Czesław Niemen was a remarkable artist. Not only was he one of the best singers I have ever heard, he was also the type of artist who kept pushing his boundaries. Between the late sixties and the late seventies, he developed from an unusually soulful beat artist to a progressive rock musician and an avant-garde artist experimenting with early electronic music in a manner that made complete sense. ‘Aerolit’ was his final progressive rock album and it is arguably where he pushed the style to its limit. There are so many good grooves, unpredictable melodic patterns and excellent vocals on ‘Aerolit’ that it still sounds fresh today.

Niemen was inspired by multiple genres. His powerful voice has a surprisingly natural raw edge that betrays a significant soul influence, but by the time ‘Aerolit’ was written, the progressive rock and jazz fusion influences were front and center musically. The music gets reasonably abstract from time to time, but always with a clear structure and memorable melodies. It helps that drummer Piotr Dziemski and bassist Jacek Gazda are a formidable rhythm section. On their rock solid, but never overpowering foundation, Niemen’s synthesizers and the guitars courtesy of later SBB member Sławomir Pirowar can improvise freely when the music calls for it.

Don’t expect ‘Aerolit’ to be crammed full of virtuosity, however. There are sections dominated by rapid successions of notes, most notably the intro and outro of opening track ‘Cztery Ściany Świata’, but most of ‘Aerolit’ is defined by subdued grooves creating a dark, at times unsettling atmosphere. ‘Kamyk’ is the most obvious example of this. There are sections with Niemen, Gazda and electric pianist Andrzej Nowak playing in unison that may suggest the song is a bit more straightforward than the rest of the album. Most of the song is built on a laid-back groove and Niemen’s surprisingly understated vocal performance though.

Those who want to hear Niemen’s vocals at their most powerful are well off listening to ‘Daj Mi Wstążkę Błękitną’. Since it’s a ballad, there is more room for his signature vocal acrobatics. The interaction between his mellotron and Pirowar’s accoustic guitar clearly make it a seventies prog ballad, but that should not be an issue. ‘Pielgrzym’ feels like a precursor to his avant-garde period. Particularly the first half, which consists of abstract washes of synthesizer runs and yearning vocal melodies with a distinctly Arabic character. The second half of ‘Pielgrzym’ is defined by a fantastic slow groove that feels like it never ends, nor does it have to end.

‘Smutny Ktoś i Biedny Nikt’ closes ‘Aerolit’ in a relatively rocking fashion. The song feels like a blend of the progressive rock Niemen has been exploring since his brilliant red album from 1971 and the Turkish psych-folk that was around at the same time, but he may not have heard. The main riff is simple, but brutally effective. ‘Aerolit’ is an album that may need some time to properly sink in, but it is truly one of the best progressive rock albums of the seventies. Especially out of the segment of the genre that openly flirted with jazz fusion. Highly recommended to fans of adventurous music that reveals something new with every spin.

Recommended tracks: ‘Smutny Ktoś i Biedny Nikt’, ‘Kamyk’, ‘Cztery Ściany Świata’