Aerostation is a brand new band exploring new boundaries of rock through a contamination of genres and styles: alternative rock, crossover prog, hard rock, electronic music, fine pop, ambient. It's a power trio without guitarist... Liquid keys and strong and powerful guitar-like edited sounds are melted together in an original way and played by Alex Carpani through his custom keytar, while Gigi Cavalli Cocchi's personal and recognizable touch on drums gives to the music the right strongness and energy. Alex takes care of the lead and back vocals as well. Gigi and Alex are accompanied by Jacopo Rossi on bass. Jacopo is a well known musician of the International metal scene (Dark Lunacy, Nerve, Antropophagus).

Aerostation è una nuova band che esplora i confini del rock attraverso una contaminazione di generi e stili: alternative rock, crossover prog, hard rock, musica elettronica, pop raffinato, ambient. E' un power trio senza chitarrista… Tastiere liquide e chitarre virtuali forti e potenti sono mescolate insieme in modo originale e suonate da Alex Carpani attraverso il suo keytar personalizzato, mentre il tocco di Gigi Cavalli Cocchi è riconoscibile alla batteria e dà alla musica la giusta forza ed energia. Anche le voci, principali e cori, sono di Alex Carpani. I due musicisti sono accompagnati da Jacopo Rossi al basso, uno stimato musicista nella scena metal internazionale (Dark Lunacy, Nerve, Antropophagus).

Aerostation logo by Gigi Cavalli Cocchi

AEROSTATION
is:
Alex Carpani
lead & back vocals, keytar, composition, arrangements and production
Gigi Cavalli Cocchi
drums, graphic design, visuals
Additional musician:
Jacopo Rossi
bass
Sound engineer (studio & live):
Daniele Bagnoli

'Rethink’ has been released on September 19th, 2025 by Independent Artist Records, physically distributed by Pick Up Records and digitally distributed by Distrokid.

01 The dive 00:57
02 A distant cry 03:47
03 Life is calling 04:20
04 Meet me at the end of the world 04:06
05 The wait is over 03:37
06 Drive my soul 04:36
07 Life is too short 03:05
08 Fly over me 04:15
09 Soulshine 05:47
10 Run as the sun goes down 04:37
11 Messiah 05:22

The debut album, ‘Aerostation’, has been published by Immaginifica (by Aereostella) on October 5th, 2018, physically distributed by Self Srl and digitally distributed by Pirames International.

01 Voices 01:42
02 Wide Eyes And Wonder 04:27
03 Straight To The Sun 04:56
04 Fourteen Days Of Lightness 05:04
05 Coldness 04:32
06 Long Distances 04:32
07 The Arrow 05:02
08 The Ghost Bride 05:35
09 From Day To Night 05:22
10 One Billion Steps 05:36
11 Kepler-186F 02:31






STORES

Digital and CD format format available here (click on the logos):






























Reviews & interviews


RETHINK (2025)

RETHINK (2025) - Review & interview index:
No. 01 - NEW UNDERGROUND MUSIC (The Netherlands)
No. 02 - PROG ROGUE (U.K.)
No. 03 - MLWZ (Poland)
No. 04 - MAT2020 (Italy)
No. 05 - ARTISTS AND BANDS (Italy)
No. 06 - SEITEN KULT (Germany)
No. 07 - PROFIL PROG (Canada)
No. 08 - NONSOLOPROGROCK (Italy)
No. 09 - PROGARCHIVES.COM #1 (U.S.A.)
No. 10 - PROGARCHIVES.COM #2 (U.S.A.)
No. 11 - PROGARCHIVES.COM #3 (U.S.A.)
No. 12 - LAZLAND (U.S.A.)
No. 13 - METAL.IT (Italy)
No. 14 - PROGARCHIVES.COM #4 (U.S.A.)
No. 15 - MUSICMAP (Italy)
No. 16 - BABYBLAUE SEITEN (Germany)
No. 17 - EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE (U.S.A.)
No. 18 - SEA OF TRANQUILITY (U.S.A.)
No. 19 - MUSIC IN BELGIUM (Belgium)
No. 20 - MUSIKREVIEWS.DE (Germany)
No. 21 - STONE PROG (Germany)
No. 22 - PROGRESSIVE ROCK JOURNAL (U.S.A.) - interview
No. 23 - PROG (U.K.)
No. 24 - VIA NOCTURNA 2000 (Portugal)

No. 01
NEW UNDERGROUND MUSIC
https://carrysnewundergroundmusic.blogspot.com/
by Carry Munter

Aerostation uit Italië bestaat uit: Alex Carpani - zang en achtergrondzang, keyboards, drum machine en virtuele gitaar, Gigi Cavalli Cocchi - drums, elektronische drums pads en percussie en Jacopo Rossi - basgitaar.
De band bracht hun debuut album "Aerostation" op 5 oktober 2018 uit via Aereostella en deze wordt op 19 september 2025 gevolgd door "Rethink", dat als CD en als digitale download via Alex' eigen Independent Artist Records verschijnt en 11 nummers bevat.
Het album start met "The Dive", waarin Aerostation een kort mysterieus klinkend intro speelt, dat gevolgd wordt door "A distant Cry", een schitterende melodische song met een dansbaar ritme en "Life Is Calling", een geweldige melodische uptempo song met een aanstekelijk ritme, waarbij stil zitten geen optie is .
Dan volgen "Meet Me At The End Of The World", een fantastische swingende uptempo rock song met een terugkerend ritme, "The Wait Is Over", een prachtige melodische song met een gemiddeld tempo en progressieve elementen en "Drive My Soul", een heerlijke melodische song met een gemiddeld tempo en een aanstekelijk ritme.(luister naar dit nummer via de youtube link onder de recensie)
In "Life Is Too Short" schotelt Aerostation me een verrukkelijke melodische song met een aanstekelijk ritme voor, dat beweging oproept, in "Fly Over Me" krijg ik een puike melodische song met een gemiddeld tempo en een aanstekelijk dansbaar ritme te horen en in "Soulshine" hoor ik de band een lekker in het gehoor klinkende song spelen, die wisselende tempo's heeft en progressieve elementen bevat.
Verder volgen "Run As The Sun Goes Down", een uptempo song, die swingt als een trein en "Messiah", een geweldige progressieve melodische song met een aanstekelijk dansbaar ritme en een hoog meezing gehalte.
"Rethink" van Aerostation is een verrukkelijk progressief melodisch album, waar in met plezier naar heb geluisterd en ik raad elke liefhebber van dit genre deze schijf dan ook van harte aan.

ENG:
Aerostation, from Italy, consists of Alex Carpani on vocals and backing vocals, keyboards, drum machine, and virtual guitar; Gigi Cavalli Cocchi on drums, electronic drum pads, and percussion; and Jacopo Rossi on bass. The band released their debut album, "Aerostation," on October 5, 2018, via Aereostella. It will be followed by "Rethink," released on September 19, 2025, as a CD and digital download via Alex's own Independent Artist Records, and contains 11 tracks.
The album opens with "The Dive," featuring Aerostation's short, mysterious intro. This is followed by "A Distant Cry," a brilliant melodic song with a danceable rhythm, and "Life Is Calling," a fantastic, up-tempo melodic song with a catchy rhythm where sitting still is simply not an option.
Then follow "Meet Me At The End Of The World," a fantastic, swinging, up-tempo rock song with a recurring rhythm; "The Wait Is Over," a beautiful melodic song with a medium tempo and progressive elements; and "Drive My Soul," a wonderfully melodic song with a medium tempo and a catchy rhythm. (Listen to this song via the YouTube link below the review.).
In "Life Is Too Short," Aerostation presents me with a delightful melodic song with an infectious rhythm that evokes movement. In "Fly Over Me," I hear a superb melodic song with a medium tempo and an infectious, danceable rhythm. In "Soulshine," I hear the band play a catchy song with varying tempos and progressive elements.
Next up are "Run As The Sun Goes Down," an up-tempo song that swings like a train, and "Messiah," a fantastic progressive melodic song with an infectious, danceable rhythm and a high sing-along factor.
"Rethink" by Aerostation is a delightful progressive melodic album that I enjoyed listening to, and I highly recommend this album to any fan of this genre.

No. 02
PROG ROGUE
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=731168683070300&set=a.107767852077056
by Thomas Szirmay

AEROSTATION (ITALY) Rethink
Alex Carpani was anointed with my favourite release of 2024 with his stately “The Good Man”, a sizzling initiative which collected rave global reviews. Here Alex is backed up by the legendary Gigi Cavalli Cocchi on drums and Jacopo Rossi on bass. This is a follow up to their precious work, the self-tilted debut in 2018 and very much in a more energetic vein than the more symphonic concept style of Alex’s solo material.
We plunge right in with the obligatory intro “The Dive”, wasting scant time in getting the motors oiled up and properly lubricated for the full-bore throttle on “A Distant Cry”, a brief but deadly surge, where both the propeller bass and explosive drums convey a sense of navigating the choppy sea, yearning to reach a faraway siren, beckoning our three mariners onwards. Alex sings forcefully, fingering the metallic keyboards (there are no guitars on the album!) with deft insinuations that really hit the mark.
The sweeping “Life is Calling “ is led by a rampaging bass line that takes no prisoners, Gigi gleefully pushing the percussive narrative, while Alex croons masterfully. The keytars get hot and heavy, brittle sonic prosciutto crispier than your ex’s ego, a reality check of sound that packs a mighty punch. Being a bass fetishist, I must say that Jacopo really affects my fascination for the low-end of sound. This modern track is courageous, clean and commanding. Showing no desire to veer into any calm pool of reflection, “Meet Me at the End of the World” keeps the pedal to the hefty metal, a raging missile heading for some future apocalypse. The ingenious inclusion of an almost rap narration (heavily prog though) comes as a revelation, within an expertly sung verse and chorus , a rather unique desire to stretch the boundaries, which is what prog was really about in the first place. The roller coaster ride gets dreamy just long enough to switch gears and turn on the turbo traction. The bass leaps out again bopping with superior authority, as if unclear whether the end of the world is heaven or hell. Perhaps a no man’s land awaits us all, which would be perhaps a rightful punishment for our inability to live in harmony with the world around us.
“The Wait is Over” possesses a hint of psychedelia (the Beatles come to mind) but lathered with a contemporary sheen that also finds the need to include all kinds of experimental bits (The latter Beatles again), especially vocally. The atmosphere does arrive at a harder edge , as the track approaches the finality described in the title. Back in the leathered seat with the steering wheel firmly in hand, “Drive My Soul” accelerates into the forceful combustion that encompasses all the facets of this album, the powertrain bass meandering between the convulsing cylinders (the drum work is exceptional) as Alex supplies all the bodywork needed to make this machine discover new frontiers for the mind. On the vocal front, both the lead and the tremendous backing vocals are world class, both urgent and heartfelt. ‘Sliding on a rainbow’, indeed. Definitely, prog radio material.
Adding a little axiom to the reality, “Life is Too Short” last a bit over 3 minutes but suggests a rather haunting voice-led electronica which does not distract from the main sound philosophy, obvious within a few seconds as Alex revs up the crew for another run on the pavement of existence, offering all the obligatory shifts of fortune that we must all bear.
‘Taking us to a place where you are waiting passionately’, the gentle flow of “Fly Over Me” is only a temporary moment of reflection, as this trio just has no interest in floating in ambient space, keeping the flame of urgency and re-evaluation firmly in place. The keyboard-sourced keyboards convey all the power needed to keep the blood pulsing through the body, a cardiac massage of incredible sounds and relentless rhythmic propulsion. The synth solo seals the deal.
Dense electronics greet the ears, laden with voice effects not too distant from Deep Forest though “Soulshine” inevitably swerves into that foundational pulse that cements the entire production. On this, the longest track here, Alex sings passionately (Is there a more Italian trait?), a highly inclusive listening experience that encompasses all the attributes mentioned previously, the synthesizer folly and the outro proving that this is a well thought out project and can inject modernism into classical prog realms .
Introduced by a beastly drum that would make John Bonham smile from his stairway to heaven, “Run as the Sun Goes Down” reignites the powertrain, pistons generating all the strokes needed to keep this sonic vehicle firmly adhering to the road, Pirelli tires aiding in the project. The luminous electronic backdrop interfaces with the burly bass attack and Gigi’s unrelenting throbbing, another winning lap on this aural circuit.
Should not come then as any surprise that “Messiah” will offer the final reflection, a moody lament that should consecrate Alex’s vocal abilities as he simply crushes this checkered flag victory, confident that his instrumental skills can now be on the same podium, where the champagne can flow freely, Jacopo and Gigi spraying each other with the finest bubbly. Exceptional ending to a brilliant , off the beaten path album, with a gorgeous cover and devastatingly accurate sound.
Exhausted, ears firmly buzzed and utterly content, it is time for a well deserved ‘pisolino’ (nap for you non-Italians)
5 reappraisals

No. 03
MLWZ
https://mlwz.pl/recenzje/plyty/28094-aerostation-rethink
by Artur Chachlowski

Remember the trio Aerostation? We wrote about them in our little lexicon on the occasion of their debut album in 2019. In the summary, I wrote that after such a promising start, I'd be curious to see what happened to this project. Six years have passed, during which each member has pursued their own interests (including Alex Carpani, who released three solo albums: "L'Orizonte Degli Eventi" (2021), "Microcosm" (2022), and the excellent, though undeservedly underrated, "The Good Man" (2024)), and now we have album number two from this Italian trio – "Rethink." Such three-person projects are often referred to using terms borrowed from the past: "only three of us left," "two like the three of us," "to the power of three," "the last trio of its kind"... I think that everyone familiar with the above mental shortcuts will recognize numerous elements of the distinctive style of the artists to whom these statements directly referred years ago.

Let's introduce our musical heroes:

Gigi Cavalli Cocchi is the drummer, founder, and leader of the Italian band Mangala Vallis. He has collaborated with numerous progressive artists, including Moongarden and The Alex Carpani Band, performing at Italian and international festivals and clubs, as well as with renowned artists such as Judge Smith and David Jackson of Van der Graaf Generator, John Ellis (Peter Gabriel, The Stranglers), and Bernardo Lanzetti (Acqua Fragile, PFM). He is also co-founder of the CCLR project (with Bernardo Lanzetti and Cristiano Roversi), whose album was released by the prestigious British label Esoteric Recordings. For several years, he was the drummer for one of the most popular Italian rock bands, Ligabue, with whom he has performed numerous times to audiences of over 100,000.
Alex Carpani is a composer, vocalist, keyboardist, and producer. He has released seven albums, including as a solo artist, and has performed with his band, The Alex Carpani Band, in over twenty countries on three continents. His musical resume includes collaborations with such rock legends as David Cross (King Crimson), David Jackson (Van Der Graaf Generator), Jon Davison (Yes), Theo Travis (Soft Machine, Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson), Aldo Tagliapietra (Le Orme), and Bernardo Lanzetti (PFM). In addition to being a musician, he is also a musicologist, cultural manager, and artistic director of popular Italian festivals. He is also a talented vocalist, and it is he who holds the microphone and provides vocal harmonies in Aerostation. Perhaps the least known member of this three-piece group is bassist Jacopo Rossi. He is an active musician in the Italian metal scene and can be found in bands such as Dark Lunacy, Nerve and Antropophagus.
Together, they form Aerostation, a band that explores new frontiers of rock by blending genres and styles: alternative rock, crossover prog, hard rock, electronic music, feel-good pop, and ambient. It's a power trio without a guitarist. Fluid keyboards and melodic sounds blend together in an original way, with Alex Carpani often playing his keytar. Gigi Cavalli Cocchi's recognizable drumming style (listen to his captivating fills in "Run As The Sun Goes Down") gives Aerostation's music the necessary power and energy, while Jacopo Rossi captivates with his bass playing. Together, they create a perfectly functioning combo, striking in its precision and coherent musical expression. Suffice it to say, only two songs on this album last longer than five minutes, yet listening to each one leaves you with the impression that so much is happening within them. A lot of good things.
"Rethink" consists of 11 tracks, well-balanced, well-thought-out (as is the case), dynamic, and forming a single, highly cohesive sound. What stylistic terrains does Aerostation explore? One statement comes to mind: it's modern-sounding prog rock, yet drawing on classic roots. Good, understandable, uncomplicated, and presented in neat and accessible compositions.
From the opening notes of the instrumental intro, "The Dive," to the finale, "Messiah," and everything in between, Aerostation takes us on a fascinating musical journey. The band offers us an incredibly versatile sonic experience that encompasses all the aforementioned qualities, from the madness of synths to the striking solos, proving that this is a well-thought-out concept capable of injecting modernism into the classic progressive worlds. As I mentioned, the entire album is very even, and it's impossible to say that any one track is better or more interesting than the others. My attention was drawn to "A Distant Cry," a melodic track with a danceable rhythm, and "Life Is Calling," a fast-paced track with a catchy rhythm that literally whisks the listener away on a fascinating aerial flight. Speaking of which, I'd like to draw your attention to the track titled "Fly Over Me."
Only someone we trust, to whom we've opened our hearts, can soar with us, like a bird watching over us and showing us the way. The track "Life Is Too Short" also resonates with me. Life sometimes seems too short, like a day that's just ending, when we wish it would go on, because we have so much to do, to experience, to say. "Meet Me At The End Of The World" is another favorite of mine, but my absolute favorite is the album's ending—the peaceful and sonicly majestic track "Messiah." It speaks of an encounter with a mysterious and saving being, whether it's God or someone living right alongside the protagonist, who, far from the beaten path, can miraculously transform someone's life. It's a deeply inspiring track, both musically and lyrically. It's a truly exceptional ending to this unconventional album, with a beautiful cover (by Gigi Cavalli Cocchi), crystal-clear production, and a stunningly precise sound. A great listen. I recommend it!

No. 04
MAT2020
https://mat2020.blogspot.com/2025
by Alberto Sgarlato

Aerostation – Rethink (2025)
di Alberto Sgarlato

Negli anni ‘70, fu coniato un termine che poi divenne una vera e propria espressione-chiave nel mondo della musica: “Supergruppi”. Con questa parola composta venivano indicate tutte quelle band formate da musicisti già ampiamente noti e apprezzati in altre formazioni. Da questo punto di vista, forse, l’esempio più emblematico consegnato alla storia fu quello degli Emerson, Lake & Palmer, con il tastierista Keith Emerson ormai già celebre per il lavoro svolto con The Nice, il cantante Greg Lake appena fuoriuscito dai King Crimson e il batterista Carl Palmer che si era distinto per il pregevole contributo dato agli Atomic Rooster di Vincent Crane. Alla fine di quel decennio, un altro supergruppo emblematico fu quello degli UK, con John Wetton alla voce e al basso dal curriculum impressionante (Mogul Trash, Family, King Crimson tra gli altri), Bill Bruford (già in Yes, King Crimson e con una fugace comparsata in un tour dei Genesis) alla batteria, Eddie Jobson (Curved Air, Roxy Music, Frank Zappa) violino e tastiere e il chitarrista Allan Holdsworth (Gong e Soft Machine tra gli altri). Con la separazione da Holdsworth e Bruford, gli UK proseguirono come un trio, con Wetton, Jobson e l’ex-batterista di Frank Zappa, Terry Bozzio.
Ma perché, tra innumerevoli supergruppi che hanno affollato la storia della musica, abbiamo citato proprio questi due esempi? Perché è proprio di un power-trio keyboard-oriented, come gli ELP e gli UK post-Holdsworth, che siamo qui a parlare. Esattamente: vista la straordinaria vivacità della scena musicale italiana attuale (sia essa progressive, o metal, o alternative), per questa band non è sprecato né eccessivo il termine di “Supergruppo”, proprio come quelli nati negli anni ‘70.
Loro si chiamano Aerostation e vi troviamo, infatti, all’interno il tastierista Alex Carpani, già leader della sua Alex Carpani Band (che vanta al suo interno collaborazioni di svariati grandissimi nomi della scena prog italiana e internazionale); Gigi Cavalli Cocchi, batterista che nel rock progressivo è noto per i progetti Mangala Vallis e CCLR (Cavalli Cocchi, Lanzetti, Roversi), nel mondo del cantautorato ha suonato con Ligabue in diversi dei suoi album più celebri e al Campovolo davanti a 100mila persone, nell’alternative rock ha fatto parte dei CSI (Consorzio Suonatori Indipendenti); Jacopo Rossi, bassista di rilievo nella scena metal italiana, che milita o ha militato in band quali Antropofagus, Dark Lunacy, Morgana e svariate altre. Con coordinate di partenza del genere, è facile capire che è arduo “ingabbiare” gli Aerostation in un genere preciso.
Dopo un album d’esordio omonimo, pubblicato nel 2018, la band in questo settembre 2025 consegna alle stampe Rethink, un titolo che già di per sé un manifesto programmatico: un invito a ripensare il concetto di musica stessa. Tutto ciò è molto ben espresso non soltanto dal sound, ma anche dalla bella estetica curata da Gigi Cavalli Cocchi, che oltre a suonare sviluppa la parte grafica e visuale della band.
La prima cosa che colpisce di “Rethink” sta nel fatto di trovarsi di fronte a un linguaggio “teso”, asciutto, ben poco incline a vacue prolissità o inutili autocompiacimenti: 11 tracce di durata oscillante mediamente fra i 3 e i 5 minuti.
Dopo la fulminea introduzione di “The Dive” (meno di un minuto di impalpabili rarefazioni), si parte con la deflagrazione di “A distant cry”, che prende le mosse dall’esile tappeto dell’introduzione precedente per trasformarlo in un riff poderoso. Ne scaturisce un brano energico ma melodioso e cantabile, a cavallo tra new-prog, metal-prog e AOR.
“Life is calling”, con le sue linee di basso in primissimo piano, non può fare a meno di richiamare alla mente persino certi Rush (nella fase più anni ‘80 e ‘90 della loro carriera), o gli Yes delle formazioni guidate da Rabin, quelle più inclini al gusto estetico d’Oltreoceano.
“Meet me at the end of the World” coniuga riff di chiara estrazione metal (esatto: la cifra stilistica che attraversa tutto l’album è racchiusa nel messaggio che si può fare dell’ottimo metal senza chitarra) con ritmiche che non è blasfemo definire “ballabili”.
“The wait is over”, introdotta da un inquietante ticchettìo, si sposta sulle coordinate a cavallo tra alternative rock, psichedelia e post-prog care ai Porcupine Tree.
“Drive my soul” torna a spostare la lancetta della band su territori più vicini al metal, ma sempre con questo gusto post-rock fatto di momenti più arpeggiati, altri più eterei e, soprattutto, sempre con un grandissimo lavoro basso/batteria che determina il groove del brano.
“Life is too short” invece colpisce per l’eccellente lavoro vocale (ancora una volta di matrice Yes) e per la sua squisita “cantabilità”. Una caratteristica dell’intero progetto è proprio quella di avere melodie e ritornelli deliziosamente “catchy”.
“Fly over me” conferisce una ulteriore sterzata al sound, con tastiere algide di gusto quasi new-wave, a riprova dell’estrema poliedricità dei musicisti coinvolti nel progetto (ma del resto non avevamo alcun dubbio in merito).
Ci pensa subito “Soulshine” a riportarci a una certa cupezza affine a certo nu-metal, mentre “Run as the sun goes down” abbraccia, ancora una volta per contrasto, stilemi cari all’hard rock più melodico (e ancora una volta con più di una strizzata d’occhio alle melodie dei Porcupine Tree).
La band si congeda con “Messiah”, unica traccia dell’intero lotto a sforare oltre la soglia dei 5 minuti di durata e, in un certo senso, un po’ incaricata del ruolo di “summa” stilistica dell’intero album, tra momenti più impalpabili, crescendo più sinfonici, situazioni più drammatiche e altre più solari, sempre in bilico tra quel mix di dark e di cantabilità, di classico e di moderno che rende unici e davvero notevoli gli Aerostation.

No. 05
ARTISTS AND BANDS
https://www.artistsandbands.org/ver2/recensioni/recensioni-album/12264-aerostation-rethink
by Gianluca Renoffio

Dopo la oramai lontana prima esperienza dell'album omonimo del 2018 è in arrivo (uscita prevista per il 19 settembre) l'ultimo lavoro degli Aerostation, il dinamico trio hard-prog che ha fatto del crossover la sua caratteristica distintiva, che ho avuto l'opportunità di sentire in anteprima.
La band si configura come un supergruppo formato da tre musicisti sopraffini ben noti sulla scena musicale italiana (e non solo) anche per i loro lavori solisti e le collaborazioni illustri: il tastierista Alex Carpani, il batterista Gigi Giovanni Cocchi e il bassista Jacopo Rossi. I DNA portati in dote alla band da ogni membro riescono in qualche modo a fondersi per formare qualcosa di diverso, di evoluto, un qualcosa difficile da catalogare; 'Rethink' si compone infatti di 11 brani che, se da un lato si muovono omogeneamente nel solco di un hard-prog tradizionale caratterizzato da un gusto raffinato, espresso con un linguaggio crudo e diretto senza autocompiacimenti e da una perizia tecnica fuori scala, dall’altro riescono a descrivere luoghi ed emozioni facilitando l’astrazione e la catarsi.
Il disco si apre con la breve ma densa "The Dive", un'introduzione strumentale che funge da trampolino per l’intero lavoro: una composizione incisiva, dal ritmo serrato e dall'atmosfera tesa, che stabilisce fin da subito l'identità sonora del gruppo. Il brano si conclude con un crescendo che sfocia naturalmente nella successiva "A Distant Cry", uno dei pezzi chiave dell'album. Qui emerge chiaramente un'energia quasi metallica, pur in assenza della chitarra elettrica, grazie a una sezione ritmica potente e dinamica. Il riff principale – cupo, granitico, ma anche melodicamente articolato – guida l'ascoltatore attraverso un paesaggio sonoro in cui si bilanciano tensione ed eleganza. Con "Life is Calling", il gruppo cambia registro e si muove verso territori più raffinati e stratificati, che ricordano la produzione più matura dei Dream Theater, con armonie che si fanno via via più sofisticate e ampie.
"The Wait is Over" e "Run as the Sun Goes Down" segnano un ulteriore spostamento verso sonorità post-rock, vicine alle atmosfere sospese e riflessive dei Porcupine Tree, con un pizzico di psichedelia qua e là. Il primo è costruito su un crescendo emozionale che parte da trame minimali per esplodere in un climax strumentale avvolgente; il secondo, invece, si distingue per una narrazione musicale più cinematica, quasi visuale, dove ogni strumento contribuisce alla costruzione di una architettura tridimensionale malinconica. Ulteriore svolta è il brano "Life is Too Short", con una melodia che si fa più cantabile e aperta, richiamando lo stile degli Yes, in particolare per merito della performance vocale di Carpani, elegante ed espressiva, ed al suo timbro distintivo in classico mood prog: vero e proprio marchio di fabbrica della band. Con "Meet Me at the End of the World", la band osa ancora di più introducendo elementi ritmici vicini alla musica dance, grazie a riff ipnotici e groove elettronici che non tradiscono l’impianto prog, ma lo aggiornano con un piglio moderno e accessibile. Questa sperimentazione ritmica risulta sorprendente ma efficace, dimostrando la versatilità compositiva dell'ensemble. "Fly Over Me" è un breve intermezzo che strizza l’occhio alla new wave degli anni ’80, con atmosfere notturne e un certo minimalismo elettronico. Il brano funge da ponte verso un ritorno a toni più duri e cupi, preparandoci alle successive "Drive My Soul" e "Soulshine". Entrambi questi pezzi si muovono in territori hard-prog, dove ritmi incalzanti e strutture complesse si fondono con melodie dilatate e arrangiamenti sofisticati. In "Drive My Soul", arpeggi eterei e un groove deciso costruiscono un’atmosfera potente, mentre "Soulshine" gioca su contrasti dinamici, alternando momenti di quiete a esplosioni strumentali, sempre mantenendo un’impronta post-rock.
A chiudere il disco, troviamo "Messiah", brano manifesto dell’intero progetto. Qui confluiscono tutte le anime del lavoro: il prog classico e quello moderno, il lirismo vocale, le suggestioni elettroniche e la forza della sezione ritmica. Il brano riassume l’identità della band in una lunga suite strutturata in più sezioni, con una forte tensione narrativa e una produzione sonora impeccabile. "Messiah" è il culmine e la sintesi del "rethink" proposto: un prog allineato con la modernità, eterogeneo, fruibile, pensato per i media contemporanei ma anche fedele alla sua radice estetica. Coraggioso, infine, nel tentare un melange di suoni ed emozioni per un nuovo approccio, per un “ripensamento” del prog. Bella prova sperando di non dover ancora aspettare altri 7 anni per un nuovo viaggio musicale con gli Aerostation.

No. 06
SEITEN KULT
https://www.saitenkult.de/2025/09/19/aerostation-rethink/
by Michael Haifl

Sieben Jahre nach ihrem selbstbetitelten Debüt melden sich AEROSTATION zurück, dieses italienisch-französische Power-Trio ohne Gitarristen, aber mit einem schier unerschöpflichen Ideenfundus, der das Klangbild moderner Rockmusik um einige frische Farben erweitert. Das Line-up ist dabei so kompakt wie markant: Alex Carpani, ein musikalischer Tausendsassa zwischen Komposition, Keyboard- und virtueller Gitarren-Architektur, Gesang und Produktion – steht gemeinsam mit Schlagzeug-Ikone Gigi Cavalli Cocchi und dem international erprobten Bass-Schwergewicht Jacopo Rossi auf der Brücke dieses progressiven Raumschiffs. Drei Musiker und tonnenweise Energie.
Was AEROSTATION schon auf dem Debüt angedeutet haben, treiben sie bei ´Rethink´ auf die Spitze. Sie verschmelzen Alternative Rock, Crossover-Prog, Hard Rock, Elektronik, feine Popschattierungen und ambiente Andeutungen zu einem Trip durch das Unbekannte.
´Rethink´ startet mit ´The Dive´, einem kurzen, einminütigen Eintauchen ins Unbekannte. Dann reißt ´A Distant Cry´ die Triebwerke auf. Der Song treibt mit einer fiebrigen Spannung voran. ´Life Is Calling´ packt diesen Schwung, legt einen brodelnden Bass darunter und lässt Carpani darüber gleiten.
Mit ´Meet Me At The End Of The World´ verwandeln sich AEROSTATION kurz in apokalyptische Poeten. Eine fast rappende Passage taucht überraschend zwischen hymnischen Refrains auf. ´The Wait Is Over´ wiederum schwebt anfangs psychedelisch, bricht dann aber auf in einen vielschichtigen, modernen Rocksong.
´Drive My Soul´ bringt danach pure kinetische Energie. ´Life Is Too Short´ lässt die Zeit kurz gefrieren, bevor ´Fly Over Me´ wie ein sanfter, aber entschlossener Flügelschlag der Hoffnung darüber streicht.
´Soulshine´ lebt von einem dichten Elektronikteppich, ausufernder Dynamik, flirrenden Keyboard-Soli und einer emotionalen Gesangsleistung. ´Run As The Sun Goes Down´ treibt dann das Gaspedal wieder in den Boden, ehe ´Messiah´ den epischen, düsteren, fast sakralen Abschluss markiert.
Inhaltlich kreist das Album dabei um den Mut, das eigene Leben, die eigenen Prioritäten und Beziehungen neu zu denken sowie die eigene Spiritualität in neue Räume zu entlassen.
AEROSTATION spielen progressiv im besten Sinn, ohne sich von der Vergangenheit bremsen zu lassen. Dass diese drei Musiker aus völlig unterschiedlichen Ecken kommen, spürt man in jeder Note. Sie denken Rock nicht als Genre, sondern als Terrain, das neu erschlossen werden will.
Wer progressive Rockmusik liebt, die keine Angst vor großen Melodien und modernen Sounds hat, wird hier fündig. Und wer es nicht glaubt, sollte sich dieses Trio anhören und seine Vorurteile überdenken. Denn genau darum geht es hier: Rethink.
(8,5 Punkte)

ENG:
Seven years after their self-titled debut, AEROSTATION returns, this Italian-French power trio without a guitarist but with a seemingly inexhaustible wealth of ideas that add some fresh color to the soundscape of modern rock music. The lineup is as compact as it is distinctive: Alex Carpani, a musical all-rounder between composition, keyboard and virtual guitar architecture, vocals, and production, shares the bridge of this progressive spaceship with drumming icon Gigi Cavalli Cocchi and the internationally acclaimed bass heavyweight Jacopo Rossi. Three musicians and tons of energy.
What AEROSTATION already hinted at on their debut, they take to the extreme on 'Rethink'. They blend alternative rock, crossover prog, hard rock, electronic music, subtle pop nuances, and ambient hints into a trip through the unknown.
'Rethink' opens with 'The Dive,' a short, one-minute dive into the unknown. Then 'A Distant Cry' revs up the engines. The song drives forward with feverish tension. 'Life Is Calling' seizes this momentum, layers a bubbling bass underneath, and lets Carpani glide over it.
With 'Meet Me At The End Of The World,' AEROSTATION briefly transform into apocalyptic poets. An almost rapping passage emerges unexpectedly between hymnic choruses. 'The Wait Is Over,' on the other hand, floats psychedelic at first, but then breaks into a multi-layered, modern rock song.
'Drive My Soul' then delivers pure kinetic energy. 'Life Is Too Short' freezes time for a moment before 'Fly Over Me' sweeps over it like a gentle but determined wing beat of hope.
'Soulshine' thrives on a dense electronic carpet, exuberant dynamics, shimmering keyboard solos, and an emotional vocal performance. 'Run As The Sun Goes Down' then drives the accelerator back into the ground before 'Messiah' marks the epic, dark, almost sacred conclusion.
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.
AEROSTATION play 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 as a territory that wants to be explored anew.
Anyone who loves progressive rock music that isn't afraid of big melodies and modern sounds will find what they're looking for here. And anyone who doesn't believe it should listen to this trio and reconsider their preconceptions. Because that's exactly what this is all about: rethinking.

No. 07
PROFIL PROG
https://www.profilprog.com/profil-reviews-2025/aerostation/rethink
by Alain Massard

AEROSTATION est le projet d’Alex CARPANI depuis 2015 ayant trouvé en Gigi le musicien pour jouer du rock alternatif, crossover, pop, hard rock, le tout saupoudré d’un brin de musique électronique ambiante. Ce 2e album avec le ‘’keytar’’ d’Alex conforte l’esprit du son crossover à base de synthés électroniques sur une tessiture alternative, cet instrument servant de guitare, clavier et samples.
« The Dive » pour les craquements d’époque, intro cinématique spatiale ambiante idéale pour plonger dans « A Distant Cry » gravant l’empreinte du son, 7 ans d’attente pour ce crossover pop synth mélodique, rond, une guimauve fondante sur le vocal étiré. L’outro avec le keytar vaut le déplacement. « Life Is Calling » avec la basse virevoltante, entraînant le titre sur un air pop heavy consensuel en up-tempo valant l’originalité de l’extension dérive avec ce vocal râpé, pouvant déranger. Morceau rythmé et nerveux avec l’outro space aquatique. « Meet Me At The End Of The World » continue sur la base électro swing et le vocal râpé à nouveau, agressif, risquant de perdre nombre de progueux. Le plus l’air fondant et le keytar tournoyant sur des pentes escarpées, le moins cet essai d’ouvrir une boîte de Pandore musicale bien fermée. « The Wait Is Over » avec l’horloge ou le métronome qui bat; un air psyché, langoureux avec le vocal prégnant, envoûtant. La dérive synthé tournoyant sur Tony des GENESIS s’essayant au heavy rock symphonique, un zeste de clavier sur ‘I Must Be dreaming’. « Drive My Soul » pour le titre phare, bon vu qu’on conduit le lien existe. La base rythmique avec les pads de Gigi imprimant une légèreté démoniaque dont cette voix growlée. Alex arrive à faire oublier l’absence de guitares pour cet éventuel radio édit.
« Life Is Too Short » ...surtout à la retraite, état privilégié des progueux; entre basse et électronique, entre vocal mantranique et pulsion pop dansante avec un outro électro délicat. « Fly Over Me » pour le synthé spatial, aérien, olympien soutenu par la narration chaleureuse d’Alex; un son clair plus près du rock pop alternatif avec les claviers imprimant le rythme pulsatile jusqu’au solo entraînant, sans guitare chapeau bas. « Soulshine » pour l’entame électro à chœurs world-new âge; morceau montant inéluctablement sur un refrain entêtant, entre RUSH et RPWL en mode KEANE qui eux aussi jouaient sans guitares. Le break chœur flirte d’un coup sur les ambiances nipponnes avant l’outro électro singulier, progressiste. « Run As The Sun Goes Down » avec le tambour tribal en intro; le son roule, vole ensuite sur une trame strobosco-électronique imprégnée des sonorités mélancoliques de la basse. Le break pad et keytar rappelant les airs des groupes d’Albion insistant sur les claviers. « Messiah » avec le retour des craquements, signe du concept album; la complainte finale mélodi-mélancolique faisant vibrer; la voix d’Alex en écho et son instrument pour un dernier solo guimauve, too much.
AEROSTATION propose un son rentre dedans sans guitare, sortant des préceptes progressifs avec une fusion sur les standards pop. De l’énergie, du symphonique avec les claviers et le keytar, un son moderne qui s’éloigne cependant du prog de base par ce mélange singulier déroutant, la voix râpée questionnant. Le manque de guitare rappelle la troisième ère génésisienne bien mélodique paradoxalement parlant. Un essai troublant qui heurte.

No. 08
NONSOLOPROGROCK
https://nonsoloprogrock.blogspot.com/
by Massimo Salari

Quando si incontrano artisti del calibro di Alex Carpani, compositore, tastierista, cantante, produttore, musicologo e direttore artistico italo-francese, Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (ex batterista di Ligabue, Clan Destino e Consorzio Suonatori Indipendenti), e il bassista Jacopo Rossi (Dark Lunacy, Nerve, Antropophagus), le aspettative non possono che essere elevate. La tecnica strumentale e compositiva esibita dal trio in formazione, simile a quella di Emerson Lake & Palmer (non per la musica), è eccellente, per questo la band va annoverata alla voce “supergruppo”. Si formarono nell’autunno del 2015 e rilasciarono nel 2018 l’esordio dal titolo omonimo. Buoni furono i riscontri di critica e pubblico che gli conseguirono la possibilità di aprire concerti a band blasonate tra cui la PFM. Carpani, come Keith Emerson, riesce a far dimenticare l'assenza delle chitarre, e il trio viaggia compatto, palesando una preparazione e un amalgama davvero invidiabile. Sappiamo bene che se la tecnica diventa asfissiante, spesso va a discapito della fruizione, ma dipende anche dal tipo di ascoltatore; nel mondo del Progressive Rock generalmente si presuppone che chi ama questo sound denominato “colto” sia un fan attento, difficile da accontentare e molto distante dalle banalità generiche. Ecco che necessariamente sono auspicabili cambi umorali, controtempi, scale impervie e così via. Nella musica degli Aerostation queste caratteristiche non vengono a mancare, ma in verità sono le melodie di facile memorizzazione a tenere la scena. Il disco si apre con un breve intro dalle caratteristiche spaziali, che conduce a "A Distant Cry", canzone sia sognante che energica, supportata dalla buona voce di Alex. Echi di King Crimson si presentano durante le fasi strumentali grevi e monolitiche. Vetrina per il basso di Rossi è "Life is Calling", dove il suono caldo del suo strumento fa da binario a tutto il pezzo, che ben si inserirebbe nella discografia dei Porcupine Tree. Ritmo ancora sostenuto per "Meet Me At The End Of The World", brano moderno con frangenti addirittura rap. La carta vincente risulta essere il ritornello, mentre gli effetti che accompagnano il tutto donano profondità all’ascolto. Nel finale, un buon solo di tastiere. Cambia lo scenario con "The Wait Is Over", uno sguardo al motivo sonoro semplice e diretto, come ci hanno bene insegnato gli immensi Beatles. Aleggia nel suono della psichedelia delicata, la quale perfettamente si fonde con accenni di sonorità moderne. Gli Aerostation strizzano l’occhio anche alla canzone radiofonica attraverso "Drive My Soul", ma lo fanno con classe ed eleganza, senza scadere nell’ovvio. Buone coralità nella più breve "Life Is Too Short", dove sensazioni in bilico fra gli anni ’70 e ’80 la fanno da padrone. Intimistica e riflessiva "Fly Over Me", canzone che ho apprezzato particolarmente per l'enfasi emotiva, pur non essendo una ballata vera e propria. Anche in questo caso, gli assolo strumentali giungono alla fine. Ma il brano di spicco per il mio gusto personale è "Soulshine", qui riscontro tutte le caratteristiche da me precedentemente citate, ritornello arioso compreso. Gradevole anche "Run As The Sun Goes Down", il suo ritmo e il basso che pompa a dovere regalano un altro frangente di alta musica. Continuo a sentire schegge di Porcupine Tree in molti di questi brani, ma non credo per mia fissazione. L’album si conclude con la malinconica "Messiah", altra chicca sonora dove la psichedelia fa nuovamente capolino. Una menzione a parte anche per la bella copertina di Gigi Cavalli Cocchi. “Rethink” è un buon disco, orecchiabile, moderno, ma allo stesso tempo rispettoso della lezione del passato. Questi amici miei sono strumentisti sopraffini e sanno bene quando spingere o rallentare, così resta molto difficile annoiarsi durante l’ascolto. Ma quei Porcupine Tree… MS

ENG:
When you meet artists of the caliber of Alex Carpani, composer, keyboardist, singer, producer, musicologist and Italian-French artistic director, Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (former drummer of Ligabue, Clan Destino and Consorzio Suonatori Indipendenti), and bassist Jacopo Rossi (Dark Lunacy, Nerve, Antropophagus), expectations can't help but be high.
The instrumental and compositional technique displayed by the trio, similar to Emerson Lake & Palmer (not in terms of music), is excellent, which is why the band can be considered a "supergroup". They formed in autumn 2015 and released their debut album, self-titled, in 2018.
The band received good reviews from critics and audiences, which led to the opportunity to open concerts for renowned bands, including PFM.
Carpani, like Keith Emerson, manages to make the absence of guitars forgettable, and the trio travels compactly, showcasing impressive preparation and blend.
We know that when technique becomes overwhelming, it often comes at the expense of enjoyment, but it also depends on the type of listener; in the world of Progressive Rock, it's generally assumed that fans of this "cultivated" sound are attentive, hard to please, and far removed from generic banalities. Therefore, changes in mood, counter-rhythms, and complex scales are desirable.
In Aerostation's music, these characteristics are present, but it's the catchy melodies that take center stage. The album opens with a brief intro with spatial characteristics, leading to "A Distant Cry", a song that's both dreamy and energetic, supported by Alex's good vocals.
Echoes of King Crimson emerge during the heavy and monolithic instrumental phases. "Life is Calling" is a showcase for Rossi's bass, where the warm sound of his instrument drives the entire piece, which would fit right in with Porcupine Tree's discography.
The rhythm remains sustained in "Meet Me At The End Of The World", a modern song with even rap-like moments. The winning card is the chorus, while the accompanying effects add depth to the listening experience. The song ends with a good keyboard solo.
The scenario changes with "The Wait Is Over", a song with a simple and direct melody, as taught by the great Beatles. A delicate psychedelic sound floats in, perfectly blending with hints of modern sonorities.
Aerostation also flirts with radio-friendly songwriting through "Drive My Soul", but they do it with class and elegance, without falling into the obvious.
Good harmonies in the shorter "Life Is Too Short", where sensations from the 70s and 80s dominate. Intimate and reflective "Fly Over Me" is a song I particularly appreciated for its emotional emphasis, even though it's not a ballad. Again, instrumental solos come at the end of the song.
But the standout track for me is "Soulshine", where I find all the characteristics I mentioned earlier, including an airy chorus. "Run As The Sun Goes Down" is also enjoyable, with its rhythm and pumping bass creating another moment of high music. I keep hearing hints of Porcupine Tree in many of these songs, but I don't think it's just my fixation.
The album concludes with the melancholic "Messiah", another sonic gem where psychedelia makes another appearance. Special mention also goes to Gigi Cavalli Cocchi's beautiful cover art.
"Rethink" is a good album, catchy, modern, yet respectful of the past. These friends of mine are superb musicians who know when to push and when to slow down, making it very hard to get bored while listening. But those Porcupine Tree... MS

No. 09
PROGARCHIVES.COM #1
https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=92442
by Thomas Szirmay

Alex Carpani was anointed with my favourite release of 2024 with his stately "The Good Man", a sizzling initiative which collected rave global reviews. Here Alex is backed up by the legendary Gigi Cavalli Cocchi on drums and Jacopo Rossi on bass. This is a follow up to their precious work, the self-tilted debut in 2018 and very much in a more energetic vein than the more symphonic concept style of Alex's solo material.
We plunge right in with the obligatory intro "The Dive", wasting scant time in getting the motors oiled up and properly lubricated for the full-bore throttle on "A Distant Cry", a brief but deadly surge, where both the propeller bass and explosive drums convey a sense of navigating the choppy sea, yearning to reach a faraway siren, beckoning our three mariners onwards. Alex sings forcefully, fingering the metallic keyboards (there are no guitars on the album!) with deft insinuations that really hit the mark. The sweeping "Life is Calling " is led by a rampaging bass line that takes no prisoners, Gigi gleefully pushing the percussive narrative, while Alex croons masterfully. The keytars get hot and heavy, brittle sonic prosciutto crispier than your ex's ego, a reality check of sound that packs a mighty punch. Being a bass fetishist, I must say that Jacopo really affects my fascination for the low-end of sound. This modern track is courageous, clean and commanding.
Showing no desire to veer into any calm pool of reflection, "Meet Me at the End of the World" keeps the pedal to the hefty metal, a raging missile heading for some future apocalypse. The ingenious inclusion of an almost rap narration (heavily prog though) comes as a revelation, within an expertly sung verse and chorus , a rather unique desire to stretch the boundaries, which is what prog was really about in the first place. The roller coaster ride gets dreamy just long enough to switch gears and turn on the turbo traction. The bass leaps out again bopping with superior authority, as if unclear whether the end of the world is heaven or hell. Perhaps a no man's land awaits us all, which would be perhaps a rightful punishment for our inability to live in harmony with the world around us. "The Wait is Over" possesses a hint of psychedelia (the Beatles come to mind) but lathered with a contemporary sheen that also finds the need to include all kinds of experimental bits (The latter Beatles again), especially vocally. The atmosphere does arrive at a harder edge , as the track approaches the finality described in the title. Back in the leathered seat with the steering wheel firmly in hand, "Drive My Soul" accelerates into the forceful combustion that encompasses all the facets of this album, the powertrain bass meandering between the convulsing cylinders (the drum work is exceptional) as Alex supplies all the bodywork needed to make this machine discover new frontiers for the mind. On the vocal front, both the lead and the tremendous backing vocals are world class, both urgent and heartfelt. 'Sliding on a rainbow', indeed. Definitely, prog radio material.
Adding a little axiom to the reality, "Life is Too Short" last a bit over 3 minutes but suggests a rather haunting voice- led electronica which does not distract from the main sound philosophy, obvious within a few seconds as Alex revs up the crew for another run on the pavement of existence, offering all the obligatory shifts of fortune that we must all bear. 'Taking us to a place where you are waiting passionately', the gentle flow of "Fly Over Me" is only a temporary moment of reflection, as this trio just has no interest in floating in ambient space, keeping the flame of urgency and re-evaluation firmly in place. The keyboard-sourced keyboards convey all the power needed to keep the blood pulsing through the body, a cardiac massage of incredible sounds and relentless rhythmic propulsion. The synth solo seals the deal. Dense electronics greet the ears, laden with voice effects not too distant from Deep Forest though "Soulshine" inevitably swerves into that foundational pulse that cements the entire production. On this, the longest track here, Alex sings passionately (Is there a more Italian trait?), a highly inclusive listening experience that encompasses all the attributes mentioned previously, the synthesizer folly and the outro proving that this is a well thought out project and can inject modernism into classical prog realms . Introduced by a beastly drum that would make John Bonham smile from his stairway to heaven, "Run as the Sun Goes Down" reignites the powertrain, pistons generating all the strokes needed to keep this sonic vehicle firmly adhering to the road, Pirelli tires aiding in the project. The luminous electronic backdrop interfaces with the burly bass attack and Gigi's unrelenting throbbing, another winning lap on this aural circuit. Should not come then as any surprise that "Messiah" will offer the final reflection, a moody lament that should consecrate Alex's vocal abilities as he simply crushes this checkered flag victory, confident that his instrumental skills can now be on the same podium, where the champagne can flow freely, Jacopo and Gigi spraying each other with the finest bubbly. Exceptional ending to a brilliant , off the beaten path album, with a gorgeous cover and devastatingly accurate sound.

No. 10
PROGARCHIVES.COM #2
https://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=3217396
by alainPP

"The Dive" for the period crackles, cinematic ambient spatial intro ideal for diving into "A Distant Cry" engraving the imprint of the sound, 7 years of waiting for this melodic synth pop crossover, round, a melting marshmallow on the stretched vocal. The outro with the keytar is worth the trip. "Life Is Calling" with the swirling bass, leading the title on a consensual heavy pop air in up-tempo worth the originality of the drift extension with this rasped vocal, which can disturb. Rhythmic and nervous piece with the aquatic space outro. "Meet Me At The End Of The World" continues on the electro swing base and the rasped vocal again, aggressive, risking to lose many progeux. The more the melting air and the keytar spinning on steep slopes, the less this attempt to open a well-closed musical Pandora's box. "The Wait Is Over" with the ticking clock or metronome; a languid, psychedelic feel with a haunting, captivating vocal. The swirling synth drift on Tony from GENESIS trying his hand at symphonic heavy rock, a touch of keyboard on "I Must Be Dreaming." "Drive My Soul" for the title track, well, since we're driving, the connection exists. The rhythmic base with Gigi's pads imprints a demonic lightness, including that growled voice. Alex manages to make us forget the absence of guitars for this potential radio edit.
"Life Is Too Short" ...especially in retirement, the privileged state of progeurs; between bass and electronics, between mantranic vocals and danceable pop pulse with a delicate electro outro. "Fly Over Me" for the spatial, airy, Olympian synth supported by Alex's warm narration; a clear sound closer to alternative rock pop with keyboards setting the pulsating rhythm until the catchy solo, without a guitar hat down. "Soulshine" for the electro opening with world-new age choirs; a piece rising inevitably on a heady chorus, between RUSH and RPWL in KEANE mode who also played without guitars. The choral break suddenly flirts with Japanese atmospheres before the singular, progressive electro outro. "Run As The Sun Goes Down" with the tribal drum in the intro; the sound rolls, then flies on a stroboscopic-electronic frame imbued with the melancholic sounds of the bass. The break pad and keytar recalling the tunes of Albion groups insisting on the keyboards. "Messiah" with the return of crackles, a sign of the concept album; the final melodic-melancholic lament vibrates; Alex's echoing voice and his instrument for a final, over-the-top, marshmallowy solo.

No. 11
PROGARCHIVES.COM #3
https://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=3212158
by Renzo "Stoneburner"

I've been a fan of Alex Carpani for years. His 2024 album, The Good Man, was my favorite , with its distinctive blend of strong classical influences and neo-progressive , giving his music a unique identity. Browsing his Bandcamp page, I stumbled upon Aerostation and his self-titled debut album. At first, I assumed it was another Carpani solo project, but I discovered it was a full band, a collaboration between Alex and veteran Italian drummer Gigi Cavalli Cocchi.
Now comes Rethink (2025), a major step forward for Aerostation. While sharing some characteristics with the 2018 self-titled debut, this album feels more compact, inspired, and adventurous. Carpani's keyboards often venture into cosmic territory, creating broad atmospheric layers while keeping his melodic sense intact. The music moves at a slower, more deliberate pace, giving each sound room to breathe.
Cavalli's drums convey the restrained power of Pink Floyd's Nick Mason, while bassist Jacopo Rossi adds a deep, resonant tone that grounds the entire record. Together, they create a sound that feels like full- fledged, mature progressive rock, firmly rooted in the present but with an eye toward the future.
I won't analyze all 11 tracks that make up Rethink's 45-minute runtime, but trust me: it's worth every second. This is Aerostation's most cohesive and ambitious work, but a must-listen for fans of modern progressive rock.

No. 12
LAZLAND
https://lazland.org/album-reviews-part-the-second/aerostation-rethink
by Steven Lazenby

It is, perhaps, fair to state that the world’s most famous power trio in rock, and certainly in progressive rock circles, are Rush.

Well, from Italy, we have a power trio with a wee bit of a critical difference – one without a guitarist. Intrigued? So, was I, so join me in a discussion of a fine album.

The band was formed by Italian French composer, keyboardist, singer, producer, musicologist and artistic director (well known to readers of this website and listeners to my radio show), Alex Carpani, and Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (founder and leader of Italian prog band Mangala Vallis) in late 2016. In 2018, they released their eponymous debut album.

Come 2025, and we have Rethink, released September 19th. They are joined by Jacopo Rossi on bass, a familiar name on the international metal circuit. All the protagonists have collaborated with top artists, and their musical pedigree is impeccable.

You can get the debut and this at https://aerostation.bandcamp.com/album/aerostation and also worth popping along to http://www.alexcarpani.com/aerostation/ for some further details about everything.

From the band, the album is about a new beginning: rethinking your life, your role in life, your priorities, the people you surround yourself with, the feelings you put before everything else, the fears you leave behind, the new fears you face, the love you experience like never before, the soul that guides us and is guided, the spirituality that takes on new forms and takes up new spaces within us. We have eleven tracks to discuss, and I would urge those of you who also appreciate the visual artistic side of works to drink in the lush images on this album. A huge amount of care and attention has gone into it.

I did play the first single, Drive My Soul, on my radio show last month.

So, let’s play some music and discuss.

The Drive is a short introductory piece, the first dive into the unknown leading to a new beginning. Less than a minute long, it is intriguing in its use of sound, especially the sounds putting across that anticipation of what is to come.

It segues into A Distant Cry. A cry heard in the distance echoes between dream and reality, creating apprehension and fear. This slowly disappears when the person next to you faces this mysterious journey with you, holding your hand. The impact of the noise is instant, the contrast stark to what preceded it. It is incredibly catchy. Commercial is regarded as a dirty word in some prog circles, but not here in Lazland, because this one shows the same type of commercial rock sensibility you will hear from the likes of Riverside or Porcupine Tree. It is loud, the vocals of Carpani strongly melodic, soaring in places, and the rhythm section is as good as you will hear anywhere, Rossi playing some impossibly complex notes at times. I have embedded this below.

Life is Calling has a message which resonates with me strongly: Life has a very strong call that moves the forces that make us get up when we fall and support us. I agree. We will all fall down during our lives. It is how we react and use the supporting forces, if we allow them at all, that define us as human beings. The bass from Rossi is stunning – have I found my new Geddy Lee? His partnership with Cocchi is, believe me, the best you will have heard since those heady Lee & Peart days, but I mean this not to infer we have a sort of cover band. It is not. The overall sound is closer to the bands I referenced before, there is crucially no Lifeson here, but the cleverness of Carpani with his array of synths and virtual guitars means you don’t miss it at all. Heavy, bright, pounding, and superb. I just love the pulsing notes at the close.

Meet Me at the End of the World is a contender for this website’s “title of the year” award, for sure. Facing the pain, the fear of the dark in a desolate land with a person we would be ready to meet at the end of the world, knowing that we would never be alone. These are sentiments I again hold strongly; it is perhaps the very definition of a true friend and loved one. We don’t have many, and neither should we. The start is heavy electronic rock before some riffs intrude and the voice narrates the felling, the bass guitar pounding, and then we get a heavy-duty rap before the chorus, a surprise, but surprisingly effective and good. There is such a pleasing intensity to this track, including some magnificent synth riffs. Enjoy it embedded below.

The Wait is Over; The heart beats regularly like a clock, time marks the moments of waiting that at a certain point ends and leaves room for new scenarios, new experiences. The clock ticks, relentless, urgently. Carpani’s vocals are excellent, his use of the virtual guitar very clever, some very dystopian sounds emanating from his keys. Heavy progressive rock at its most urgent and finest.

Drive My Soul is the excellent first single I played on my radio show recently, and it is embedded below for you to enjoy here. Sometimes we need someone to guide us not only by holding our hand and walking the path with us, but also to guide our soul, from within. An alien, guiding us, leading us to a new life and awareness. The cry of “I recall. I am an alien” is from the deepest part of Carpani’s diaphragm, and he does, indeed, scream his lungs out here, the riffs thunderous, a stunning piece of music, such a gorgeous bass melody on this, and the close a heavy symphonic masterpiece.

Life is Too Short follows. Life sometimes seems too short, like a day drawing to a close when instead we would like it to continue because we have so much to do, to live, to say, and as we have had a family bereavement in this household recently, at a good age of 83, you realise that it flows so quickly, but I cling to the hope that there is not an end to the day/life, and we burst out to continue, someone there to save us from the end. Given the subject matter, you might be expecting something melancholic, but it isn’t. It is a bright piece, some of the riffs flying above you in a processional manner, some bursts of funk amongst it, I believe the writers and performers safe in the knowledge that someone, indeed, is there to save us.

Fly Over Me; Only a person we trust, to whom we have opened our heart, can we ask to always fly above us, like a bird that watches over us and shows the way. It could be written about the love of my life, my beautiful wife, with whom I look forward to taking a ride to eternity with. The start is almost hymnal, the synths brooding, the voice pensive, then the percussion begins to drive us along, the whole thing building up as it goes along, before the chorus blooms in a joyous noise, and this is, incidentally, something this album does so well, the use of true choruses to provide a central beacon to the spirit of the songs. The synth work as we move to the close is soaring, full of light, parts of it reminding me of some of Pendragon’s work circa Passion.

Soulshine; The soul shines and illuminates everything with its light when it is full of love and goodness, when it is just. Stars and lights dance in the sky. This is the longest track on the album but is still sub-six-minutes. No epics, and not once do you yearn for one – this is an album which demands to be heard as a whole anyway, a series of intertwined pieces. The female voice is a dystopian chant, before the main piece settles down into a thoughtful commentary, synths, virtual guitars, bass, and drums combining into a lesson on how to collaborate musically, some of this as it moves along really sumptuous and moving, the contrast with the feminine voice an interesting one, and the sharp change of pace and energy at the four minute mark is quite stark, slowing down for a sort of interlude before the trio burst forth in a bright loud noise.

Run as the Sun Goes Down is the penultimate piece; Sometimes we have to run, as soon as the sun sets, as soon as daylight gives way to night, to seek salvation, to find a way out. Lost souls in fields of gold, run as the sun goes down. The underlying riffs are so strong on this, the rhythm section taking us on that primeval urge to run, to escape the dark, to move towards the light, escaping failure, embracing something new. Above it all, the synths move across the piece so swiftly, just like clouds racing along on an atmospheric wind. It has funk breathing passages, but, in the main, this is a modern heavy blues track bringing something quite distinctive to the 2025 musical scene.

We close with Messiah; The unexpected encounter with a mysterious and saving figure, off the beaten path, who changes our lives. We will sail to the moon until we find our Messiah. The opening notes are orchestral, with a crackle vinyl beneath. The vocals take centre stage, as a conductor guiding the sounds around him, an intense experience, bringing a deeply spiritual album to its conclusion, the synths building to a crescendo.

There is, of course, a new occupant at The Vatican, and I still have fond memories of a couple of weeks in Rome in 1989. I think I might return, if only to see Pope Leo and present that interesting new pontiff with a copy of this wonderful album, an example of how intelligent spiritual music doesn’t have to conform to ancient mores, but is part of an evolving, progressive movement.
Rethink is sheer class and joins those albums of 2025 as an essential purchase.

No. 13
METAL.IT
https://metal.it/album.aspx/53256/32480/aerostation-rethink/
by Gabriele Marangoni

Sono già passati più di cinque anni dall’esordio degli Aerostation, collettivo guidato dagli instancabili Alex Carpani e Gigi Cavalli Cocchi coadiuvati dal bassista Jacopo Rossi.

Il nuovo “Rethink” è accompagnato da tanta (e apprezzata) documentazione a corredo, che chiarisce il concept alla base dell’opera e che il tastierista sintetizza così: “ripensare la propria vita, la propria parte nella vita, le proprie priorità, le persone di cui circondarsi, i sentimenti da mettere davanti a tutto il resto, le paure da lasciarsi alle spalle, le nuove paure da affrontare, l'amore da vivere come mai si è fatto prima, l'anima che ci guida e si fa guidare, la spiritualità che assume nuove forme e prende nuovi spazi dentro di noi”.

Musicalmente le coordinate rimangono quelle di un progressive muscolare e spacey impreziosito da belle linee vocali (“The Dive”/”A Distant Cry”), i cui toni alternativi non sono mai a discapito della melodia (“Life Is Calling”). “Meet Me At The End Of The World” mi suona come una moderna “Elephant Talk” di crimsoniana memoria, mentre la meno concitata “The Wait Is Over” sfocia nell’ottima “Drive My Soul”, episodio che rievoca lo Steven Wilson di “To The Bone”.

“Life Is Too Short” e “Run As The Sun Goes Down” puntano sull’approccio moderno dei FROST*, mentre “Fly Over Me” spicca per i sintetizzatori eterei alla maniera di Angelo Badalamenti, prima di “Soulshine”, traccia che non avrebbe sfigurato in uno degli ultimi album dei Marillion.

Il finale è lasciato all’avvolgente e cinematografica “Messiah”, degna conclusione di un lavoro ambizioso ma accessibile e riuscito.

No. 14
PROGARCHIVES.COM #4
https://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=3219735
by Kev Rowland

Here we have the second album from Italian trio Aerostation, who comprise Alex Carpani (vocals, keytar), Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (drums, electronic pads) and Jacopo Rossi (bass). I have not heard the debut album, which came out seven years ago, but last year I reviewed Alex's album 'The Good Man', while I actually interviewed Gigi all the way back in 2006 (along with Bernardo Lanzetti) after Mangala Vallis released the excellent 'Lyncanthrope'. As one can see from the line-up, there are no guitars on this album, with the layering coming mostly from Alex's custom keytar (an instrument I do wish we saw more of in concert).
This is a very modern-sounding album, with a very strong focus on the production, and while that is obviously deliberate, it has made it quite difficult for me to listen to. I prefer my music to have more space within the layers, and this is much more of a wall of sound approach. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is not a style I enjoy. That being said, this is an album which has really grown on me the more I have listened to it, with its very strong commercial elements, and I am sure the reason for my initial dislike is much more down to personal taste as opposed to any particular fault with the album itself. Gigi is playing drums, but I do wish the acoustic vitality was further forward in the mix, while I also feel Jacopo's bass should be way more prominent as he provides some wonderful lines and is often carrying the main melody with the layers of keytar providing wonderful backdrop, but it can sometimes get lost. However, it does mean that with the different sounds and threads coming from the keytar we never miss the lack of guitar. Even the vocals have been treated, and while there is no doubt this is in a similar vein to much of modern music is not a production style I like.
The result is a modern crossover progressive rock album which will be of interest to many which has taken a long time for me to warm to, but while I cannot see me returning to this to listen to it for pleasure, that is just down to my own personal taste. I see my friend Thomas Szirmay is a huge fan, and if you like this style of progressive rock, I am sure you will find much here to enjoy.

No. 15
MUSICMAP
https://www.musicmap.it/recdischi/ordinaperr.asp?id=11834
by Gilberto Ongaro

Tastiere, basso e batteria, per un power trio hard-progressive. Gli Aerostation sono tecnicamente un supergruppo, cioè un gruppo i cui componenti fanno già parte di altri celebri gruppi, e si uniscono per un progetto parallelo.
Il tastierista e cantante è Alex Carpani, compositore che ha militato nel duo Gemini, collaborato con nientemeno che Aldo Tagliapietra e ha anche una carriera solista. Il bassista è Jacopo Rossi, attivo negli Antropophagus, nei Dark Lunacy e altri ancora, quindi soprattutto nel metal. Infine il batterista Gigi Cavalli Cocchi ha suonato a fianco di Ligabue nella fase iniziale della sua carriera, ha suonato con i CSI e nel 2001 è cofondatore dei Mangala Vallis.
Fondati nel 2018, gli Aerostation sono tornati col nuovo disco, “Rethink”, che contiene undici canzoni dove il sound della tastiera e del basso riescono spesso a simulare la chitarra elettrica, che in realtà non c'è. La potenza accompagna melodie cantate spesso su note lunghe che lasciano apprezzare le armonizzazioni, come avviene in “Soulshine”.
Ci sono dei riff “killer” come quello accennato dall'introduzione di “Dive” e che poi esplode in “A distant cry”, una sequenza di note minacciose che si fa ricordare. Come i progger richiedono, c'è molta fantasia nella parte aspetto armonico, optando per progressioni armoniche e sonorità che spesso si usano nello space rock, nelle atmosfere galattiche. Infatti, per certi aspetti il sound ricorda quello di Mått Mūn.
Jacopo Rossi si fa notare più volte nella sua perizia al basso. Forse quello che manca, in questa scaletta di canzoni, è un calo della dinamica. Tutto è forte, tutto è sparato anche quando la composizione non è vicina all'apice, al momento “catartico” diciamo, e questo un po' appiattisce l'esito. Ma potrebbe essere una questione di produzione.
Fa eccezione “Messiah”, la canzone che chiude l'album, che inizia con una lunga ambientazione basata su un solo suono nel silenzio. Qui la dinamica c'è: c'è il piano, il medio, il forte e il fortissimo, infatti risulta il brano migliore dell'album, accanto al riff killer di “A distant cry”.
“Rethink” resta comunque un lavoro più che apprezzabile, vista la mole di prodotti piatti nel mainstream in tutti gli aspetti (composizione, testi, interpretazione, arrangiamenti...). L'album degli Aerostation ci fa porre quesiti importanti e nel farlo ci intrattiene con melodie non scontate, forza e virtuosismo mai fine a sé stesso. (Gilberto Ongaro)

No. 16
BABYBLAUE SEITEN
https://www.babyblaue-seiten.de/album_22482.html#oben
by Siggy Zielinski

Der Keyboarder, Sänger, Musikwissenschaftler und Kulturmanager Alex Carpani hat bereits unter eigenem Namen einige gute Alben veröffentlicht. Er ist in der Prog-Szene bestens vernetzt, hat unter anderem mit David Cross, David Jackson, Bernardo Lazetti (PFM), Aldo Tagliapetra (Le Orme) und Theo Travis zusammengearbeitet. Für sein Projekt Aerostation hat er mit dem Drummer Gigi Cavalli Cocchi und mit dem Bassisten Jacopo Rossi zwei weitere erfahrene Musiker verpflichtet. Cocchi ist Gründer von Mangala Vallis, arbeitete u.a. mit David Jackson und Judge Smith zusammen, startete zusammen mit Bernardo Lanzetti und Cristiano Roversi das CCLR-Projekt. Jacopo Rossi ist vor allem als Metaller bei Dark Lunacy, Nerve und Antropophagus aktiv.
Aerostations zweites Album wird nicht nur im Titel sehr optimisch als Aufbruch zu neuen Ufern, Suche nach Freiheit, als Ausdruck aller verfügbaren menschlichen Emotionen vorgestellt. Das Keyboard-Trio kommt ohne die Gitarren aus (die Bassgitarre mal ausgenommen), der Bandleader singt und spielt die Sonderanfertigung namens Keytar, mit der man Synthesizer und virtuelle Gitarren abrufen kann. Genau genommen ist Aerostation ein Keys-Drums-Duo mit einem Gastbassisten. Rossi wird nämlich als additional musician geführt.
In den Songtexten geht es um positive Lebenseinstellung, um die Kräfte des Lebens, um die Offenheit gegenüber Veränderungen und Mitmenschen. Zusammen mit dem knallbunten Artwork und der flotten Musik zwischen Synthwave, Artrock und Artpop ergibt das ein Gesamtkunstwerk, das bestens nicht nur gegen Depressionen sondern auch gegen Selbstzweifel und Lebenskrisen jeglicher Art helfen könnte. Alex Carpani bietet mit seinen elektronischen Keyboards eine breite Klangpalette, in deren Rahmen er auch die Gitarren klanglich nachzuahmen versucht. In „Messiah“ entlockt er seinen Keys die Cello-ähnlichen Klänge. Trotzdem sind die vibrierend melodischen Synthesizer das wichtigste und entscheidende Element in den Arrangements. Die Schwerpunkte in der Musik variieren zwischen elektronisch eingefärbtem Modern Prog, den rockigen Akzenten und dem Artrock mit popmusikalischem Anstrich.
Manchmal fühle ich mich durch „Rethink“ an die musikalische Aufbruchstimmung Anfang der 80er erinnert, als die Prog-Veteranen wie Yes und Genesis sich in kompakteren Stücken neu erfanden, ohne ganz ihre progressiven Wurzeln hinter sich zu lassen. Stellenweise scheinen die Seitenprojekte wie Mike & The Mechanics oder Squire-Sherwood Conspiracy um die Ecke zu lugen. An 2-3 Stellen spricht wohl ein Rapper seine zweifellos wichtigen Aussagen, wenn Alex nicht gerade singt. Leider kann ich den gastierenden Rapper nicht wirklich verstehen. Eine elektronische verfremdete Stimme taucht an einer Stelle ebenso auf, der Damengesang in „Soulshine“ setzt interessante Akzente. Aber solche stimmlichen Gastbeiträge sind vergleichsweise nach hinten gemischt, damit man sich auf die sehr überzeugend vorgetragene Selbsfindungsreise des Sängers und Synthesizerspielers Carpani konzentrieren kann.
„Rethink“ ist eines dieser Alben, bei denen ich den Eindruck habe, der Künstler hat eine Botschaft zu vermitteln. Der energetische, fast schon futuristisch anmutende Pop Prog von Aerostation mag zwar nicht sonderlich tiefgründig anmuten, aber es gelingt Alex Carpani, die Leichtigkeit des Seins als Lösung für viele Probleme zu propagieren, ohne oberflächlich zu wirken. Nach diesem ansteckend positiven Album bekomme ich fast das Gefühl, wenn wir nur alles überdenken und gemeinsam die Probleme anpacken, könnte die Welt besser werden.

ENG:
Keyboardist, singer, musicologist, and cultural manager Alex Carpani has already released several good albums under his own name. He has an excellent network in the prog scene, having collaborated with David Cross, David Jackson, Bernardo Lazetti (PFM), Aldo Tagliapetra (Le Orme), and Theo Travis, among others. For his Aerostation project, he has enlisted two other experienced musicians: drummer Gigi Cavalli Cocchi and bassist Jacopo Rossi. Cocchi is the founder of Mangala Vallis, has worked with David Jackson and Judge Smith, among others, and started the CCLR project with Bernardo Lanzetti and Cristiano Roversi. Jacopo Rossi is primarily active as a metal musician with Dark Lunacy, Nerve, and Antropophagus.
Aerostation's second album is presented, not only in its title, very optimistically as a departure for new shores, a search for freedom, an expression of all available human emotions. The keyboard trio does without guitars (except for the bass guitar), while the bandleader sings and plays a custom-made keytar, which allows for access to synthesizers and virtual guitars. Strictly speaking, Aerostation is a keys-drums duo with a guest bassist. Rossi is listed as an additional musician.
The lyrics are about a positive attitude to life, the power of life, and openness to change and fellow human beings. Combined with the brightly colored artwork and upbeat music, which is a blend of synthwave, art rock, and art pop, this creates a work of art that could be ideal not only for combating depression but also self-doubt and life crises of all kinds. With his electronic keyboards, Alex Carpani offers a broad sound palette, within which he also attempts to imitate the sound of guitars. In "Messiah," he coaxes cello-like sounds from his keys. Nevertheless, the vibrant, melodic synthesizers are the most important and decisive element in the arrangements. The musical focus varies between electronically tinged modern prog, rock accents, and art rock with a pop touch.
Sometimes "Rethink" reminds me of the musical spirit of optimism in the early 80s, when prog veterans like Yes and Genesis reinvented themselves in more compact pieces without completely leaving their progressive roots behind. At times, side projects like Mike & The Mechanics or Squire-Sherwood Conspiracy seem to be peeking around the corner. At two or three points, a rapper speaks his undoubtedly important statements when Alex isn't singing. Unfortunately, I can't really understand the guest rapper. An electronically distorted voice also appears at one point, and the female vocals in "Soulshine" add interesting accents. But such vocal guest contributions are mixed relatively low so that the focus can be on the very convincingly presented journey of self-discovery of the singer and synthesizer player Carpani.
"Rethink" is one of those albums where I get the impression the artist has a message to convey. Aerostation's energetic, almost futuristic pop prog may not seem particularly profound, but Alex Carpani succeeds in promoting the lightness of being as a solution to many problems without seeming superficial. After this infectiously positive album, I almost feel like if we just rethink everything and tackle the problems together, the world could be a better place.

No. 17
EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE
https://annecarlini.com/ex_cd.php?id=6417
by Russell Trunk

For those unaware, Aerostation is a band exploring new boundaries of rock through a contamination of genres and styles: alternative rock, crossover prog, hard rock, electronic music, fine pop, ambient.
It’s a power trio without a guitarist. Liquid keys and strong and powerful guitar-like edited sounds are melted together in an original way and played by Alex Carpani through his custom keytar, while Gigi Cavalli Cocchi’s personal and recognizable touch on drums brings forth a strength within energy.
Alex takes care of the lead and backing vocals whilst Gigi and Alex are accompanied by Jacopo Rossi on bass. Jacopo is a well-known musician from the international metal scene (Dark Lunacy, Nerve, Antropophagus).

Aerostation’s new album is called Rethink and was released worldwide on September 19th, 2025 via Alex’s own label Independent Artist Records. The album consists of 11 songs sung in English and musically speaking is a mix of crossover-prog / hard-prog / alt-rock /electronic-rock with a clear propensity to be combined with visuals, being a suggestive, descriptive and evocative music.

1. The Dive [00:57] 2. A Distant Cry [3:47] 3. Life Is Calling [4:20] 4. Meet Me At The End Of The World [4:06] 5. The Wait Is Over [3:37] 6. Drive My Soul [4:36] 7. Life Is Too Short [3:05] 8. Fly Over Me [4:15] 9. Soulshine [5:47] 10. Run As The Sun Goes Down [4:37] 11. Messiah [5:22]

With Rethink being a starting over period, after life has forced us to change, shed our skin, and take a new direction, Alex opens his brilliant new album on a quietly spacial growth within the short The Dive and then we get brought forth the propellant guitar rocker Distant Cry, the drum-led AOR of Life Is Calling, the rhythmic prog of Meet Me At The End Of The World and the atmospherically-charged The Wait Is Over.
Along next is an emboldened Drive My Soul and the mid-tempo, indie-alt sounds of Life Is Too Short and they are in turn backed seamlessly by the rising rock balladry within Fly Over Me, the melodiously grooved Soulshine, the set rounding out on the synth-driven beauty Run As The Sun Goes Down, coming to a close on the expansive Messiah.

Musicians: Alex Carpani – lead and back vocals, keyboards, all virtual guitars Gigi Cavalli Cocchi – drums Additional musician: Jacopo Rossi – bass

No. 18
SEA OF TRANQUILITY
https://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=25368
by Aaron Steelman

Aerostation: Rethink

Last year, Alex Carpani released The Good Man, an outstanding example of conceptual symphonic prog. He’s back this year with his band Aerostation for their second album, Rethink, after a seven-year gap following the self-titled debut. Gigi Cavalli Cocchi, the other formal member of the band, joins him again on drums and electronic percussion pads, as does Jacopo Rossi on bass. Carpani provides all vocals, keyboards, drum machine programming, and “virtual guitars,” meaning guitar-like edited sounds.

In their press materials, the band says they are “exploring new boundaries of rock through a contamination of genres and styles: alternative rock, crossover prog, hard rock, electronic music, fine pop, ambient.” The album has a very slick production and reminds me of some of Steven Wilson’s more recent, poppier releases. It’s also very vocal dominant, unlike The Good Man, though there are keyboard flourishes similar to the splendid, earwormy sounds that Tony Banks got on Duke. With 11 songs, clocking in at just under 45 minutes total, Rethink gives you what the band has told you to expect. If you’re expecting 70s prog grandeur, don’t be fooled by the excellent modern-retro cover. You need to look elsewhere. But if you want some well-done, playful art pop, you’ve come to the right place.

Track Listing
1. The Dive (0:57)
2. A Distant Cry (3:47)
3. Life Is Calling (4:20)
4. Meet Me At The End Of The World (4:06)
5. The Wait Is Over (3:37)
6. Drive My Soul (4:36)
7. Life Is Too Short (3:05)
8. Fly Over Me (4:15)
9. Soulshine (5:47)
10. Run As The Sun Goes Down (4:37)
11. Messiah (5:22)

Added: October 7th 2025 Reviewer: Aaron Steelman Score: 3 1/2 star Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp Hits: 115 Language: english

No. 19
MUSIC IN BELGIUM
https://musicinbelgium.net/reviews/aerostation-rethink/
by Philippe Thirionet

AEROSTATION – Rethink
Notre évaluation: 4/5 stars

Au sein de ce trio, proposant un crossover, louvoyant entre rock-progressif, musique électronique, et pop-rock, l’on retrouve en son sein, l’artiste italien Alex Carpani, dont j’avais chroniqué son dernier album sorti en décembre 2024. Il est ici accompagné de Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (batterie, et artiste reconnu sur la scène rock italienne), et de Jacopo Rossi (basse), Alex s’occupant du reste des instruments (chant, chœurs, claviers, guitares). Alex et Gigi s’occupant des compositions, Alex des textes, le trio propose une musique aux relents modernes, grâce à l’utilisation de synthés et programmations, mais également au travers d’un pop/rock progressif lui-aussi à la coloration contemporaine. Un rock progressif électronique, si je puis dire, où l’on sent l’importance de la mélodie, et d’un arrière-plan sonore atmosphérique, renforçant la profondeur de la musique. Le chant est lui-aussi, en quelque sorte atmosphérique, mélodique en tout cas, renforçant l’aspect pop et mélodique des compositions.
Un pop-rock progressif accessible, qui peut aussi prendre la direction d’une orchestration complexe et technique, comme ces beaux passages à la basse, sans oublier l’importance du tempo et de l’ambiance générale, qui rappelle par exemple ASIA. Domine cette ambiance atmosphérique et fluide, qui permet une entrée facile au sein de cet album, qui de plus, propose moult passages modernes aux synthés. Notons encore l’importance d’un chant clair, qui rappelle aussi la démarche du supergroupe anglais…et d’autres formations des eighties ou des seventies comme ELP.
En fait, le trio italien réussit à assembler d’un côté un travail progressif et technique, et de l’autre côté, une coloration pop-rock plus mélodique, cette dernière accentuée par l’intervention des synthés. Un pop-rock progressif, gorgé de rondeurs, mais aussi de rythme.

https://aerostation.bandcamp.com/album/rethink

PS: superbe pochette !

Line-up:
Alex Carpani (chant, chœurs, claviers, guitares, composition et écriture)
Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (batterie, composition)
+ Jacopo Rossi (basse)

Pays : IT
Independent Artist Records
Sortie : 2025/09/19

https://www.facebook.com/aerostationband

No. 20
MUSIKREVIEWS.DE
http://musikreviews.de/reviews/2025/Aerostation/Rethink/
by Thoralf Koß

Artist: Aerostation
Album: Rethink
Medium: CD/LP/Download
Stil: Progressive Rock
Label: Independent Artist Records/Just For Kicks
Spieldauer: 44:37
Erschienen: 19.09.2025

Gleich zu Beginn ihres „Rethink“-Albums zeigen AEROSTATION, dass sie ihren Bandnamen nicht ohne Grund mit solcher Nähe zum Weltraum gewählt haben. Ein sehr geheimnisvoller Anfang: Es knistert, rauscht und klingt wie nach einer finsteren, kosmischen Utopie.
Doch das Geräuschrätsel wird schnell aufgelöst:
Es rockt ordentlich drauflos und aus dem eröffnenden, instrumentalen „The Dive“ erklingt passend „A Distant Cry“: „The sun is in your eyes / I hear a distant cry“.
Und schon kann sie durchstarten, die space-rockende Reise durch das progressive Universum der drei italienischen Prog-Rocker, von denen viele Prog-Freunde garantiert deren singenden Keyboarder ALEX CARPANI gut kennen, da er schon so einige (insgesamt sieben) Solo-Alben in einem ähnlichen Stil wie seine nunmehr AEROSTATION veröffentlichte.
Auf den elf Stücken von „Rethink“ verzichten AEROSTATION leider gänzlich auf verspieltere Longtracks und gehen relativ straight rockend und mit elektronisch verspielten Space-Einschüben zur Sache. Setzen sogar auf eingängige (ja, manchmal gar recht langweilige) Melodien, wenn sie zu der grandiosen Feststellung kommen, dass das Leben zu kurz ist: „Life is too short / Lie down“.
Ähnlich verhält es sich mit der Ballade „Fly Over Me“, die sich hymnisch steigert. Oft fragt man sich, in welche Richtung AEROSTATION, die ihr Album zudem großartig gestaltet im Mini-LP-Cover samt 16-seitigem Booklet unters Prog-Volk bringen, denn wirklich tendieren.
Prog oder Classic Rock, Space oder Crossover, Filmmusik oder Art Pop?
Außerdem fehlt irgendwas bei all den Keyboard-dominierten Sounds. Es sind die Gitarren, die man im Laufe der progressiven Dreiviertelstunde immer stärker vermisst. Denn selbst wenn sich häufig floydianische Momente, wie in „Soulshine“, einschleichen, denkt man: „So, jetzt kommt bestimmt gleich ein gilmoursches Gitarren-Solo“, doch das bleibt aus. Schade. Aber eine von Carpani verwendete 'Keytar' ersetzt eben doch keine echte E-Gitarre.
Dafür gibt es viel Bassklang (Bassist Jacopo Rossi kommt aus dem Metal, was eindeutig zu hören ist) und finstere Passagen, wobei das Schlagzeug eben als Rhythmus-Fraktion firmiert. Mehr aber auch nicht, stattdessen darf dem einen oder anderen symphonischen Ausflug gelauscht werden. Typisch Carpani eben, der sich durch solche Sounds immer wieder auch auf seinen Solo-Alben mit den Keyboards in den Vordergrund spielt.
Am Ende bleibt ein durchwachsener Eindruck von dieser AEROSTATION, die sich Richtung „Messiah“ aus dem Album stiehlt: „I'll sail till I'll find out a messiah / I'll sail to the moon“.
Mit „Rethink“ haben AEROSTATION zumindest noch nicht ihren Prog-Messias genauso wenig wie die dunkle Seite des Mondes gefunden.
FAZIT: Der Kopf hinter AEROSTATION, dem progressiven italienischen Trio, das hier nur zu gerne auch dem Alternative Rock huldigt, ist ganz offensichtlich der vielen durch seine Solo-Alben sicher bestens bekannte ALEX CARPANI, der mal wieder mit Keyboards und Gesang das recht spirituell daherkommende „Rethink“-Album dominiert. Es sei ihm gegönnt. Der Hörer, dem gerade progressive Komplexität zusagt, wird wohl – besonders auch der fehlenden Gitarren wegen – mit diesem oft auch im Space-Rock wildernden und komplett auf Longtracks verzichtenden AEROSTATION-Album nicht rundum glücklich werden, selbst wenn die großartige Gestaltung ein wenig dafür entschädigt, dass die Musik dahinter nicht ganz so großartig gestaltet ist.

ENG:
Right at the beginning of their "Rethink" album, AEROSTATION demonstrates that they chose their band name with such a connection to space for a reason. A very mysterious beginning: It crackles, roars, and sounds like a dark, cosmic utopia.
But the sound puzzle is quickly solved:
It rocks out, and the opening instrumental "The Dive" fittingly leads to "A Distant Cry": "The sun is in your eyes / I hear a distant cry."
And now it's ready to begin: the space-rocking journey through the progressive universe of the three Italian prog rockers, many of whom are sure to know their singing keyboardist ALEX CARPANI well, as he has already released several solo albums (seven in total) in a similar style to his now AEROSTATION.
On the eleven tracks of "Rethink," AEROSTATION unfortunately completely forgoes more playful long tracks and go for a relatively straight-forward rocking approach with playful electronic space interludes. They even rely on catchy (yes, sometimes quite boring) melodies when they come to the grandiose conclusion that life is too short: "Life is too short / Lie down."
The same applies to the ballad "Fly Over Me," which builds to an anthemic level. One often wonders which direction AEROSTATION, who also bring their album to the prog crowd with a superbly designed mini-LP cover and 16-page booklet, are really leaning toward.
Prog or classic rock, space or crossover, film music or art pop?
Furthermore, something is missing from all the keyboard-dominated sounds. It's the guitars that you miss more and more over the course of the progressive 45-minute track. Even when Floydian moments creep in frequently, like in "Soulshine," you think, "Okay, I'm sure a Gilmour-esque guitar solo is about to happen," but that doesn't happen. It's a shame. But the keytar Carpani uses is no substitute for a real electric guitar.
Instead, there's plenty of bass sound (bassist Jacopo Rossi has a metal background, which is clearly audible) and dark passages, with the drums functioning as a rhythm section. But nothing more; instead, you can listen to the occasional symphonic excursion. Typical Carpani, who repeatedly uses such sounds to bring his keyboards to the forefront, even on his solo albums.
In the end, a mixed impression remains of this AEROSTATION, which steals its way toward "Messiah" from the album: "I'll sail till I'll find out a messiah / I'll sail to the moon."
With "Rethink," AEROSTATION certainly hasn't found its prog messiah yet, just as they haven't found the dark side of the moon.
CONCLUSION: The mastermind behind AEROSTATION, the progressive Italian trio that also happily pays homage to alternative rock, is clearly Alex Carpani, who is certainly well known to many from his solo albums and who once again dominates the rather spiritual "Rethink" album with keyboards and vocals. He deserves it. The listener who particularly enjoys progressive complexity will probably not be completely satisfied with this AEROSTATION album, which often wanders into space rock and completely forgoes long tracks - especially because of the missing guitars - even if the great design somewhat compensates for the fact that the music behind it is not quite so great.

No. 21
STONE PROG
https://stone-prog.de/2025/09/10/review-aerostation-rethink-2025/
by Gunter Dreßler

Der italienische Tausendsassa Alex Carpani veröffentlicht nur ein dreiviertel Jahr nach seinem tollen Prog-Solo-Werk „The Good Man“ (Rezension hier auf den Stone-Prog-Seiten zu finden) bereits wieder ein neues Studioalbum. Dafür reaktiviert er die Band Aerostation, die 2018 ihr selbstbetiteltes Debüt-Album herausbrachte.

Tracklist
1. The Dive (0:57)
2. A Distant Cry (3:47)
3. Life Is Calling (4:20)
4. Meet Me At The End Of The World (4:06)
5. The Wait Is Over (3:37)
6. Drive My Soul (4:36)
7. Life Is Too Short (3:05)
8. Fly Over Me (4:15)
9. Soulshine (5:47)
10. Run As The Sun Goes Down (4:37)
11. Messiah (5:22)

Aerostation ist eine Band, die die Grenzen des Rock durch die Vermischung verschiedener Genres und Stile erkundet: Alternative Rock, Crossover-Prog, Hard Rock, elektronische Musik, feiner Pop und Ambient. Spannend dabei: Wir haben hier ein Power-Trio ohne Gitarristen. Flüssige Tasten und kraftvolle, gitarrenartige Sounds werden von Alex Carpani auf seinem Custom-Keytar gespielt und verschmelzen auf originelle Weise miteinander. Die Keytar des Meisters spielt dabei weniger Keyboard-Teppiche, das Ganze geht schon kräftig und rockig nach vorne.
Alex übernimmt außerdem den Lead- und Backgroundgesang. Gigi Cavalli Cocchis persönlicher und unverwechselbarer Anschlag am Schlagzeug verleiht der Musik die richtige Kraft und Energie. Gigi und Alex werden von Jacopo Rossi am Bass begleitet, der kräftig, in eigener Linie und ziemlich weit vorne zu hören ist. Jacopo ist ein bekannter Musiker der internationalen Metal-Szene (Dark Lunacy, Nerve, Antropophagus).
Inhaltlich geht es auf dem Album „Rethink“ um einen Neuanfang: das eigene Leben, die eigene Rolle im Leben, die eigenen Prioritäten, die Menschen, mit denen man sich umgibt. Es geht auch darum, Spiritualität neu zu überdenken, die neue Formen und neue Räume in uns einnimmt. Alex Carpani hat also tatsächlich etwas zu sagen. Das Ganze ist auf 11 Stücke verteilt, die maximal eine Länge von knapp 6 Minuten haben. Der Sound ist insgesamt schwer zu beschreiben und zu vergleichen. Dieses eigene Gebräu in schönen rockigen Melodien hat schon etwas Eigenständiges. Die Handschrift von Alex Carpani ist im Vergleich zu seinem Solo-Werk „The Good Man“ schon wiederzuerkennen, das hier vorliegende Album „Rethink“ hat aber einen völlig anderen musikalischen Ansatz und ist mit „The Good Man“ nicht zu vergleichen.
Unserer Meinung nach lohnt es sich, dieses Aerostation-Album auszuprobieren, insbesondere wegen der einerseits rockigen Ausrichtung, andererseits aber auch wegen seines besonderen Sounds. Nach ein paar Durchläufen finden wir jedenfalls mehr und mehr Spaß am Hören. Und innovative Künstler, die mit ihrer Musik etwas zu sagen haben, unterstützen wir Progger doch sowieso gerne, gelle? Aerostation – „Rethink“ erscheint am 19. September 2025 auf Alex‘ Label Independent Artist Records und ist beispielsweise auf Just For Kicks bereits vorbestellbar.

Musiker
Alex Carpani / lead & backing vocals, keytar
Gigi Cavalli Cocchi / drums, electronic pads
Jacopo Rossi / bass


ENG:
Italian all-rounder Alex Carpani is releasing a new studio album just nine months after his superb prog solo effort "The Good Man" (review available here on the Stone Prog pages). He's revived the band Aerostation, which released its self-titled debut album in 2018.

Tracklist
1. The Dive (0:57)
2. A Distant Cry (3:47)
3. Life Is Calling (4:20)
4. Meet Me At The End Of The World (4:06)
5. The Wait Is Over (3:37)
6. Drive My Soul (4:36)
7. Life Is Too Short (3:05)
8. Fly Over Me (4:15)
9. Soulshine (5:47)
10. Run As The Sun Goes Down (4:37)
11. Messiah (5:22)

Aerostation is a band exploring the boundaries of rock by blending different genres and styles: alternative rock, crossover prog, hard rock, electronic music, sophisticated pop, and ambient. What's exciting about this is that we have a power trio without a guitarist. Alex Carpani plays fluid keys and powerful, guitar-like sounds on his custom keytar, blending together in an original way. The master's keytar plays less keyboard-like sounds, but the whole thing is more powerful and forward-moving.
Alex also takes on lead and backing vocals. Gigi Cavalli Cocchi's personal and distinctive touch on the drums gives the music just the right amount of power and energy. Gigi and Alex are accompanied by Jacopo Rossi on bass, who is powerful, in his own right, and quite prominent. Jacopo is a well-known musician in the international metal scene (Dark Lunacy, Nerve, Antropophagus).
The content of the album "Rethink" is about a new beginning: one's own life, one's own role in life, one's own priorities, the people one surrounds oneself with. It's also about rethinking spirituality, which takes on new forms and new spaces within us. So Alex Carpani really has something to say. The whole thing is divided into 11 tracks, each with a maximum length of just under 6 minutes.
The overall sound is difficult to describe or compare. This unique blend of beautiful rock melodies has a distinct quality. Alex Carpani's signature style is already recognizable compared to his solo work "The Good Man," but this album, "Rethink," takes a completely different musical approach and is incomparable to "The Good Man."
In our opinion, this Aerostation album is worth checking out, especially because of its rock orientation on the one hand, but also because of its unique sound on the other. After a few listens, we find it more and more enjoyable. And don't we prog fans like to support innovative artists who have something to say with their music anyway? Aerostation - "Rethink" will be released on September 19, 2025, on Alex's label Independent Artist Records and is already available for pre-order on Just For Kicks, for example.

Line-up
Alex Carpani / lead & backing vocals, keytar
Gigi Cavalli Cocchi / drums, electronic pads
Jacopo Rossi / bass

No. 22
PROGRESSIVE ROCK JOURNAL
https://progrockjournal.com/interview-exclusive-interview-with-italian-power-trio-aerostation/
by Jacopo Vigezzi

[Interview] Exclusive interview with italian power trio Aerostation

Progressive Rock Journal is proud to feature Aerostation’s latest album, “Rethink,” released worldwide on September 19, 2025 via Independent Artist Records. Following their 2018 debut, the Italian power trio returns with a remarkable collection of eleven tracks that blend Crossover Prog, Heavy Prog, Alt-Rock, and Electronic-Rock, demonstrating a compelling fusion of technical prowess, melody, and visual-driven storytelling. The band, consisting of Alex Carpani (lead/back vocals, keytar, arrangements, production), Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (drums, electronic pad, graphic design), and Jacopo Rossi (bass), explores themes of rebirth, transformation, human emotion, and the search for freedom. With a
meticulously crafted digipak, 16-page booklet, and immersive soundscapes, “Rethink” invites listeners to experience a story as much as an album.
To delve deeper into the creative process behind “Rethink,” Progressive Rock Journal presents the following interview questions for the band:

What inspired the concept of “Rethink,” and how does it build on your debut album?
Musically speaking we wanted to make an album that was in a certain sense the continuation, but also the evolution of the style of the first album “Aerostation.” “Rethink” contains rock songs, despite being a concept album overall, and each song is very direct, with engaging melodies and rhythms. We wanted to make something very “dry,” with few frills, even with a bit of hard rock character, where the band’s sound, which is now very recognizable, would emerge. “Aerostation” was, instead, an album more focused on recreating the atmosphere of space adventure, of exploration, so even the sound here and there brought with it a series of sound effects linked to that context. In “Rethink” we are not talking about humanity conquering space, but about the single individual who tries to find himself, to start over, rethinking everything about his life and hence the title of the album.

How did you approach expressing themes of change, renewal, and human emotion through music?
Especially through the lyrics, which describe events, emotions, and characters, which are deliberately not overly described or identified, because everything must remain on an ideal level: everyone must be able to identify with them. Music is the vehicle, in short, the engine of the narrative, accelerating and slowing down depending on the moment.

Can you describe your collaboration process in composing and arranging the album?
During writing, arranging, and pre-production, I work mostly alone, writing and outlining the parts for all the instruments (that’s my way of working), after which we all evaluate together whether a song can or cannot be included in the album we’re working on. Then we move on to the next phase, in which Gigi and Jacopo delve deeply into their parts, reworking them where necessary, and adding their touch, their sensitivity—in short, their signature.

How do you balance electronic elements with traditional Progressive and Hard Rock influences?
We try to strike a balance between the three elements you mentioned, which distinguish our style, even if there’s perhaps little traditional progressive in it. Everything must serve the project as a whole, its stylistic coherence and sound. Aerostation now has a recognizable sound, and this is achieved through production, where we try to never lose sight of the goal.

Alex, you perform all lead  guitar parts through your keytar. How did this approach shape the album’s sonic identity and the trio’s overall sound?
The keytar is sort of the fulcrum of our entire sound because the parts I play were conceived and written from the start with a guitar-based approach: there are no piano or Hammond parts on the Aerostation albums, because my role is not that of a keyboard player on this project. Here, my role is much more fluid (only here, mind you, not in real life… just kidding!): my parts blend the guitar and  synth parts through elaborate sounds I’ve created, with an at-times acidic, distorted, and liquid character, positioning themselves halfway between the two instruments, without one dominating the other. This has been the band’s hallmark, right from the start.

Gigi, how do you approach combining technical drumming with emotional expression?
It all stems from an artistic and philosophical symbiosis with Alex. We met many years ago in the prog scene, each with our own projects—I was with Mangala Vallis and he with the Alex Carpani Band—and we agreed on a particular vision of music. So, after an initial experience where I played on his album The Sanctuary, and a subsequent one where I accompanied him live, we realized the time had come to join forces for a new sonic universe, one that would fully represent us and that focused on a personal vision of songwriting, a “non-place” where we could create a sound that would synthesise our backgrounds, but above all, our new take on the term crossover. From then on, everything felt very natural, so very spontaneously, I immerse myself in the sonic worlds Alex describes and the rhythms flow like a raging river. Alex, already at the audition stage, is able to create very focused takes that allow me to draw on my wealth of experience in a very creative way, where technique is always at the service of emotion, so from the first listens the possible rhythmic scenarios come together in my mind.

Jacopo, how did your bass work contribute to the band’s unique sound?
I think the trick is to incorporate my personal vision of the electric bass into the songs without asking myself what someone else would expect from a bassist in that context. My style is simply a reworking of the peculiarities of the bassists who have most impressed me throughout life, a dynamic shared by many musicians, but what I think makes the
difference when I write bass lines is that I let my composing and arranging side, which I’ve developed in other contexts, run parallel to my bass style.

Were specific emotions or narrative moments considered during the composition of individual tracks?
I usually write the lyrics after the music, and until they’re written, I use invented words, which sound like “English” but have no semantic meaning. This helps me get closer to the final result and also creates phonetic assonances between the music and the lyrics, which are often maintained even when the final lyrics replace the invented words. When I’m working on the lyrics and, therefore, the story, I have the advantage of already having the music available, and this helps me describe the emotions and narrative moments, to answer your initial question.

How did the recording, mixing, and mastering process at Bagnoli Bros Studio influence the final sound?
That’s a great question. The final sound, and therefore the end result, is always the sum of many phases, elements, and choices made throughout the various processes: from the initial writing to the final mastering. If every phase has been meticulously crafted and carefully planned, the final result will highlight what was achieved. If something doesn’t quite work, however, the final mix and mastering can’t work miracles, so flaws may be masked, but they won’t disappear. In our case, the working method with Daniele Bagnoli in his studio is always the same and works very well: when the album is ready to begin recording, everything is already at a fairly advanced stage. There’s a fairly clear and well-defined pre-production process that already gives an idea of what the final sound will be; all the parts are already written and arranged. The studio work mainly involves recording the drums and vocals, while Jacopo records the bass in his studio. The real added value that greatly contributes to the final result is Daniele’s skill, with whom we’ve developed a collaboration and mutual understanding over the years, allowing us to work very well and very quickly. He knows exactly what we want, and I know exactly what he wants from me, at the pre-production level, before we even enter the studio.

Visuals play a central role in “Rethink.” How do artwork and graphic design enhance the listener’s experience?
The visual aspect has always been another aspect we’ve been particularly sensitive to. It’s likely a legacy we’ve carried with us since the 1970s, when records, seen as a medium, but also the performances of bands that often relied on film and stagecraft, played an important role. Thus, many of the artists we loved and the albums they made became one. And so, Pink Floyd’s prism on a black background, like King Crimson’s scream of the schizoid man, or the Velvet Underground’s banana, took on a much deeper meaning than one might have expected, becoming for many the gateway to a universe of indelible emotions, which only the sight of those images could reawaken.

How were singles like “Drive My Soul” and “Run As The Sun Goes Down” chosen for release?
Look, for this album, like the first, we decided to perform the music live before the album was even released, and this allowed us to gather the audience’s feedback. We noticed that these two songs, in particular, had an immediate impact on the audience, so wedecided to make them the album’s singles. Then the lyric videos we made, which were by Gigi, helped enhance them, since our music, as has always been said, is very descriptive and visionary and pairs naturally with the visuals.

How important is the physical digipak format and booklet for conveying the album’s concept?
Although physical media no longer enjoys the popularity it once did (to put it mildly), we remain convinced that giving physicality to your work, when it comes to music, ennobles it and gives it importance. Digipacks, like vinyl, represent, thanks to the content they can contain—from graphics to lyrics to other detailed information—a true tool that, along with concerts, completes the great gesture of love that lies behind the conception and creation of an album. Finally, they take on extraordinary symbolic importance. The fact that a listener or music enthusiast decides to purchase your work on physical media is a testament to their attachment to your project; it’s a piece of you becoming part of someone else’s life. It’s no small gesture.

Did any tracks evolve unexpectedly during production, and how did you adapt to those changes?
We’ll tell you something no one knows yet: this album actually had a very troubled genesis because many years passed between the initial writing (2018) and the mastering (2024). During this time, among other things, both Gigi and I worked on other projects: he released an album with Mangala Vallis and I released three albums as Alex Carpani. So, let’s say that after the initial writing, we left it a bit there, on the sidelines. Why am I telling you this? Because the entire album has actually been reworked and rearranged over the years, for various reasons, so none of the songs were released in their original form. I think I made something like 10 different versions of the album, each with slightly different characteristics and styles. It was an experiment, a search, until the right version came out, one that had all the characteristics we were looking for and brought us back to what we love most: rock, even hard at times, with very direct melodies and choruses and no virtuosic deviations. I think it was worth waiting all this time, waiting for the album to take shape, without rushing to release it at all costs. Time has helped and allowed us to see things more clearly along the way.

Are there musical or lyrical motifs that unify the album conceptually?
We believe that, for the reasons we’ve already explained, what unites the album’s songs, both musically and lyrically, is their dry, direct nature and their ability to appeal to the heart and soul. This album doesn’t leave you indifferent: it stirs something inside you, speaks to you sincerely and without trying to attract your attention with pirouettes and sleight of hand. The drums, bass, vocals, and the sonic mass of the keytar are a single body that takes you by the hand and leads you on a little journey through your mind and emotions.

Do you envision the album being experienced as a narrative journey, a series of standalone songs, or both?
I think the album is both because overall it’s a cohesive narrative and speaks of this change, of the desire to rethink everything from the beginning. At the same time, however, each song can become a story in itself, because it doesn’t need the other songs that come before or after it to have meaning or be narratively complete. Each song, in short, is a micro-story within a larger story.

What do you hope listeners feel or take away after experiencing “Rethink“?
First and foremost, we hope that listeners will experience a beautiful, satisfying feeling after listening to the album, and that they’ll want to listen to it again. The initial satisfaction should be physical, emotional, even before it’s mental. Subsequent listens will allow them to delve deeper into other aspects, more conceptual or more closely tied to the lyrics, the narrative, and the “world” we wanted to describe in Rethink. Naturally, this is our hope; the audience will then decide whether this can happen or not. We can tell you that at the moment, fortunately, everything is going according to plan, and we can see this both from the audience reaction to the concerts we’ve performed in Italy and abroad, and from the sales and reviews we’ve received so far.

Progressive Rock Journal thanks Aerostation for their collaboration and for allowing readers an exclusive insight into the making of “Rethink.” With its fusion of genres, emotive storytelling, and striking visuals, the album stands as a testament to the trio’s creative vision and technical mastery.
We thank you and Progressive Rock Journal for this wonderful interview, which allowed us to delve deeply into the mechanisms that led to the birth, development, and publication of this project. It’s thanks to intelligent and insightful questions like these that we have the opportunity to discuss what we do in a way that’s not superficial, but authentic and comprehensive.

Purchase “Rethink” on Bandcamp: https://aerostation.bandcamp.com/album/rethink

No. 23
PROG
https://www.loudersound.com/prog
by PT

Italian prog artist Alex Carpani gets the band back together.

Alex Carpani's last solo album The Good Man was a sprawling epic, comprising two multipart suites that explored myriad styles, from soundtrack music to prog metal, meshed together in a complex whole.
Aerostation are a very different prospect. Essentially a prog- power trio with no guitars, they're more streamlined but still imbued with a pleasingly unconventional streak. The songs follow a recognisable structure, with Carpani's trusty custom keytar providing much of the ornate façade. At times the sounds are compressed into an approximation of six-string riffage but at others they're given free rein to spiral and soar. The synths are prominent but with a clear mix and relatively limited elements at play, drummer Gigi Cavalli Cocchi and bassist Jacopo Rossi also get the chance to shine. The drums are unshowy but adept while the bass runs delightfully underneath, bubbling to the surface in a welter of popping grooves.
Carpani's vocals are clear and impassioned; they navigate a thematically cohesive if not quite conceptual take on life, love and spiritual rebirth that perfectly suits the upbeat nature of the music.

No. 24
VIANOCTURNA 2000 https://vianocturna2000.blogspot.com/2025/10/review-rethink-aerostation.html
by PT

Álbum | Rethink
Artista | Aerostation   
Edição | Independent Artists Records
Lançamento | 19/setembro/2025
Origem | Itália
Género | Prog rock
Highlights | Life Is Calling, Drive My Soul, Messiah, A Distant Cry, Fly Over Me
Para fãs de | It Bites, Porcupine Tree, Muse, Rush, Radiohead, Symphony Of Sweden

Apreciação
O projeto Aerostation surgiu como uma nova experiência artística de Gigi Cavalli Cocchi e Alex Carpani, depois de ambos terem percursos sólidos no rock/prog italiano. A eles juntou-se o baixista Jacopo Rossi, que acaba por ser um dos mais destacados elementos neste novo trabalho Rethink, com o seu baixo a surgir como um verdadeiro motor, poderoso e inventivo. Num formato sem guitarras, a keytar e os sintetizadores assumem papel central preenchendo timbres que normalmente seriam ocupados pelas seis cordas. Tal confere ao álbum uma textura espessa, onde a eletrónica e o rock progressivo se cruzam de forma natural. Mas também há outras abordagens mais melódicas e acessíveis, sem nunca perder a ambiência eletrónica que define o projeto, reforçando a sua vontade de se envolver em terrenos de uma pop elegante. Para quem gosta de um rock progressivo moderno, elegante, com alma eletrónica e melodias acessíveis, mas sustentadas por um forte trabalho instrumental, deve dar atenção a esta proposta. [80%]

ENG:
Appreciation
The Aerostation project emerged as a new artistic experience for Gigi Cavalli Cocchi and Alex Carpani, both after having solid careers in Italian rock/prog. They were joined by bassist Jacopo Rossi, who ends up being one of the most prominent elements in this new album, Rethink, with his bass emerging as a true engine, powerful and inventive. In a format without guitars, the keytar and synthesizers take center stage, filling timbres that would normally be occupied by the six strings. This gives the album a thick texture, where electronics and progressive rock intersect naturally. But there are also other, more melodic and accessible approaches, without ever losing the electronic ambience that defines the project, reinforcing its desire to delve into the realms of elegant pop. For those who enjoy modern, elegant progressive rock, with an electronic soul and accessible melodies, but supported by strong instrumental work, you should pay attention to this proposal.
 
Tracklist
1. The Dive
2. A Distant Cry
3. Life Is Calling 
4. Meet Me At The End Of The World
5. The Wait Is Over
6. Drive My Soul
7. Life Is Too Short
8. Fly Over Me
9. Soulshine
10. Run As The Sun Goes Down
11. Messiah
 
Line-up
Alex Carpani – vocais, teclados, keytar
Gigi Cavalli Cocchi – bateria
Jacopo Rossi – baixo

AEROSTATION (2018)

AEROSTATION (2018) - Review index:
No. 01 - ROCK GARAGE (Italy)
No. 02 - MUSICMAP (Italy)
No. 03 - MUSIC STREET JOURNAL (U.S.A.)
No. 04 - RADIOCOOP (Italy)
No. 05 - PROG VISIONS (The Netherlands)
No. 06 - DIFFERENT MAGAZINE (Italy)
No. 07 - MLWZ (Poland)
No. 08 - HAMELIN (Italy)
No. 09 - METAL.IT (Italy)
No. 10 - ITALIA DI METALLO (Italy)
No. 11 - CLASSIC ROCK - Italian edition (Italy)
No. 12 - PROG - Italian edition (Italy)
No. 13 - IL MANIFESTO (Italy)
No. 14 - LA PROVINCIA (Italy)
No. 15 - KOID9 (France)
No. 16 - DPRP (The Netherlands)
No. 17 - ARLEQUINS (Italy)
No. 18 - FIREWORKS ROCK & METAL (U.K.)
No. 19 - EMPIRE MUSIC (Germany)
No. 20 - SOUND36 (Italy)
No. 21 - EXPOSE' (U.S.A.)

No. 01
ROCK GARAGE
http://www.rockgarage.it/?p=75529
by Raffaele Astore

Cosa accade quando gente come Gigi Cavalli ed Alex Carpani si uniscono per dare vita ad uno dei dischi rock che colpiscono per il gusto di sonorità indimenticate come quelle che hanno caratterizzato un’epoca (o forse più di un’epoca)? La risposta è tutta nel dna di questi musicisti che hanno alle spalle esperienze maturate con Ligabue, Clan Destino, C.S.I., Massimo Zamboni, David Jackson, David Cross, Aldo Tagliapietra, Bernardo Lanzetti e che insieme hanno dato vita a questo progetto davvero unico…ma anche non consueto. Probabilmente, il progetto non comune è legato da analogie artistiche tra i membri di questa band emiliana che ha deciso di donarsi ad un sound dove il principale strumento, la chitarra, è messa fuori gioco da una mescolanza di passaggi generati elettronicamente, che sanno fare a meno di chitarre “rocckettare” sostituite dalle tastiere sparate alla massima potenza. E così accade che in tutto i brani contenuti in Aerostation sono il risultato di esperienze maturate in anni ed anni di studi e conoscenza a fondo della strumentistica a disposizione. Certo per un disco così la scelta è stata quanto mai coraggiosa e bisogna dare merito a questa band per l’ottimo risultato raggiunto, un risultato che è quello di un disco diverso, insolito e che intende districarsi su nuovi percorsi. Infatti quello che emerge in questo disco è l’uso del digitale che sostituisce appieno strumenti classici, non certo desueti, ma dei quali, come dimostrano gli Aerostation, se ne può fare a meno. Quello che colpisce in particolare di questo lavoro sono i suoni davvero potenti e quelle atmosfere che richiamano alla mente il buon vecchio rock di una volta, ma che si muove e si trova a proprio agio tra alternative, new progressive ed elettronica. Ed è così che tutto quello che viene prodotto ed inserito in questo loro esordio discografico ha il ruolo di trascinare chi ascolta in un mondo che rimanda per certi versi al passato, ma che in realtà è poi il presente più immediato fatto dalla costante presenza dell’elettronica sempre più in evoluzione. Aerostation è un album da ascoltarsi tutto d’un fiato perché ha suoni trascinanti modellati dal basso di Jacopo Rossi che sa dare, restando defilato, le linee armoniche necessarie a sviluppare generi che vanno dal new progressive d’alto rango al crossover, dall’hard rock alla musica elettronica. Ho ascoltato questo CD anche in auto e devo dirvi che per diversi momenti era come se fossi davvero su un’astronave alla ricerca di nuovi mondi che mi si sono dischiusi senza alcuna distrazione alla guida, mondi che immaginavo come mete da raggiungere con immediatezza ma che i ritmi e gli inusuali cambi di tempo mi richiamavano alla realtà. Aerostation è quel disco che non ti aspetti, quella produzione che sa tanto di esperienza e non poteva essere diversamente visti i passati di Cavalli Cocchi e Carpani. Fatevi un bel regalo per queste feste se amate il rock di alta classe, correte a prendere Aerostation, non ve ne pentirete!

No. 02
MUSICMAP.IT
http://www.musicmap.it/recdischi/ordinaperr.asp?id=6638
by Piergiuseppe Lippolis

Aerostation è un progetto di Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (batteria) e Alex Carpani (voce e tastiera), entrambi già attivi in altri progetti e come musicisti di supporto di diversi artisti, coadiuvati dal bassista metal Jacopo Rossi. Pur avendo maturato l’idea di un progetto di questo genere al tramonto del 2015, l’omonimo album di debutto degli Aerostation ha visto la luce soltanto nell’ottobre del 2018. Gli Aerostation propongono un rock che rifiuta qualsivoglia legame con sonorità classiche, rivelandosi decisamente moderno, e oscillando senza soluzione di continuità tra alternative, progressive, hard rock, senza dimenticare il ruolo decisivo svolto anche dall’elettronica, coi sintetizzatori che, in un certo senso, rimpiazzano anche le chitarre con suoni aciduli e un’effettistica estremamente curata. Il cantato è in inglese in otto degli undici brani che compongono “Aerostation”, mentre gli altri tre sono interamente strumentali. Nei quasi cinquanta minuti dell’album si incontrano episodi parecchio eterogenei e variegati, ma fra i più ispirati vanno menzionati il singolo “Straight To The Sun”, con le sue evoluzioni, l'altro singolo “Coldness”, dai ritmi più ragionati ma carico di un’atmosfera epica, e “Wide Eyes And Wonder”, dalle elegantissime note prog. Nel mezzo, non ci sono passaggi che possano definirsi non a fuoco e il disco conserva una buona fluidità dall’inizio alla fine. “Aerostation” è un debutto importante, nel quale emerge distintamente la tecnica dei tre e in cui l’elettronica sostituisce perfettamente la chitarra, regalando anche approdi imprevedibili

No. 03
MUSIC STREET JOURNAL
http://www.musicstreetjournal.com/cdreviews_display.cfm?id=106688
by Gary Hill

This new album is an intriguing release. I suppose the easiest title would be "space rock," but that's only so accurate. I mean, yes, this is rock music that is connected to a large degree with space. There are even bits of things that one associates with most space rock. However, that's only part of the story. You'll find leanings here toward metal, industrial, techno, more traditional progressive rock, modern moody prog, fusion and more. It all flows nicely and is quite effective. It lands in the AOR mainstream part of the musical swimming pool. So, if that's your thing, and you'd like to find something new, you can't go wrong with this. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2019 Volume 2 at: lulu.com/strangesound. Track by Track Review: Voices - Weird effects and electronics open this like waves of radio signals. Voice sound-bites come in over the top as trippy electronics continue to hold the piece. Wide Eyes And Wonder - Coming out of the previous cut, this works out to a killer hard-edged jam that has space rock, modern alternative rock, more mainstream prog and more built into it. It's a fast paced and powerful cut that really drives with both modern and old-school sounds. There are times when I'm reminded of Dream Theater and Pink Floyd comes to mind at other points. Still, neither of those are more than a passing leaning as the whole of the parts is much more unique than that. Straight To The Sun - Coming in much harder edged, there is an electronic meets metal texture to the opening here. The cut fires out into a fast paced jam that's more decidedly progressive rock oriented. This is energized and cool. It's is less accessible and meatier than the previous cut was. There are some intriguing twists that take it into more pure prog zones. This is a cool journey with a lot of varying sounds in the mix. I particularly dig the dramatic instrumental section at the end. Fourteen Days of Lightness - Keyboards open this, and the vocals come in with a moody delivery over that backdrop. By around the minute-and-a-half mark this kicks into a faster, more rocking mode. It's still mellower than the two previous tunes, though. There is a more mainstream modern prog element that drives a lot of this. It gets into some killer almost fusion territory in some fills, though. Coldness - The balance between mellower and more rocking stuff is wider on this than it is on a lot of the rest of the music here. This has some driving, almost techno rocking stuff. It's also often moody and modern prog based. There is a soaring, less dark section that is more of a traditional progressive rock, too. This is a powerhouse cut that's among the best here. Long Distances - A fast paced, hard rocking instrumental, this combines prog, space rock and more. There is a cool mellower, dropped back movement later in the piece. It works back out to more powered up stuff beyond there, and the whole number is just so cool. The Arrow - Trippy, jazzy mellow elements open this. The vocals come in over that bringing it into more of a moody, electronic based arrangement. Eventually makes its way to a faster paced, more rocking jam that even has hints of metal guitar built into it. It drops back mid-track to a mellower movement with some cool bass work. It's more of less a return to the earlier sections of the piece. As you might expect, they bringing back into the faster paced stuff beyond that, but the keyboards (rather than the guitar) seem the driving factor this time. That movement ends the piece. The Ghost Bride - This comes in rather like one of Dream Theater's mellower cuts and works out from there with hints of fusion in the mix. There are some great keyboard elements on this number, and the vocal hooks are awesome. I am particularly fond of the keyboard soloing on the closing movement. This is another highlight of the set. From Day To Night - A hard rocking grind opens this. It's another part of the set that makes me think of Dream Theater to some degree. It drops back in volume, but not pace, for the entrance of the vocals. There is a drop back to mellower, techno-like stuff for a while. Near the end, though, it powers up to almost metal before mellower keyboard sounds take control. One Billion Steps - While there are mellower parts to this, the cut is mostly a driving hard-edged tune. It's decidedly modern progressive rock, but does have elements of techno and more in the mix. Kepler 186F - This piece bookends the album, with keyboards and effects serving as the backdrop for soundbites. It is decidedly space oriented.

No. 04
RADIOCOOP
https://www.radiocoop.it/19975-2/
by Antonio Bacciocchi

Gigi Cavalli Cocchi è stato il batterista di Ligabue, dei Clan Destino e dei C.S.I. Ha fondato e guidato i Mangala Vallis, oltre ad una lunga serie di prestigiose collaborazioni. Alex Carpani è un compositore, cantante, tastierista e produttore, ha pubblicato quattro album da solista, insieme alla Alex Carpani Band si è esibito in tutto il mondo. Ha collaborato con leggende del rock come David Cross (King Crimson), David Jackson (Van der Graaf Generator), Aldo Tagliapietra (Le Orme) e Bernardo Lanzetti (PFM). Insieme danno vita agli Aerostation, accompagnati dal vivo da Jacopo Rossi, bassista assai apprezzato nel panorama metal italiano e internazionale (Dark Lunacy, Antropophagus, Nerve). L’album d’esordio è un composito e impeccabile prog dalle tinte hard e classic rock che guarda poco al passato (talvolta si possono avvertire sguardi agli Yes degli 80 o agli Asia) e propone un sound moderno e attuale, potente e poderoso. Molto interessante.

No. 5
PROG VISIONS
http://progvisions.nl/reviews_uk/aer_aer_uk.htm?fbclid=IwAR1_8K_5SHc2JRR9LP-xJFoo9wl_WF_oG1TkYZpb1BsIAEQdcgjRmuexP6w
by Douwe Fledderus

“... exploring new boundaries ...” Aerostation is a brand new band exploring new boundaries of rock through a contamination of genres and styles. It’s an Italian power trio without guitarist. Aerostation includes two familiar names for the Prog fans. Of course we know Alex Carpani from his own Alex Carpani Band and Gigi Cavalli Cocchi from his Mangala Vallis Project. Your reviewer was one of the lucky ones to see Mangala Vallis live in concert on a Dutch stage. The trio is complemented by the additional musician Jacopo Rossi on bass. The self titled debut album Aerostation has been released on the Immaginifica label and is distributed by Self. Alex Carpani - lead & backing vocals, keyboards, all virtual guitars; Gigi Cavalli Cocchi - drums Additional musician: Jacopo Rossi - bass We can find the following 12 tracks on this fine album; “Voices“, “Wide Eyes and Wonder“, “Straight to the Sun“, “Fourteen Days Of Lightness“, “Coldness“, “Long Distances“, “The Arrow“, “The Ghost Bride“, “From Day To Night“, “One Billion Steps“ and “Kepler-186F“. After the short instrumental “Voices“ with voice samples of one of the Apollo flights and an ambient and electronic atmosphere the power trio starts with the uptempo and uplifting sounding track “Wide Eyes and Wonder“. A song with catchy vocal refrains, lovely synth melodies and an in your face rhythm section. This is a great opener. “Straight To the Sun“ is also and uptempo track with a lot of power. The band has no guitarist but Alex does use virtual guitar sounds. On one side the track is aggressive and powerful and on the other side full of melody. After all this power the band slows down a little bit with the song “Fourteen Days Of Lightness“. A diverse song with lovely vocal melodies and great keyboard parts. “Coldness“ excels through beautiful vocal melodies. Alex is doing a great job here. One of my favorite tracks is “Long Distances“. In this instrumental piece you can find some atmospheric keyboard parts besides the more uptempo keyboard melodies. In “The Arrow“ bass player Jacopo Rossi shines in the slow first part. Again we can enjoy nice keyboard work and vocal melodies. And always supported by the steady drum parts of Gigi. “The Ghost Bridge“ has an atmospheric opening with beautiful fretless bass work. The album needs this kinds of parts which are giving the album the so needed diversity. This song develops into one of my favorite tracks. The song has beautiful keyboard orchestrations. After all the uptempo and powerful stuff you can find on this album, a song like “The Ghost Bride“ is very welcome. With “From Day to Night“ you get best of both worlds. Personally I love the slow and the melodic stuff the most. “One Billion Steps“ has an intriguing ambient opening before the drums of Gigi kicks in and the song develops into one of those uptempo track. The album ends with some Apollo communication samples and ambient atmospheres in the short instrumental piece “Kepler-186F“ before powerful drumming is combined with electronic textures. Aerostation is an interesting project of Alex Carpani and Gigi Cavalli Cocchi. On their self titled debut album you can find great keyboard work and nice vocal melodies on top of a steady rhythm section. Most of the songs are uptempo and have catchy vocal refrains. Personally I like the songs with the greater diversity best. Just listen to songs like “Fourteen Days Of Lightness, “Long Distances or the “Ghost Bride. I am impressed by the vocal skills of Alex Carpani on this album. He is responsible for all the lead and backing vocals. The album is full of catchy vocal melodies. Your reviewer is very curious about the development of this new project. Check it out for yourself.

No. 06
DIFFERENT MAGAZINE
https://www.differentmagazine.it/aerostation-gigi-cavalli-cocchi-e-alex-carpan-in-un-grintoso-esordio-crossover-prog/
by Redazione

Aerostation: Gigi Cavalli Cocchi e Alex Carpani in un grintoso esordio crossover prog! Gigi Cavalli Cocchi e Alex Carpani debuttano con un nuovo album dal respiro internazionale. Un power trio senza chitarra, con il bassista Jacopo Rossi, a cavallo tra alternative, progressive, hard rock, elettronica e pop  AEROSTATION [11 tracce – 49.21] Immaginifica/Aerostella, Distr. Self/Pirames International Immaginifica/Aereostella (distr. fisica Self, digitale Pirames International) pubblica Aerostation, il debutto degli Aerostation, una nuovissima formazione che propone un alternative prog dal respiro internazionale, tra rilettura delle radici e nuove prospettive future. E’ una ottima sintesi del percorso dei due fondatori, Gigi Cavalli Cocchi e Alex Carpani, che mai come questa volta si mettono in gioco con un progetto che tiene in debito conto l’esperienza prettamente progressive di entrambi, fondendola però con elementi alternative, hard rock, elettronici e pop in una sorta di “crossover prog” decisamente peculiare. Aerostation è inevitabilmente legato alla storia e alle esperienze dei due artefici. Gigi Cavalli Cocchi è stato il batterista di Ligabue, dei Clan Destino e dei C.S.I. Ha fondato e guidato i Mangala Vallis, ha collaborato con Judge Smith e David Jackson (Van Der Graaf Generator), John Ellis (Peter Gabriel, The Stranglers) e Bernardo Lanzetti (Acqua Fragile, PFM), suonando nei maggiori festival e club italiani e stranieri. Alex Carpani è un compositore, cantante, tastierista e produttore, ha pubblicato quattro album da solista, insieme alla Alex Carpani Band si è esibito in tutto il mondo. Ha collaborato con leggende del rock come David Cross (King Crimson), David Jackson (Van der Graaf Generator), Aldo Tagliapietra (Le Orme) e Bernardo Lanzetti (PFM). Dopo un’esperienza insieme nella Alex Carpani Band, nel 2016 il batterista e il tastierista hanno fondato Aerostation; dal vivo sono accompagnati da Jacopo Rossi, bassista assai apprezzato nel panorama metal italiano e internazionale (Dark Lunacy, Antropophagus, Nerve). Otto brani in inglese e tre strumentali, undici pezzi espressione di un grintoso power trio senza chitarra nello stile di ELP ma poco nostalgico, con un approccio rock molto energico, talvolta acido e distorto. Aerostation è un disco che trasuda feeling, compattezza e dinamismo, doti immediatamente apprezzate nelle anteprime live che il trio ha tenuto in Italia, Francia e Canada, dove ha raccolto notevole attenzione e curiosità. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aerostationband/  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkA_p9xvFq1_ReINbDKpcKA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aerostationband/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/aerostation16

No. 07
MLWZ
https://mlwz.pl/recenzje/plyty/21244-aerostation-aerostation?fbclid=IwAR3sddmthry41-8iSCanD9h90l-DZ02WMiUtDQdLfQO2W7O6PwCyrZcl0Ds
by Artur Chachlowski

Aerostation to projekt muzyczny, którego pierwsza płyta dotarła do nas niedawno z Italii. Aerostation to właściwie duet, który tworzą: śpiewający multiinstrumentalista Alex Carpani (Alex Carpani Band) i perkusista Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (Mangala Vallis) oraz towarzyszący im basista Jacopo Rossi. Dwaj główni muzycy podzielili między siebie także inne obowiązki: Alex zajął się produkcją, a Gigi projektem graficznym, w którym wykorzystał mnóstwo archiwalnych rycin związanych z podbojem kosmosu. No tak, bo zgodnie z nazwą zespołu i tytułem płyty sprawa tyczy się kosmosu, a właściwie wypraw człowieka w kosmos. Na tym opiera się ten przemyślany koncept, a blisko 50 minut wypełniającej go muzyki zabiera słuchacza w międzyplanetarną podróż, w trakcie której można przeżyć – jak to w historii lotów człowieka w kosmos – mnóstwo wzlotów, ale też i trochę upadków. Po krótkim instrumentalnym „Voices”, w którym wykorzystano sample z przetworzonymi głosami załogi jednego z lotów Apollo, od nagrania „Wide Eyes And Wonder” rozpoczyna się właściwa kosmiczna muzyczna jazda. Nagranie to ma chwytliwy refren wokalny, uroczą syntezatorową melodię, a przede wszystkim dynamicznie nabijającą mocne tempo sekcję rytmiczną. „Straight To The Sun” to także utwór z dużą mocą i sporym potencjałem. Zespół nie ma gitarzysty, ale słychać tu wyraźnie jak Alex umiejętnie posługuje się syntezatorami generując brzmienie wirtualnej gitary. Z jednej strony utwór jest agresywny i potężny, a z drugiej - pełen miłego nastroju, w którym przewija się fajna melodia. Teraz zespół nieco zwalnia tempo dzięki piosence „Fourteen Days Of Lightness”. To jeden z najbardziej przekonywujących fragmentów całej płyty. Z kolei „Coldness” nie wyróżnia się praktycznie niczym. No, może tylko nienajgorszym tematem melodycznym. Kolejne z moich ulubionych nagrań to „Long Distances”. W tym instrumentalnym temacie można odnaleźć klimatyczne, kojące uszy, partie instrumentów klawiszowych. W „The Arrow” wyróżnia się gra basisty Jacopo Rossiego. Możemy tu także podziwiać wykonawczą erudycję Carpaniego i zapadające w pamięć melodie. „The Ghost Bride” ma klimatyczny początek z wyrazistą partią basu, a także świetną orkiestracją. Takie utwory jak ten nadają albumowi tak potrzebną różnorodność. To trzeci z moich ulubionych utworów na płycie. Mam mieszane uczucia co do rozkrzyczanego nieco nagrania „From Day To Night”. Z jednej strony przypomina ono nieco stare utwory Porcupine Tree, a z drugiej – ma takie fragmenty, które wydają się zwykłą elektroniczną sieczką. „One Billion Steps” ma intrygujący ambientowy wstęp, po kilku chwilach pojawia się mocne perkusyjne wejście, a kompozycja ta przekształca się w kolejny z tak licznych tu osadzonych na syntezatorowym brzmieniu utworów o mocno podbitym tempie. Album kończy się kilkoma interkomowymi samplami z głosami załogi Apollo i ambientowym klimatem, który panuje w instrumentalnej codzie „Kepler-186F”. W jej finale rozlega się jeszcze potężne bębnienie połączone z finezyjnymi dźwiękami basu oraz elektronicznymi teksturami… Koniec płyty, koniec lotu, koniec kosmicznej misji… A skoro koniec, to pora na kilka słów podsumowania. Na płycie „Aerostation” usłyszeć można kawałek niezłego, opartego na syntezatorowych brzmieniach i bogatych aranżacjach, nowocześnie zagranego progresywnego rocka. Przeważająca większość nagrań posiada dynamiczne tempo oraz chwytliwe refreny. Jestem pod dużym wrażeniem umiejętności wokalnych Alexa Carpaniego. Jest on odpowiedzialny za wszystkie wokale prowadzące i wspierające na tej płycie, a jest ona przecież pełna ogromu chwytliwych melodii wokalnych. Jedyne, co można zarzucić tej płycie to brak większego zróżnicowania oraz pierwiastków powodujących, że chciałoby się do tej płyty często wracać. Lecz jako całość debiutancka produkcja Aerostation wypada więcej niż poprawnie. Ciekaw jestem dalszych losów tego projektu.

No. 08
HAMELIN
https://www.hamelinprog.com/aerostation-aerostation/
by Antonio Menichella

Aerostation è un progetto nato dalla collaborazione tra il batterista Gigi Cavalli Cocchi ed il tastierista/cantante Alex Carpani. L’idea nasce nell’autunno 2015, quando Cavalli Cocchi aveva appena concluso l’esperienza “Campovolo 3” con Ligabue e Carpani stava ultimando le registrazioni e il mixaggio del suo album “So Close. So Far”, il disco della svolta a livello artistico. Entrambi avevano già la testa proiettata in avanti, verso nuovi progetti ed esperienze. Alla fine del 2016 Alex e Gigi decidono di costituire un duo, accompagnato al basso da Jacopo Rossi, talentuoso bassista della scena metal e membro di band di livello internazionale come Dark Lunacy, Antropofagus, Nerve. Nasce così Aerostation, un power trio, senza chitarre, che suona un rock moderno e attuale, potente e suggestivo, cantato in inglese, dove si fondono alternative rock, crossover prog, hard rock, elettronica e pop. L’incontro con la manager e discografica Iaia De Capitani dà l’impulso necessario per la pubblicazione dell’omonimo album di debutto nonché per far conoscere il progetto al pubblico italiano ed internazionale. Da aprile a settembre 2018 Aerostation presenta in Italia e all’estero alcune anteprime live del disco riscuotendo numerosi consensi da parte di pubblico e addetti ai lavori. Il 14 settembre viene dato alle stampe Straight to the Sun singolo che anticipa le atmosfere di Aerostation, primo album di inediti pubblicato il 5 ottobre  da Immaginifica / Aereostella e distribuito da Self e Pirames International. L’album è composto da undici brani, di cui otto cantati in lingua inglese e tre strumentali. È un disco dal carattere rock, internazionale e cosmopolita. Il sound è molto originale, frutto di un lungo lavoro di ricerca e produzione che ha portato al risultato di creare un power trio dove quasi non ci si accorge dell’assenza della chitarra, i cui spazi sono presi da un impasto sonoro fatto di sintetizzatori liquidi, acidi e distorti, effetti digitali, chitarre virtuali. Il tema conduttore è il viaggio, l’esplorazione, la ricerca, l’andare oltre i propri limiti e i propri confini, guardarsi dentro e cercare di capire quali sono le formule più adatte a superare le difficoltà che si incontrano nella comunicazione tra esseri umani. L’album è aperto dalle allarmanti sonorità futuristiche di Voices che rivelano all’ascoltatore l’esperienza che sta per compiere: un viaggio dimensionale, uno spostamento da un luogo all’altro, poco importa se reale o virtuale. Fredde voci registrate si accavallano in un’affollata aerostazione mentre le pulsazioni di un cuore meccanico scandiscono il conto alla rovescia che decreta l’inizio del viaggio. Wide Eyes and Wonder descrive le emozioni provate dall’astronauta al momento della partenza del volo verso lo spazio e del rientro sulla Terra. Lo stato di eccitazione è tale da produrre stacchi nervosi, riffabrasivi che dirottano il sound su coordinate alternative rock (The Pineapple Thief di “Dissolution”). La ritmica decisa, incalzante, a tratti anche asciutta e sintetica, lancia spunti elettronici che deviano il brano in territori space. È nel bel mezzo di questa escursione spaziale che la Terra appare come l’unica casa a cui far ritorno. Straight to the Sun continua l’ostinato viaggio e tira dritto verso il sole. Un sole che è l’affrancazione, la liberazione dalle catene, dalle paure, dai limiti imposti. Il carattere rock di Aerostation si lascia apprezzare per un sound diretto, frontale, che trova nelle melodie seducenti e nei ritornelli incisivi i suoi punti di forza. Se i passaggi più progressivi tradiscono influenze wilsoniane (“Hand. Cannot. Erase.“), i momenti corali e l’elettronica rievocano i Pure Reason Revolution più maturi. Il viaggio prosegue con Fourteen Days of Lightness. Quattordici giorni di leggerezza: né troppi, né troppo pochi. Sufficienti a cambiare un’esistenza per sempre. Vivere ogni giorno come fosse il primo e l’ultimo, perdendo il senso del tempo, inseguendo albe e tramonti, superando per sempre le paure, respirando una boccata d’aria del paradiso. Trascinato da un accattivante groove, il brano fonde la leggerezza e la luminosità psych/space degli Ozric Tentacles (con le linee funky di Rossi ed il drumming di Cavalli Cocchi in evidenza) e le elucubrazioni elettroniche dei The Orb più psichedelici. Le virtual guitars e i suoni sintetici di Carpani tracciano i contorni di Coldness, brano dedicato alla freddezza. Freddezza dell’animo, freddezza delle azioni, freddezza dei pensieri. Una freddezza che oggi molti sono costretti a usare per condurre la propria esistenza frenetica e competitiva, dove non c’è spazio per dubbi e tentennamenti, sentimentalismi e discontinuità. Quando, però, la vista ti si annebbia e il cuore ti presenta il conto, non rimane che l’amore. Le difficoltà nella comunicazione tra esseri umani sono al centro del secondo strumentale dell’album. Long Distances è ispirato proprio alle distanze. Distanze siderali, distanze infinitamente piccole, distanze colmabili, distanze incolmabili. Le distanze sono lo spazio esistente tra il nostro punto di partenza e il punto di arrivo, qualunque esso sia. Più le distanze sono grandi, più il nostro viaggio è impegnativo e importante, difficile e pericoloso. In realtà le distanze si spostano con noi, perché noi tutti siamo in perenne movimento. Il tortuoso percorso si snoda tra le morbide spire del basso di Rossi e le glaciali stilettate elettroniche di Carpani. L’incedere, ipnotico e sinuoso, crea le basi per la miscela di trance, spacerock, progressive ed elettronica, tanto cara ad Ed Wynne e soci. Dedicato alla freccia, che fende l’aria e va dritta al bersaglio, senza incontrare ostacoli sul suo percorso, The Arrow invita ad essere liberi, curiosi, imprendibili, proprio come una freccia scagliata con forza e precisione. Il timbro gabrielliano di Carpani e le atmosfere wilsoniane create dal trio spingono il brano nella direzione di un neoprogressive raffinato, di respiro internazionale. The Ghost Bride è la sposa fantasma, che non è mai esistita o che, forse, esiste da sempre. Incontrata nello scompartimento di un treno, durante un viaggio notturno, in una notte lunga come una vita, senza che gli altri possano vederla. Due mani che si toccano, due sguardi che si incrociano, due visi che si sfiorano in un tempo diverso, in una vita diversa, in un breve viaggio che sa di eternità, unico ed irripetibile. Il risveglio renderà impossibile ricreare quell’incontro. La sposa è fantasma. La dimensione onirica lascia presto spazio ad una cavalcata prog tirata fino allo sfinimento da Cavalli Cocchi e filtrata da Carpani tra tremolanti sonorità vintage. La struttura altalenante del brano riporta ai Porcupine Tree di “Deadwing”, e in particolare all’amara “Arriving somewhere but not here”. Sullo stesso solco insiste anche From Day to Night, brano che parla di un altro incontro, stavolta reale, casuale e non cercato, spiazzante e imprevedibile, come quando si cerca un oggetto e se ne trova un altro. Dal giorno alla notte, il tempo necessario per innamorarsi, per cadere nei suoi occhi, per sentire il vero suono della vita, per vedere le cose che prima erano invisibili, per capire che c’era un prima e un dopo. Il tono profondo di Carpani domina l’intero brano e aggiunge sfumature dark ad un sound sempre più nervoso e stratificato. Le soluzioni qui adottate tendono a combinare il synth pop e la new wave degli anni ’80 con le nuove frontiere del progressive rock internazionale, in linea con le recenti produzioni degli di Wilson e Duda (sia con i Riverside che col suo progetto solista Lunatic Soul). Con One Billion Steps questo legame sconfina in dilatate escursioni psichedeliche che non rinunciano a fratture e cambi ritmici (jungle compreso), sovrapposizioni vocali e marcate sonorità rock. È il brano del miliardo di passi che non lasciano impronte, né tracce. Il passaggio invisibile al tempo, che il tempo non registra. Persone che affollano per pochi istanti luoghi nei quali non si fermeranno mai, come le metropolitane o gli aeroporti. Dei non-luoghi dove tutti siamo stati almeno una volta. A chiudere l’album è Kepler-186F, breve strumentale dedicato al pianeta abitabile scoperto nel 2014, distante circa 500 anni luce dalla Terra. Le soluzioni aliene di Aerostation portano ad immaginare che potremmo non essere soli là fuori o che, addirittura, un giorno potremmo abitare un altro mondo. Ciò rende senza dubbio la nostra vita sulla Terra più leggera e sostenibile.

No. 09
METAL.IT
https://www.metal.it/album.aspx/35784/21340/aerostation-aerostation/?fbclid=IwAR2EFvaIXrBCIGSNeQtPh_Y2yIgUNh5ScNFP2pDTuiXN5vgzPKFzTCMQ9_8
by Gabriele Marangoni

L’immaginario creato da Alex Carpani e da Gigi Cavalli Cocchi per il loro nuovo progetto artistico chiamato Aerostation sembra rievocare la saga di Lonely Robot concepita da John Mitchell.  Sul fronte delle sonorità siamo al cospetto di un prog rock moderno e affilato - dove le chitarre sono emulate dalle tastiere di Carpani - che deve molto all’opera omnia di Steven Wilson e del sopraccitato Mitchell (FROST* in primis). Le timbriche spacey di “Voices” sfociano presto in “Wide Eyes And Wonder”, una precisa dichiarazione di intenti a conferma di quanto scritto precedentemente. Gli episodi più raffinati ed eleganti (“Fourteen Days Of Lightness”, “The Arrow”) fanno da contraltare a brani più heavy e diretti (penso a “The Ghost Bride” o a “One Billion Steps”) che non avrebbero sfigurato in album come "Insurgentes” o “Deadwing”. I pochissimi riferimenti “nostalgici” (il break strumentale di “Long Distances”) valorizzano un lavoro coraggioso e ambizioso - oltre che ottimamente suonato e prodotto - che speriamo non passi inosservato.

No. 10
ITALIA DI METALLO
http://www.italiadimetallo.it/recensioni/26900/aerostation/aerostation?fbclid=IwAR0o0r4VYAFv0N08CuOsOeoThtjGJAH8YE7OdIADKdmI2WcH-A6Q1StpwLY
by Klaus Petrovich

Esordio decisamente particolare questo degli Aerostation, power trio composto da due eminenze del rock italiano quali Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (batteria) e Alex Carpani(tastiere e voce) con Jacopo Rossi al basso. Dei primi due, fondatori del progetto in questione, credo ci sia ben poco da dire, la loro militanza artistica li vede protagonisti insieme a Ligabue, Bernardo Lanzetti, C.S.I., Aldo Tagliapietra e via via tanti altri. Dicevo particolare perchè non vi è traccia di chitarra e in un disco rock questo è già sorprendente anche se non certo una novità, rimanendo in ambito italiano Enio Nicolini ha già all'attivo 3 album senza chitarre, ma nonostante questo l'omonimo album di questi 3 artisti suona moderno, fresco, rock e si fa ascoltare con piacere anche più e più volte. 11 i brani, 8 cantati ottimamente da Carpani e 3 strumentali. Il rock si fonde con l'elettronica, il pop, il progressive e rimbomba nella stanza dove ascolto il tutto con fragore inaspettato. Il futuro digitale anche in musica è ormai avviato e a giudicare da questo lavoro degli Aerostation pur rimanendo io fedele ai dogmi del passato non posso che ammettere che il tutto è davvero affascinante, 'Fourteen Days Of Lightness' è esplicativa in questo, cinque minuti in cui il fondersi dei generi sopra esposti è lampante e da un'idea generale di cosa si voglia trasmettere al pubblico rock. Spaziale la strumentale 'Long Distances', piccola gemma di sapienza musicale inserita in un contesto molto digitale, ma è tutto l'album a trasmettere sensazioni estremamente positive, del resto quando i musicisti sono di questo livello non possiamo che auspicare il meglio dalle loro produzioni, classiche o sperimentali che siano. Consiglio mio, se siete amanti della novità, della musica senza limiti nè frontiere questo album fa per voi, se invece restate immobili al passato lasciate perdere, ma gli Aerostation sono un'ottima band e lo dimostrano senza tema di smentita.

No. 11
CLASSIC ROCK ITALIA
https://stonemusic.it/
by Mario Giammetti

Alex Carpani è un tastierista e cantante italo-svizzero con alcuni album all’attivo. Gigi Cavalli Cocchi lo storico batterista di Ligabue ma anche dei Mangala Vallis (con Bernardo Lanzetti). I due hanno fondato un nuovo progetto dal taglio internazionale costituito da otto brani cantati e tre strumentali, registrati in trio con un bassista ma senza chitarra, per un prog aperto anche a hard rock ed elettronica. Mario Giammetti

No. 12
PROG ITALIA
http://www.progressivamente.com/?page_id=84
by Paolo Carnelli



No. 13
IL MANIFESTO
https://ilmanifesto.it/
by Guido Festinese

L’onda lunga del prog italiano può contare su forze continuamente rinnovate. Ad esempio quelle degli Aerostation (Immaginifica/Aerostella), singolare power trio senza chitarre messo assieme dal tastierista e cantante Alex Carpani e dal batterista Gigi Cavalli Cocchi, con l’aiuto del bassista Jacopo Rossi, dal mondo del metal. Se amate il gioco di chiaroscuri tra potenza e dolcezza di band come gli attuali Anathema o Pineapple Thief, con più d’un ricordo per i Porcupine Tree, e un quid di pop, è il disco per voi, elegante e compiuto.

No. 14
LA PROVINCIA
https://www.laprovinciacr.it/
by Fabio Guerreschi

No. 15
KOID9
http://www.koid9.net
by Florian Bricogne

Est-il nécessaire que le rock progressif soit, pour être catalogué ainsi, fait d’un ADN aux compositions longues, alambiquées, à multiple facettes? Sans refaire un débat sans fin, sans entrer dans les discussions qui n’aboutissent pas, c’est probablement ce que Alex Carpani (membre du groupe Mangala Vallis), sans forcément l’intellectualiser, s’est dit en démarrant le project Aérostation: proposer un prog moderne, à la croisée des genres, sans aller chercher à tout prix dans les stéréotypes inhérents au genre. Dès le début de l’album, le trio, composé d’Alex aux claviers et keytar (lui permettant de jouer des samples de guitare électrique), de Gigi Cavalli Cocchi à la batterie et de Jacopo Rossi (issu de la scène métal italienne) à la basse, donne le ton: de l’efficace, du direct, du sans ambages, de l’essentiel. “Wide Eyes And Wonder” démarre sur un riff de guitare acérée sur lequel une basse fretless ronde et une rythmique très pop viennent appuyer le propos. Plus péché, sur une base électro avec les sinters alors que la batterie est proche d’un blast métal et que la basse gronde. “Straight To The Sun” enfonce le clou et assume ce côté crossover que l’on retrouvera le long des dix chansons. Nous ne naviguons nullement en eau trouble et l’on pense facilement à ce que Steve Thorne ou Sound Of Contact peuvent produire. Et Aérostation va dérouler les compositions ainsi de suite, avec des pistes ne dépassant jamais les cinq minutes trente, mais toujours avec l’esprit de nous emporter dans un esprit simple mais jamais indigent, tout en proposant quelques passages plus tortueux. Comme avec l’instrumental “Long Distances” aux multiples facettes, breaks et changements de rythmes ou avec “From Day To Night” qui en reprend la recette en ajoutant le chant. Les très poppy “The Arrow” et “Fourteen Days Of Lightness” sont là pour assurer des chansons aux refrains qui restent facilement en tête et que l’on se surprend à chantonner par la suite. Nos compères se paient même le luxe d’aller marcher sur les plate-bandes de Riverside avec “One Billion Steps” où le break fait d’un rythme électronique de jungle avec des montées de choeur ainsi que le final martelé font irrémédiablement penser à ce que le groupe polonais propose souvent. Pour les fans de guitare électrique soyez rassurés, car au final, son absence peut passer inaperçu et ne sera vraiment accepté qu’après avoir compris qu’elles sont jouées uniquement par Alex sur son clavier-guitare. Et on notera le jeu impeccable de Gigi sur ses fûts. Son jeu ressort réellement tout au long de l’album. On pourrait peut-être regretter une propension un peu grande pour Alex d’utiliser un tantinet trop souvent des effets sur sa voix, au demeurant très agréable, et toujours les mêmes (cette espèce d’étouffement de voix dans un hygiaphone par exemple qui revient sur pratiquement chaque chanson). Mais on peut reconnaitre aux italiens de proposer un ensemble cohérent, concis, qui tient la route et que les auditeurs ayant différentes sensibilités musicales apprécieront.

No. 16
DPRP
http://www.dprp.net/reviews/2019-064/?fbclid=IwAR1EC1rJrkv00AEeB2HkvT3OFn7FbjexP9P_8em4lB9lFInNzfpzEsneoH0
by Stefan Henig

While listening to this record by Aerostation, and writing down words and feelings associated with the music, one word kept cropping up, modern. I then got to thinking, because I feel it is modern, will other people. And will they hopefully listen to this great work, also feel it is modern? As I looked through the bands I had listed, I had a bit of a conundrum. Hardly any of the bands listed where modern in terms of age, at least one is celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. So, how can music which reminds me of bands decades old be classed as modern? So, off I went to try and discover what the term modern music meant. I soon found the definition which describes Aerostation's modern approach. This being “reinterpreting older categories of music, innovations that led to new ways of organising and approaching harmonic, melodic, sonic, and rhythmic aspects of music”. While being wordy, this best describes what Aerostation have achieved with their debut release. I just hope my description does the music the justice it deserves. Aerostation are a new Italian band, but don't let the word “new” lead you to think you are embarking on listening to a group of young enthusiastic musicians taking their first steps into a life of music. You would be far from the mark. Leader of the group is Alex Carpani, an almost legend in Italian progressive music. His musical journey began while he was a school classmate with Keith Emerson's son Aaron. From this early age Alex has had an immense interest in progressive rock and a deep love of keyboards. His list of collaborators reads like a who's who of the progressive world, and includes David Jackson (VDGG), David Cross (King Crimson), and eminent peers of the Italian progressive royalty including PFM, Le Orme and Osanna. I could continue providing details of Alex's accomplishments, but the link to his website above will provide you with further details should you wish to discover more. Joining Alex (who plays keyboards, sings and produces) in the band is Gigi Cavalli Cocchi, a highly respected drummer, who readers will mostly know for Mangala Vallis. The bands 2002 release, The Book Of Dreams, received a large amount of exposure, receiving extremely positive reviews. The final member is bass player Jacopo Rossi, who has played bass in a number of thrash and extreme metal bands over recent years. You may notice from the instruments listed that there is not a guitar mentioned. Well yes that is correct, but let me give you advance notice, any ELP references are confined to one song. This being the albums instrumental track, Long Distances. This is due to the ultra pomp of the track with its driving rhythm section, allowing Alex Carpani to deliver some majestic keyboard sounds, which reminded me of Fanfare For The Common Man. The song transitions through many distinct phases, but is always dramatic, engaging and entertaining. Now we have the ELP reference out of the way, on with the rest of the disc. The albums short introductory track, Voices, could be easily likened to Rush's Countown, due to the lavish keyboards, interspersed with sampled commentary from the lunar launches, among other things. Wide Eyes And Wonder is an up tempo track whose opening riff immediately assures you that you will not be missing the guitar at all. Alex's voice is reminiscent of John Mitchell's, and some of the album tracks would not be out of place on some of John's projects. The chorus here gives you a clue that melody and hooks are important in the songs of Aerostation. Straight To The Sun starts like a Muse track, before leading into a song which reminds me of the bastard child of Gary Numan and Asia. You need to hear this to understand, and this neatly confirms my earlier comments about sounding modern. Fourteen Days Of Lightness is more laid back, with a latter-day Genesis sounding chorus, where you realise what a great voice Alex has. The track is driven along by the rhythm section, and it enables you to appreciate what Gigi and Jacopo add to the bands overall sound. It is certainly not just an Alex Carpani solo album. Coldness gets us back to the big bombastic sounds which could be Ultravox, with the songs hooks reminiscent of Midge Ure at his best. The keyboard sounds used on this track are stunning, making the sound so immense. This proves that Alex's ear for production is as amazing as his keyboard playing and song writing. Some people are born with far too much talent, but I'm glad to have discovered Alex's over generous gift. After the previously mentioned instrumental, Long Distances, we are treated to The Arrow, where I am still trying to work out whether it is the keys which gently introduce the song, or bass harmonics. We are then led to a funky verse and chorus, which again harkens back to the great British pop bands of the 90's. Listen to this and feel totally uplifted. This is just glorious. As The Ghost Bride begins, you have to check that there is no guitar, as the keys sound so much like one. Jacopo produces a great bass solo before the song builds from a mellow backing track to the pop prog sound, which only Muse seem to currently produce. For a song only 5 and a half minutes long, it transitions almost as many times as Suppers Ready, here Alex's voice reminds me of Peter Gabriel. Gigi's pounding drums shine, before the song closes with a Tony Banks like keyboard passage. From Day To Night is another poppy rocker, with the chorus sounding almost grungy. The way the musicians combine here is akin to 90's Rush, no one outdoing anyone else, all providing the melody which keeps the track solid, and if any part were removed, the song would collapse into nothingness. This is song writing at its best. The penultimate track, One Billion Steps, at last allows you the opportunity to breath, with a mellow keyboard intro. This does not last long before the drums and bass gets your adrenaline pumping again. A proggy number, utilising sampled rhythms which allow the song to build towards a stunningly bombastic ending. All too soon we get to the final track, Kepler-186F. An intriguing title, which is the name of a planet, 582 light years from Earth and of a similar size and thought to possibly be habitable. We are treated to a powerful closing instrumental, in the same vain as the opening track, again featuring sound bites relating to the lunar missions. After nearly fifty minutes the album left me breathless. At times it felt like a nostalgia trip, and other times like I was listening to something completely new. Something... modern. The whole album is based around space travel, and the artwork accompanying is as high a quality as the music. The front cover features a haunting astronaut image. The graphics inside the booklet all relate to the development of space travel. This fittingly compliments the music. If you are after some big pomp prog, then you will be hard pushed to find an album of this quality this year. This album amazes, uplifts and energises the listener, making you wanting to travel the space ways in Areostation's company, and you will repeat that journey many times once you experience the music delivered here.

No. 17
ARLEQUINS
http://www.arlequins.it/pagine/articoli/alfa/corpo.asp?ch=6896&fbclid=IwAR3B9dssYQoGQsO46XGLaXnLZGDkJ-kHLKDl8YjO4wvJ3f8hlXhG8g1JF9o
by Antonio Piacentini

Il progetto Aerostation nasce dalla fusione delle idee di Gigi Cavalli Cocchi ed Alex Carpani, due personaggi che, nel mondo rock progressivo italiano attuale e non solo, non hanno bisogno di molte presentazioni. Le esperienze maturate con personaggi del calibro di Ligabue, David Jackson, David Cross, CSI, Bernardo Lanzetti (senza dimenticare i dischi del Carpani solista) fanno bella mostra nei curricula dei due artisti. Aiutati dal valido bassista Jacopo Rossi, componente dei Dark Lunacy, gruppo metal proveniente anche lui dall’area emiliana, elaborano una proposta musicale di qualità che, pur rimanendo nell’area del rock progressive, riesce ad essere personale. Sicuramente diversa da quella che si sente in giro ultimamente. Un trio senza chitarra potrebbe far pensare a sonorità di area ELP o Triumvirat; in realtà non è così. Anche rimanendo in ambito progressive le sonorità sono moderne e originali. Almeno in ambito italiano difficilmente troviamo proposte di questo tipo che confinano e sconfinano in territorio hard rock /AOR da una parte e in territorio elettronica/pop dall’altra. I brani non superano mai i sei minuti ed è un tempo più che giusto considerato il tipo di musica che ci viene offerta. Volendo proprio forzare un paragone per aiutare chi legge queste righe, molte atmosfere possono far pensare agli ultimi lavori dei Moongarden. E’ sicuramente un lavoro coraggioso in un mondo come quello del rock progressive che mai come oggi sa guardare solo verso il passato, sia per quanto riguarda i protagonisti che per le sonorità. Credo comunque che la strada indicata dal progetto di Alex Carpani e Gigi Cavalli Cocchi vada proprio nella ricerca di qualcosa che superi determinate barriere non solo di genere musicale ma anche di fruizione della musica. Le varie esperienze dei protagonisti di questo album vanno già in questa direzione e forse il trovarsi davanti un lavoro suonato, prodotto e presentato in una maniera superiore alla media, convincerà l’acquirente più maturo (non di età) e smaliziato (di ascolti) a dare una possibilità a questo lavoro. Non so come potrà svilupparsi un progetto di questo tipo e se i due protagonisti incroceranno ancora la loro via professionale in un futuro. La base per lavorare c’è ed è anche bella solida. Mai come in questo caso la parola e il giudizio sono nelle mani dell’appassionato musicale che ascolteranno questi undici brani.

No. 18
FIREWORKS ROCK & METAL
http://www.rocktopia.co.uk
by STAFF

AEROSTATION, are a crossover prog rock trio from Bologna, Italy. They have a new eleven track self-titled CD out now which runs in at just under fifty minutes long and is the band’s debut album. Aerostation are: Alex Carpani - vocals/keyboards, Gigi Cavalli Cocchi - drums and bassist Jacopo Rossi. Drummer Gigi Cavalli Cocchi became involved with music after attending his first rock concert in 1973. It was a live show of Genesis. After been enchanted by Phil Collins that night, he hired a drum set the day after. Then he spent about fifteen years playing drums in several bands attempting to pursue music as a profession, however, it was not until the nineteens that Cocchi was able to make it happen. "When I became the drummer of Ligabue, a famous Italian mainstream rockstar. I played for six years with him, even in front of 180.000 people in a single concert. After that I played another six years with C.S.I., the most famous punk rock band in Italy, who had a no. 1 album in the Italian official charts in 1997," he smiles. "In the two thousands I decided to found a prog rock band, Mangala Vallis, with whom I published three albums and I had the chance to connect with other artists of the Italian new prog scene, like Alex Carpani among others." Aerostation is the progsters debut album and it is a concept one dedicated to exploration. such as the one outside our external boundaries, like space and unknown worlds, and the one dedicated to our internal boundaries, touching aspects like self-acknowledgement, communication between persons in our era, alienation of people in non-places like airports, subway stations, etc... There are eleven songs on the self-titled debut album: eight songs sung in English plus three instrumental songs and Aerostation style mixes alternative rock, crossover prog, metal, electronic music, fine pop "It's a power trio with no guitars, with a unique style and a powerful sound. I have written and arranged practically the whole album, and produced it as well, while Gigi has taken care of all graphic and visual aspects of the project: band logo, cover artwork, CD booklet design," explains Carpani. Aerostation is the summary of what Alex and Gigi have done in many years of their careers. They have concentrated on this project and all the ingredients were perfect for their actual concept of music. "You know, when a band is made of many musicians, the final result of the work is often the consequence of many compromises. Being Aerostation made of two official members, every decision is a taken by two of us and given that we work in total accord artistically and humanly speaking, things have always proceeded fluently and enthusiastically," expresses Carpani. "We agreed upon the musical direction we wanted to take, the sound we wanted to obtain, which had to have some specific and original features and we are aware of what every one of us does better, so there isn't a single detail in this project we haven't managed personally, from music to lyrics, to graphics." Alex's main musical inspirations cover a wide spectrum of artists such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Mogway, Haken, Steven Wilson, Incubus, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Steely Dan, Jean Michel Jarre, Tears For Fears, David Sylvian, Hanz Zimmer, Jocelyn Pook, Erik Satie, Miles Davis, Ottorino Respighi, Genesis, Claude Debussy, just to name a few. "The inspiration behind the album has been the search of an original sound, a songwriting oriented to a modern, contemporary and cosmopolitan rock with a strong energy and depth, the search of suggestive visual and graphic elements (in reference to the band logo, the cover artwork, the cd booklet design, the band photos), a single central narrative (exploration), where human beings are the ones who explore as well as the ones to be explored... in a kind of anthropological laboratory," he expresses. When he is not writing or performing, Cocchi has always expressed himself in two parallel artistic fields: music and graphic design. "I created almost all the cover artworks of the albums I've played on, as well as the artworks of the albums of many other artists. For me it's a matter of taking care of everything is behind an artist and a project: the artwork, the logo, the merchandising, the videoclip conception, the live visuals. It's a unique and exciting experience that allows me to interpret music by images and visual contents, not only with my own music instrument," he explains to me. "I also love cinema and among all genres, the one I prefer is science fiction, maybe because science fiction is able to keep alive and awake a part of me that always needs to be astonished. At the same time I'm fascinated by digital technologies, because they allow to make 'real' almost every kind of crazy fantasy and imagination." Aerostation is unique for its sound, its style and its way to conceive rock music. "Ours is a modern, contemporary and cosmopolitan rock, as I said before, with fascinating narratives, suggestive visual and graphic elements that our fans can find in the album cover artwork, in the booklet images as well as in our live shows," says Carpani with spirit. "Moreover, Aerostation is a power trio playing rock without any guitarist, and the way we substitute the guitar texture lines with our own personal sound makes us different from other bands. Our music is a distillation of several genres: alternative rock, crossover prog, electronic music, fine pop and all these ingredients are mixed in a special way, in our way. We love to alternate strong rhythmic moments and strong vocal lines, rich harmonies and complex textures and intimate, suggestive atmospheres." For Cocchi it is the sound of the album that is one of the most recognizable features of Aerostation. It is the result of a personal vision and conception of music that Alex and Cocchi have and that is why they lads instilled in every single note of the album. "The fact that we are an atypical power trio, and, despite this, we have the typical powerful sound of a rock band is another recognizable feature. Even if there are elements of Prog in our music, we interpret it more like a mental approach then the desire of proposing and repeating vintage aesthetic canons that people expect to find when listening to Prog," expresses Cocchi. "We have moved forward, and we like our music to contain moments of strong rock impact as well as dreamy and evocative atmospheres, and the whole material flows throughout the song structure. Aerostation is simply an album made of rock songs." Aerostation have done some live previews of the album in Italy, France and Canada, in clubs and festivals, and this has been very helpful for the band to understand how the audience would have welcomed (or not welcomed) their new artistic proposal. "Fortunately we only had positive feedbacks, and this has been a matter of satisfaction and confidence for us, a kind of 'green light' telling us that we were proceeding in the right direction. Moreover, the audience was completely unaware of the music, so its reaction was spontaneous and genuine. Now that the album is out our show will be a little bit different: we will do the entire album set with synchronized visuals, as well as some tracks by Alex Carpani and Mangala Vallis and a couple of covers we have rearranged in our 'Aerostation way'. It will be a ninety minutes show," explains Alex. Alex did a huge writing, arranging and sound designing job in his home studio, where he also recorded all keyboards parts. The same, for the bass parts, has been done by Jacopo Rossi, in his home studio. Then the guys all went to Bagnoli Bros Studios, among the hills near Reggio Emilia, in Italy, where their sound engineer Daniele Bagnoli, the 'fourth member of Aerostation', has improved the instruments takes catching perfectly the essence that Alex and Cocchi wanted to instil on their record. "There we've recorded drums and voices and we've mixed the album as well, while the mastering has been done in Milan at 96Khz Studios by Marco D'Agostino. The whole making of the record has taken about one year and Alex has taken care of the production. Iaia De Capitani, who runs the label and is our manager as well, has published the album under Immaginifica label," explains Cocchi. A second album of Aerostation is in the works and Alex has already written almost the whole second album. "We still don't know at the moment what will be the subject of the album, but I can tell you that there will be twelve songs: ten songs sung in English and two instrumental songs. Musically speaking Aerostation II will be the continuation and development of the ideas, the style and the sound we have put in Aerostation I. It will be a little bit more hard rock and metal oriented in some moments maybe, but always with the elements and peculiarities that make our sound and our music recognizable. Of course we'll set up a live show for it and visuals will play an important role, like always," concludes Alex, bringing an end to our conversation. You can get the album in CD format and, of course, in digital format, available in the main e-stores like Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, TIM Music, GooglePlay. Check Aerostation out at https://www.facebook.com/aerostationband/

No. 19
EMPIRE MUSIC
https://www.empiremusic.de/
by Martin Dambeck

AEROSTATION ist das neueste Projekt des umtriebigen italienische Keyboards und Sängers Alex Carpani. Die Songs hat er zusammen mit Gigi Cavalli Cocchi, der zudem die Drums betätigt, komponiert. Am Bass werden die beiden von Jacopo Rossi begleitet. Das Science-Fiction-Konzeptalbum, das sich unter anderem mit der Erforschung von Raumund Zeit beschäftigt, kommt dabei so überhaupt nicht nach typischem Italo Prog. Das Album ist vielmehr eine Mischung aus Neoprag und Melodie Rock. Die Songs rocken, sind dabei aber nicht zu heftig, und die Melodien gehen ins Ohr. Zudem kommen Freude exzessiver Keyboardfanfaren hier auf ihre Kosten. Carpani weiß außerdem als Sänger zu überzeugen. Starke Scheibe!

No. 20
SOUND 36
https://www.sound36.com/aerostation-aerostation/?fbclid=IwAR1NoRpQp3PP-wmElIvW7O3UoalGJTCkasPt8jTkuypOgDYWOER71ANeC-A
by Claudio Prandin

Un talentuoso duo che si unisce per esplorare nuovi spazi del prog rock Nel 1804 il presidente degli Stati Uniti Thomas Jefferson sponsorizzò una missione rischiosa quanto ambiziosa che offriva grandi speranze per lo sviluppo del suo neonato paese: la conquista del selvaggio ovest; lo scopo principale era quello di studiare le tribù dei pellerossa, la flora e la fauna di quella zona remota ma soprattutto scoprire, conoscere, studiare; in una sola parola “esplorare”. Per la buona riuscita della missione scelse Meriwether Lewis e William Clark che grazie alle loro diverse competenze ma soprattutto alla loro amicizia fornivano ampie garanzie di riuscita. Mossi dalla stessa missione (quella di “esplorare”) due ottimi musicisti nostrani si sono uniti formando un duo eterogeneo, particolare, e proprio per questo perfetto per rendere vincente la loro proposta: Alex Carpani è uno dei migliori tastieristi italiani che si prodiga anche come cantante e produttore; con la sua Alex Carpani Band ha pubblicato quattro dischi e ha collaborato con David Cross (violinista dei King Crimson), Le Orme e Bernardo Lanzetti della PFM. Gigi Cavalli Cocchi è l’ottimo batterista che ha accompagnato (tra i tanti) Ligabue e i C.S.I. Ha lavorato con tantissimi artisti prog come David Jackson dei Van Der Graaf Generator e John Ellis (chitarrista di Peter Hammill e Peter Gabriel). In questo disco il suo drumming è molto vario e sempre presente; il mixaggio mantiene alti i suoi volumi in modo che non detti solo i ritmi ma spesso delinei il carattere delle canzoni. A questo duo si è unito un comprimario di lusso, il bassista Jacopo Rossi che si lascia apprezzare per i suoi arrangiamenti melodici ma sorretti da un ottimo groove; vale la pena sottolineare il feeling con la batteria con la quale opera in perfetta sincronia. Questo power trio ha pubblicato un bel disco progressive condito da incursioni nel rock più raffinato e da sprazzi di elettronica, il tutto impreziosito da ritmi a volte hard rock a volte intimi e pacati. Potrà forse sorprendere il fatto che non compare quasi mai la chitarra, strumento principe del rock: le ritmiche, gli assoli e i riff che di solito vengono suonati da questo strumento sono eseguiti dalla tastiera; capita spesso durante l’ascolto di sentire un riff elettrico e di pensare: “Ah, no! La chitarra c’è, eccome”; ma ad un secondo riesame risulta chiaro che è la tastiera a simulare, imitare, i suoni e le ritmiche della chitarra; ciò potrebbe far pensare a un difetto, a qualcosa di cui si può sentire la mancanza ma non è così: questa opzione non fa rimpiangere la chitarra perché le soluzioni alternative proposte sono così godibili e peculiari che è quasi divertente scoprire come uno strumento possa sostituirne un altro anche se così dissimile. Quindi più che una perdita o una sottrazione ci troviamo di fronte ad un valore aggiunto che sapranno gustare anche gli appassionati delle sei corde. Ognuno degli undici brani propone qualcosa di apprezzabile ma i miei preferiti rimangono la cavalcata strumentale di Long Distances con i suoi riff tastieristici frizzanti e azzeccati, The Ghost Bride con un giro di basso coinvolgente e le splendide melodie di Fourteen Days Of Lightness. Nel “Mercante di Venezia” di Shakespeare, Lorenzo sostiene che: “Gli occhi selvaggi si placano in sguardi mansueti per il dolce potere della musica” Quella degli Aerostation ha senz’altro placato i miei occhi e (come hanno fatto Lewis e Clark con il West) li ha resi meno selvaggi.

No. 21
EXPOSE'
http://www.expose.org/index.php/articles/display/aerostation-aerostation-6.html
by Henry Schneider

Aerostation is an Italian power trio without guitars that plays a mix of crossover prog, electronic music, hard rock, and fine pop that alternates between powerful and energetic music with more intimate moments. Aerostation is Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (drums) founder of Mangala Vallis and collaborater with Moongardena and Alex Carpani Band; Alex Carpani (composer, singer, keyboardist, and producer) who has collaborated with David Cross (King Crimson), David Jackson (Van der Graaf Generator), Aldo Tagliapietra (Le Orme), and Bernardo Lanzetti (PFM); and Jacopo Rossi (bass), a well known musician of the Italian and international metal scene (Dark Lunacy, Antropophagus, Nerve). Their debut album kicks off with promise with “Voices.” This is a track with a mixture of electronics and excerpts from President Kennedy’s speech at Rice University in 1962 charging the US to go to the moon in this decade, as well as excerpt from the Apollo air-to-ground communication. The next track, “Wide Eyes and Wonder,” continues with additional air-to-ground dialog then evolving to 80s / 90s prog. Track 3 is “Straight to the Sun” with heavy power chords, and then the album starts going downhill. “Fourteen Days of Lightness” and “Coldness” are mediocre, with “Long Distances” coming back with melodic prog that approaches 80s symphonic cinematic prog. “The Arrow” is more of the same MOR music. Finally “The Ghost Bride,” which sounds like a Strawbs song title, saves the album with an energetic 70s-style prog / psych jam with some similarity to Le Orme. “From Day to NIght” takes a step backward. But “One Billion Steps” and its metal prog reverses the trend. The album closes with “Kepler-186f” with a return to NASA’s Apollo program and the famous first words from the moon, “Houston, Tranquility Base, the Eagle has landed.” An uneven album, with some interesting moments.