiting to be explored anew. What they already hinted at on their debut, they take to the extreme on their follow up. Their blend of alternative rock, crossover prog, hard rock, electronica, subtle pop nuances and ambient hints into a trip through the unknown. For you out there to discover if you are open for a less complex musical sound related to progressive rock! *** Henri Strik (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
