I have just had my faith in progressive music restored. Aquaplanage may be a sign you see on French or Belgian roads warning you of heavy water on the surface, but from now on every time I see it when out driving I will think of this superb album.
Rising out of Fragile, the highly regarded Yes cover band, Aquaplanage have delivered an album worthy of the term progressive whilst staking a place within that timeless labyrinth of musical magic. Fragile toured with Steve Howe, no less, and gained the enthusiastic endorsement of Rick Wakeman. Yes, excuse the pun, they’re that good.
A few years back as they drove across a rain drenched motorway to a faraway gig they saw the sign that eventually inspired this album. Written, developed, and, dare I say, perfected over a number of years Aquaplanage embraces the finest traditions of classic prog rock.
In the excellent multi-sectioned opening track “Ode To Grey Mornings” I can hear splashes of Aqualung era Jethro Tull, a touch of Selling England By The Pound Genesis, set amid a reverent nod towards Yes, from the Fragile period of course.
That said, this is a band that brings a whole lot more to the table and serves up an album that is rich in quality, impact, and sprawling soundscapes all of their own. Magnificently produced and expertly performed, it draws the best from all of those sources and adds enough fresh individuality to bring it home onto solid ground. It’s a remarkable and, regrettably, all too rare achievement.
The absorbing opener, divided into five sections, effortlessly locks you in for a full fifteen minute journey. In the early stages Tull meets Crosby, Stills and Nash in a superb scene setter.
The wondrous Middle Eastern vibe of “The Sands Of Time” swirls from the speakers in a sonic representation of its title. This is Aquaplanage in its own highly coloured coat and those previous attachments to Yes are all but buried beneath the Egyptian sand dunes it magically conjures up. ‘We become the sands of time’ sings Steve Carney in a sentence radiating life’s ultimate truth.
Article comments
1 - Jon
Jeff, I am the bassplayer for Aquaplanage and I would like to peronally thank you for your kind comments about our album. Our aim is to reach as many people in the world with our music and your review will help boost that aim. For those interested Aqua 2 is being written (we hope this one won't take 7 years).
Jon