Archive for the ‘Aster’ Category
Aster – Some Things Seldom Heard Of
Aster is a group of Austin, Texas that is a DIY two-man band. Their album Some Things Seldom Heard Of was released on January 22 and I was personally sent a copy to review. One of the things that upset was a big fat sticker ultimately covering the album cover and recommending which tracks I should listen which makes me feel like as a regular reviewer feel like they’re suggesting that the band isn’t up to par that they have to hand pick which ones I must listen to rather then personally going through it and finding what I like for myself.
Also another nitpicking thing was their media sheet which is currently on their myspace which has a preface and acts discussing the album. This came off as just weird and even creepy and if I decided to actually read through the whole thing I may be even turned off from listening to their album entirely.
I took a few weeks to actually put the cd in my computer to listen to due to feeling no motivation. I felt slightly surprised at how solid their songs/album were. Their music is more of the mellow/relaxing type as vocals tend to be outshined by their instrumental input. It certainly isn’t trash but I find it rather easy to listen to but I don’t find it great by any means.
It seems like the piano/keyboard dominate the tracks with many of the intros and bridges including something random it seems. It’s strange to see the band include The Arcade Fire as an influence as I don’t really hear anything that would make me say Arcade Fire. Maybe the keyboard but like I said these tracks don’t demand your attention which I would liken to some Radiohead tracks.
This album seems hard to talk about for me since it feels a bit like a different animal. It’s not something I would listen to everyday but good enough for me to write a post about them. They list themselves as pop but I must say that’s an incorrect genre because if you’re looking for catchy hooks and upbeat tracks this is probably exactly the opposite. If you’re interested in buying their CD (they probably need some help) click this link.
I feel bad for giving a rating to a band that needs more help but if you must know it’s a 3 out of 5.
Here are some tracks I liked (ironically some included the suggested tracks):
Attempting To Multiply by Aster
