Astrae
York, England, United Kingdom
Music
Press
Having seen this band perform live I was a bit worried that 'The Open Heart' wouldn't live up to their ability to play a great gig. However as soon as I started listening to this record I realised that worrying was definitely not necessary.
The recording itself is very crisp and clear, adequately allowing the listener to hear all the elements and musical layers at work. The number of different instruments being used really make this record stand out from a lot of other acts around at the moment. And what's evident is that Astrae play alternative music but not in the 'heavy guitars and pounding drums' sense; they break from the mainstream and give us something different. In particular I enjoyed 'Outlander' - a beautiful track with wonderful sounding vocals and an interesting structural composition. I also liked the song names (one is called Maturin (The Great Turtle) - pretty unique!) and felt myself listening to the music and trying to understand the reasoning behind the titles.
'The Open Heart' EP didn't remind me of anything in particular that I had heard before, which was extremely refreshing. It's nice to hear a band who are really going in their own direction and not following trends. This approach works so successfully for Astrae and it highlights how talented these musicians are, in that they are capable of coming up with their very own sound and original songs. I felt that it wasn't quite as tight in places as it could have been, but on the whole it is almost there and I still enjoyed listening to it. Great record.
8/10
- Push to Fire Magazine
Discography
[:Astrae:] - The open heart
A 3 track E.p, consisting of songs:
1. Outlander
2. Maturin (The great turtle)
3. Passion
Photos
Bio
[:Astrae:] began in 2007 when five young artists originating from England, Germany and Italy respectively, chanced upon a meeting in York, England and began to write, perform and record music together.
Met with instant local and regional acclaim for their intense live show, the band also drew a wide range of comparisons, from such artists as:
Idlewild, Smashing pumpkins, Counting crows, Oceansize, Coldplay, Nirvana, Sonic youth and Incubus amongst countless others. [:Astrae:] 's extensive touring of England has ensured them a fan base stretching across the country, now they are ready to take their sound to the world.
Although [:Astrae:] have been called Alternative Rock, Their sound is unmistakably distinct. Their debut release, an E.P entitled 'The Open Heart' was released earlier this year to a hugely successfull reception and they have now began work on their second release.
The first Single 'Collapses' with promo video will be out mid may, exact dates TBA.
[:Astrae:] Are currently looking for managemet and representation, soundtrack, Film, Advert and TV composing & recording work, as well as worth while live performances for summer 2010 and all of 2011. We can arrange to bring coaches with fans if neccesary for ticket sales etc.
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