Aragon

The Australian neo-prog group Aragon fused progressive rock's expansive goals with the timbres and tools of contemporary pop. Across the 1990s the band committed three albums of conceptually driven material to tape, each built from extended compositions and lyrics that probed philosophical themes. Their keyboard-centered arrangements were shaped equally by drum machines and programmed bass lines.

Aragon originated in Melbourne, Australia, during 1986 when Tom Behrsing on keyboards, John Poloyannis on guitar, and Les Dougan on vocals came together. After several months of songwriting the original members recruited Rob Bacon on bass and Tony Italia on drums. The expanded lineup played locally in Melbourne while laying down initial demo recordings. Their debut, the 1988 mini-LP Don't Bring the Rain, unexpectedly found an audience across Europe, prompting the band to re-enter the studio and add tracks for a complete CD edition. Dissatisfied with his own bass performances on the project, Bacon exited to resume formal studies; unable to locate a suitable substitute, the remaining musicians adopted sequenced bass thereafter. Italia departed in 1991 amid personal marital issues and likewise went unreplaced.

With the core members still intact, the group pursued an ambitious two-part concept album. The portion that concludes the narrative appeared first, issued in 1992 under the title The Meeting. A 1993 collection titled Rocking Horse gathered early demo material. Progress on the larger project slowed when studio access proved scarce, yet the thirty-track work Mouse reached completion in 1995. Two years later the band delivered another conceptual effort, Mr. Angel, inspired by Lorraine Izon's painting Time and Space. The full Mouse cycle finally saw release as a double-CD set in 1999.