Member:
Bungalow Bill
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by Bungalow Bill)
Date:
3/14/2010
Format:
CD (Album)
One of the more difficult circumstances under which a music review is written is this: to realize that the artist under scrutiny is very talented, that the artist's level of proficiency is high, and that the recording is well conceived and well made…but to also realize that the artist's work made little visceral impact upon you. This happens, unfortunate as it may be.
Aisles is a Chilean band comprised of Alejando Meléndez (keyboards/vocals); Rodrigo Sepúlveda (guitars/vocals); Germán Vergara guitars/vocals); Felipe González (bass); Luis Vergara (keyboards); Sebastián Vergara (lead vocals/flute); and Felipe Candia (drums/percussion). In Sudden Walks is the band's sophomore release, following 2005's The Yearning. I've listened to this recording four times without checking the band members' names…and…I see now that there are perhaps three brothers among the group. Which is strange because, often in the music, I hear echoes of Toto, another band partly dependent on fraternal commingling. In fact, to answer the inevitable "What do they sound like?" I'll reply: take the intricate, AOR leanings and high melodicism of Toto, blend it with elements of neo-prog and the 90s prog revival bands, and toss in a touch of mid- to -late-90s Tull (e.g., the excellent Roots to Branches), and you might then have a sense for this band's compositional offering.
The muscianship on In Sudden Walks is sharp, no question. It's hard to single out any one player because they all shine at points. The songs are at times bona fide arena rockers, moody atmospheric soundscapes, tricky little chop workouts and catchy singalongs. I do quite enjoy the final track, "Hawaii," for its ambient textures. Also, the brief accents following quickly after each bit of theatrical dialog (in Spanish?) in Mariachi are fun.
However, that said, I never felt thoroughly hooked. In part, I think the tracks jump from-style-to-style too often. (I call this the "Mr. Bungle" affliction: the somewhat showy willingness to genre leap at the expense of compositional integrity.) It's hard to settle down and investigate the music because it moves without coherence.
Also, there just aren't any truly epic moments on the disc. There's a steady consistency throughout In Sudden Walks but nothing revelatory, shocking, novel or strongly compelling. It's a nice album with solid engineering, capable performances and no distracting harshness or missteps.
And I'll add this: If Aisles were to move away from the AOR-tinged tracks and toward the more ambient, ethereal music—maybe along the lines of Djam Karet—I think they'd do very well and might find an expanded audience. Although Mr. Vargara sings decently and his vocals do not harm the presentations, still, the instrumental, airy passages are the better of the bunch.
In the end, I'd say that In Sudden Walks might appeal to fans of latter-day prog ŕ la Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings, tiles and Hogarth-era Marillion. I don't think the CD would find many converts amongst the legion of old-school, hardcore, "give me Mellotron or give me death" prog aficionados. The album won't stun anyone, but few do, I guess, so that's not really a damning commentary.
Member:
jlneudorf
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by jlneudorf)
Date:
3/15/2010
Format:
CD (Album)
I am not sure how well known Chile is for producing quality symphonic and neo progressive music but the band Aisles have surely done that with the release of their second album In Sudden Walks. The band formed in 2001 and released their debut The Yearning in 2005 which I have yet to hear. The seven member band includes Alejandro Mélendez (keyboards, vocals), Rodrigo Sepúlveda (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals), Germán Vergara (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals), Felipe González (bass), Luis Vergara (keyboards), Sebastián Vergara (lead and background vocals, flute) and Felipe Candia (drums and percussion).
If you enjoy your progressive music in the neo/symphonic styles and with an overall mellow sound you will probably like In Sudden Walks. The band's music is very melodic and many of these tunes incorporate quieter sections, bordering on ambient, demonstrating a nice contrast of styles, although the music of Aisles never approaches heavy prog. At times I was reminded of Marillion, the softer side of Pink Floyd, and Camel. The band's sound has a decidedly European flavour, but Latin American influences do show up occasionally. The album was quite a long time in the making and it is obvious a lot of thought went into these songs. The band has also incorporated some theater in the compositions, especially prevalent in the album opener, "Mariachi", where the progressive soundscapes are inundated with Spanish dialogue between various actors. The sound is very symphonic with a nice melody and Floydy lead guitar. The dreamy "Revolution of Light", with traces of Camel and Marillion, is catchy and melodic and has a smooth sound. The vocals of Sebastián Vergara are very good, ideally suited for the band's softer style of prog. "The Maiden" is a nice blend of neo-prog and folk with Latin influenced acoustic guitar before the band gathers some momentum and shows some pretty good chops.
The album's final song is "Hawaii", beginning with gentle acoustic guitar and atmospheric keys. The song takes a romantic ballad approach and requires a couple of listens before hidden nuances and textures are revealed. The moody backdrop at times invoked Roxy Music's Avalon, especially the Manzaneraesque guitar playing and the band's attention to detail.
While not overly complex or completely original, if there is such a thing, In Sudden Walks is still a fine listen that should appeal to fans of melodic progressive rock done in a mellower vein. Well done gentlemen.
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