HUMANUM EST

Aera's debut album is a pleasant jazz-rock album with a sound ranging from spacey, avant material (as in the intro to Papa Doing) to more mainstream fusion, approaching conventional jazz at points. The prominence of guitar in the compositions might lead the listener to expect a Mahavishnu Orchestra-like sound, but on balance I'd say they're closer to Weather Report and mid-70s Soft Machine - the band never really let rip and rock out as the Mahavishnus do. It's an enjoyable listen and I certainly don't consider it a waste of time, but it doesn't exactly break much new ground or particularly excel at the fusion styles it turns its hands to.