From the get go, the band continues on what they did in "Air" and implements it into "Astronoid", not showing any real steps forward in their own evolution progress, which I am totally fine with. This is after all only their second album, and I both expected and wanted more of that sweet and light sound that only they could make. Brett Boland brings out all of the emotions with his soft vocals, Casey Aylward and Mike DeMellia twists and turns around the melodies with their guitars, and Matt St. Jean goes bananas behind the drum kit, creating a mish mash of sound waves that weirdly enough go together, kind of like mac and cheese. The band feels like they are in their right elements, and enjoyment is at its highest levels.
That continues on throughout the first half, and just when you think if the band even bothered to change anything from their winning formula, the band actually makes some changes around half time, like they are Bill Belichick or something. It starts off easy with "Water", a song that is not too far off from what we are used to with the band, but the guitars are a little louder and heavier, and the drums have more impact on every hit as well. It is a striking song that sets off a second half that converts "Astronoid" from being a safe repeat, to a pure statement.
The heavy attitudes continues in "I Wish I Was There While The Sun Set", but while the instruments have gotten slightly more aggressive, the light tone of the band is still there, mostly thanks to Brett and his humble vocals. Without those, I could absolutely see the middle part of this song fitting right in with what Strapping Young Lad was doing (that double bass is infectious as hell). The album ends with another heavy hitter in "Ideal World", and just like with "I Wish...", the juiciest bit is in the middle, a great instrumental bit that will send heads flying everywhere.
Despite these heavier tracks, "Astronoid" could still be seen as a mere continuation of "Air" because there are so many familiar elements in here, and while that assumption is not wrong, it is kind of twisting the truth just slightly. To me, I feel like Astronoid do not need to change all that much, they just have to change enough to keep people's interest. They have a clarified sound, so it is up to them to just execute it as good as possible, and add some tweaks here and there. There is no doubt though that they have all the tools to keep succeeding. One thing they should change though is whoever is in charge of their album covers. "Air" was nice, but this one is just flat out boring. Besides, it looks like the band is called Ast Ron Oid here. Come on man, step it up.
So yeah, "Astronoid" might not be that much different from "Air", but it is still a heavenly effort that just makes you happy. In a world were bad news is common, we simply need these light albums that can bring anyone's spirit up, just to get that feeling of serenity. This band is unique as hell, and it does not matter what you call this band, whether it is black metal, shoegaze, blackgaze, or enlightenment metal, they just cannot be described by a single genre, they are simply Astronoid, a band everyone should experience in some way or form, and if you have not already, I highly suggest you do it right now.
Songs worthy of recognition: I Wish I Was There While The Sun Set, I Dream In Lines, Fault, Water
Rating: 9/10 Ideal Worlds
http://www.astronoidband.com/
https://twitter.com/Astronoid_Band
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Air
