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Last Active 12-23-19 9:27 pm
Joined 09-16-14
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| THE ASTRONAUTS: Don't you forget us #11
(not) YEAR END LIST 5/14. Eleventh instalment in my forgotten/dismissed/underappreciated Post-Punk bands list series: Today on th dissection table we have a band that is virtually unknown. Seriously, just visit their official website and see for yourself the quality of their PR. Half Man Half Biscuit's and The Fall's rejected brother, here I come: | | 14 |  | The Astronauts
The Donkey Riding
I should mention that the Astrunauts give no two flying fucks about their album covers. Yeah. They don't. After all, it's the music that matters. But the music on the Donkey Riding is just... weird, man. It's weird. On one hand, I appreciate the experimentation with the usual sound, especially on songs like Erupting, which is just like a sonic journey through ups and downs of sound. But it, just like the entire EP, turns from crushing and powerful to just somewhat boring and dull. The song Lonely and Loaded is surely a grower, but Erupting is a momentary impact kind of affair, in that it has moments, but the rest is a filler. The title track and the closer, on the other hand, are just your usual, worrisome Astronauts fun.
Go-to tracks: Donkey Riding, Waiting for July to Come Around | | 13 |  | The Astronauts
In Defence Of Compassion
You know how it goes. Even the most consistent band in the world has an album that can be rated lower than others. In Defense of Compassion is that for the Astrunauts. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it and if anything it is incredibly enjoyable. BUT compared to the rest of their discography, it is by far the least engaging. The album is definitely their calmest and most gentle in the instrumental regard. That has its charm, but the songs just lack that usual Astronauts punch to them and together with the fact that the album contains by far the longest of the Astronauts tracks, it all ends up often dragging and boring the listener. Unfortunate, but not entirely bad.
Go-to tracks: The Nurse, Suburbs | | 12 |  | The Otters
Be Back Soon
To this very day I am not entirely certain as to what is the difference between the Otters and the Astronauts. I gather that the Otters were supposed to be a slightly more off-the-hook, commercial (as the opener suggests) and lightweight version of the Astrunauts, lyrically delving into anything but politics and society, which are normally the Astrunauts' forté. Sure, that might be the case, but musically it is rather non-distinct. Still a good-timer, though.
Go-to tracks: Be Back Soon, Man in a Box | | 11 |  | The Otters
Situation Normal
You know, when you are binge-listening to someone's career, whose music it absolutely and remarkably never changing, you start getting a little lost on words. But not only that, it also affects how you perceive their music. I believe that this EP is a decent enough endeavour, but I tried it a couple of times now and I can't say that in the grander scheme of Astronauts (Otters in this case) things, it is one of their least memorable ones. It is a fine record, but it has nothing to it that'd distinct it from anything else.
Go-to tracks: Clone Song, Robot Ways, Motorbike Sluts from Hull | | 10 |  | The Otters
Kidnapped by Spacemen
An 18 minutes long song that is presented as a full EP. Or not. I honestly have no idea what version of it I listened to. The band has a really bad method of keeping themsleves accessible via the internets, so their Bandcamp shows me an 18 minutes long song, their Discogs page shows me that there are in fact a handful of songs on here, but if you looks up the individual tracks online (Youtube and all that) you'll find that they are a tad too long to fit into 18 minutes... but whatever it was on their Bandcamp was solid enough. It had some typical Astronauts outburst, overly critical lyrics and crazy musical shifts with some impressively cool instrumentation. A standard run-of-the-mill Astrunauts (or Otters, doesn't matter) EP and nothing above that.
Go-to tracks: I dunno | | 9 |  | The Astronauts
If the Strangers Come Around...
Another one of those endless, super consistent, fun EPs the Astrunauts excel at. Sure, Mark's lyrics on here might reach their cringiest in-your-face level, but the music arrangement accompanying them is simply impeccable. It is riveting, shredding and overwhelming, in spite of the noisy production. It's a beastly three-track EP, which might get a little tedious on the track Rainbow Colours, but the other two are smply great.
Go-to tracks: First Impressions of the Spring, Talking About Guns | | 8 |  | The Otters
Songs Beginning with the Letter 'H'
Otters' and Astronauts' grooviest, bassiest release yet, in spite of being a mere EP. Sure, the songwriting might not be the band at their strongest, but it is a fair enough goodness in three cuts. Even the more obscure moments on here, such as the slightly electronic Have It, turn exponentially better and more fun. Ultimately, there is no real reason to skip this if you are on the Astrunauts (the Otters) binge. After all, the concept of basing a record around something as simple as all songs having the same beginning letter in the title is a silly enough idea that I wonder how did the Astronauts not jump on it earlier.
Go-to tracks: Have It, High | | 7 |  | The Astronauts
One Wave
Darkest and harshest Astronauts record... which really isn't saying much. Coming back from his Otters phase, Mark Astronaut decided to make the band's sound a tad gloomier and in 2012 delivered One Wave. The album has a much more prominent bass than ever before and the production actually seems clearer and cleaner. But in spite of all that, Mark's snarky lyrics and goofy delivery did not escape and the album is just as whacky as anything before, even though it is much more intense and punching.
Go-to tracks: Bodies in the Bath, Nothing is Impossible, One Wave, Can't Cheat Karma | | 6 |  | The Astronauts
Soon
It is almost fascinating to see that Mark's vocal style is practically exactly the same at every single song he ever made. This rattish delivery that is just just balancing as to not to fall into full out whine, it's present on here. But this album is also rich on instrumental and production design. In spite of the amateur budget behind it, the band -like the true professionals they are- constructs its songs so that the multi-layered instrumental work pops out with grace and its own particular pizzazz. The saxophone wiggles at the background, the drums stab with their enigma and the guitars and bass serve as a necessary rhythmic caresses. If anything, this might be their trippiest album yet.
Go-to tracks: Friends, Books, Following Orders, Survivors, Young Man's World | | 5 |  | The Astronauts
Upfront and Sideways
Imagine the Astronauts sounding like a punkier version of Jethro Tull. That's what this album is. It's a lightly played, but thoughtfully written effort. It's surprising as to just how big an effort really went into making of this album and just how memorably it is played, that it is so bloody unknown. It is possible that that is due to the band's overlapping philosophy of staying underground at all cost. Still, the album is quite a gently put together, but snarky ride with some unexpectedly good lyrics and a solid dose of melodic beauty.
Go-to tracks: For the Sake of Art, Please Don't Come 'Round Tonight, Faraway, Is the Revolution Coming?, Constitution, The Diary, Silence | | 4 |  | The Astronauts
Survivors
It is always curious to see just how much more do special unplanned compilations reveal about a band than a carefully prepared record. On an album you'll get what the band wants you to hear, but on a compilation of unreleased songs and b-sides such as this one, you will get the artists as they realy are. And in case of Survivors you'll also get, oddly enough, some of the most consistent and entertaining Astronauts album, which is astonishing, considering just how high a quality their usual outputs are.
Go-to tracks: Survivors, All Night Party, Back Soon, Young Mans World, We Were Talking | | 3 |  | The Astronauts
Lutra Lutra
Not even with a hiatusless career behind him, Mark Astronaut manages to keep on delivering a blast after a blast. Later on in the Astrunauts career, though, he switched more on the EP side of things, but still being consistent like nobody else. And yet he is still unknown. So much for being a great musician. The EP only has three tracks, but with banger like Marching, slow-builder like Not Doing It and trippy Listen, it is easily one of the most enjoyable ones. Hands down, no question.
Go-to tracks: Marching, Not Doing It, Listen | | 2 |  | The Astronauts
It's All Done By Mirrors
Another batch of witty, quick and snappy lyrics with surprisingly catchy songs that hide a certain frustration and irritation. It's your standard story with the Astronauts, a fantastically written and played album that doesn't try to be anything above just a really good experience. Song after song you'll be greeted with fun tunes, unexpected instrumentation like saxophones and some noise machines, and that old timey production that gave all of it a specific, enticing charm that you just cannot get nowadays.
Go-to tracks: Seagull Mania, Blood, Typical English Day, It's All Done By Mirrors | | 1 |  | The Astronauts
Peter Pan Hits The Suburbs
With most of these bands in the Don't You Forget Us series there's at least one or two albums I could describe as 'most well known', outside of which the artists' discography fall out of people's spectrum and straight into oblivion. The situation with The Astronauts is rather different. I could dare say that this is their only known album, still being barely recognised at all. I suppose it is thanks to the relative cheapness of the production that no matter what, this album feels soft. It isn't trying to spit judgement in your face musically, as it does lyrically. The official description says the album goes from style to style, where it really just changes its pace. There isn't really anything much to talk about, there isn't much to dissect, much to critique. It is just a ridiculously entertaining album.
Go-to tracks: Everything Stops for Baby, Protest Song, The Traveller, How Green Was My Valley, Baby Sings Folk Songs | |
Papa Universe
12.22.17 | This is a really strange one... and a hard one too. For the record, I don't think I added all of their releases, but it's their fault really, they should have made them more easily accessible. Their first three EPs are not included, because all of those songs were later on the Survivors compilation. The album The Seedy Side Of... and You're All Weird are also missing, because they were impossible to find online, so I haven't heard them. | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | Beginner's Guide:
Marching
Survivors
Protest Song
For the Sake of Art
Seagull Mania
All Night Party
Everything Stops for Baby
Suburbs
How Green Was My Valley
Typical English Day
Following Orders
The Otters - Have It | neekafat
12.22.17 | Lol you're literally the only one who's ever rated these guys except one
Excited to hear these guys if we ever do a Part 2 (; | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | oh dammit, yes. do not listen to any of these albums on my lists, I will rec them to you in the future. | neekafat
12.22.17 | Hahaha whatever you say friend | SandwichBubble
12.22.17 | Siiiiick, apparently my listening week is exclusively Universe recs. Gonna check 1 today | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | My ultimate goal on Sputnik is to make someone do a tourney of my recs. Just 101 full album recommendations and they'd listen to every single one of them. For the reference, similarity to: con's psychedelic adventure, boney's shoegaze journey, asleep's classics ride | neekafat
12.22.17 | God that sounds like hell | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | you wanna try it? | neekafat
12.22.17 | ....not sure | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | oh c'mon | neekafat
12.22.17 | I listen to music too slow :/ | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | that's okay, I can do two rounds at the same time with two different people. 202 recs ain't that hard to pick | neekafat
12.22.17 | We'll see (; | butcherboy
12.22.17 | going to give 1 a spin right now | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | at a boy! | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | my next episode might please you, butch. although I don't remember how you felt about that band.. so you might as well hate it. the point it, we'll see | Marehelm
12.22.17 | Do they still promote people to contributors? If so, how the hell aren't you promoted yet? | neekafat
12.22.17 | Because his reviews aren't so great yet :/ | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | I think the approval rating needs to be of a certain height I don't yet have. | neekafat
12.22.17 | That's not actually true, I think you have a good chance of getting contrib this year if you keep pumping them out, you just have to be more conscious of some writing flaws and be better at proofing (or finding someone to help you like blush) | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | proofing? i ain't doing that. i only have a day to strap together a review and i ain't got time to do any checks... | neekafat
12.22.17 | And therein lies the problem | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | i also don't have friends | Deathconscious
12.22.17 | checked 1, the arrangements are really cool but the drum tone is total ass and the singers voice is fucking obnoxious. cant do it. | Papa Universe
12.22.17 | fair enough | DoofusWainwright
12.23.17 | Will check ‘em out...but only after my two month new music abstinence ends | Papa Universe
12.23.17 | Does anyone ever use the beginner's guide? |
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