The
Astronauts/ The Destructors- One Wave/ Schwerpunkt split CD review
The first two songs by the
Astronauts are mediocre- nothing much to say about them, other than they didn’t
particularly stick with me. The third
song ‘The Things You Crave’ begins to tip this side of the CD in a very
downward manner- this song could not be slower, and sucks pretty hard, to be
honest. Even for plain rock and roll,
this blows. ‘Wild’, while a little
faster, isn’t a lot better, but it’s a step forward- it has speed in some spots
that I can dig. Some of the slower parts
bore me, though. ‘One Wave’,
unfortunately, sets a new low for music labeled ‘punk’- this song is fucking
god awful. If I wanted to make a happy
person more humble and grounded, I would play them this song, because it is
that agitating and distracting. Holy
fuck, do I never want to hear that song again. The last two songs are, again, largely
unremarkable in a positive or negative way.
I doubt they will be in my head for more than five seconds after I
finish writing this review. Next is the
Destructors side- I was hoping that it was slightly more notable, but it isn’t,
though it is a bit higher quality. This
is usual Destructors stuff- rock-influenced, clear-sounding, catchy punk out of
Britain. Nothing to jump for joy over,
but my time wasn’t totally wasted, and especially so in comparison to the
Astronauts’ side. You get what you
likely expect out of these guys.
-Aunty Social
If the lyrical prowess of The Astronauts hasn't moved you to some degree, then I think its time to review your punk rock guru credentials.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever read a review that says so little in so many words. Had I not bought (and enjoyed) this album already, I would have been absolutely none the wiser on anything about it apart from the fact you didn't seem to get it.
Will agree 110% with Paul on your assessment of The Astronauts. They're the one band that continually defies both expectation and category at every turn and pretty much have done so since 1979. in some ways, the Astros, The Mob, Zounds, The Cravats and the true heart of the original punk spirit with healthy doses of hippy and prog in there for good measure. What separates The Astros from pretty much every underground punk band out there lies in Mark Wilkins' uncompromising take on the world around him. He is a keen observationalist and can pretty much skewer his subjects within the turn of a good few phrases. He's a genius wordsmith to be sure and I would safely throw him in to the same category as fellow Brits, Ray Davies, Robyn Hitchcock, Shane MacGowan (Irish, sorry), John Cooper Clarke, Attila the Stockbroker, Paul Weller, Andy Partridge, Dick Lucas from the Subhumans, Justin Sullivan from new Model Army and TV Smith from the Adverts. This is not Identikit Punk By Numbers. Rather, this is where punk should have gone had The Exploited and Discharge not redefined the entire genre by adding dumbed down heavy metal mentality to an otherwise perfect form. One Wave may be the best song on the record. Mainly, because of the lyrics and also too the orchestration. It's a very literate take on disillusionment and alienation one can feel if one does not pay attention to the finer points in life. Not having a go at you, Mr. Social. But I think you missed the whole point of the band and think you should dig a little deeper. I promise you'll be rewarded.
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