As a third grade teacher for an after school program, I happen to know a lot about space – more than I care to know. I can tell you that Neptune has 13 moons, some of which were only recently discovered, and that methane is the reason it has such a rich blue color. And if you weren’t aware, Mercury ISN’T the hottest planet. Alas, so many discoveries are made every day, even in my own world where music is a prominent focus. Just this morning, I ran into a couple of spacemen – Astronauts Anonymous from Wilmington, North Carolina – an experimental alternative rock group that gives off an aurora of Incubus, but is something else of their own at its core.
Released on April 27th, Astronauts Anonymous’ Still Sleeping is a quick 11-track album with its longest song extending to just a little over 6 minutes. In the beginning, we launch into a track titled, “Dropping In.” My first impressions of this song were mixed, considering it sounded like a toss between Disney’s Electrical Parade theme, and clash with a track from The Flashbulb. However, this set up made me think that album in its entirety would lack vocals. “Louder, As We Speak,” introduces us to AA’s lead singer, Shane. This introduction is almost jarring, but I quickly caught on and held on for the ride.
Astronauts Anonymous aren’t exactly Protozoa, but zetus lupetus are they a party amongst the stars. They deliver a genuine energy that scientists would refer to as chemistry. The band is clearly synced in its deliverance to alternative rock music. I waited more for the experimental, and when it came, it was in the small doses of the interludes, such as “Transit.” Heavy guitar distortion, however, was prominent in “Exorcism (Of Every Girl Ever).” What I really admired about the little interludes was the narratological aspect. Between, “Dropping In,” “Transit,” “16th & Dock,” and “This is Permanent,” there was a beginning, a middle, and an end. At first you are on the inside enjoying all this life, and then you are suddenly whisked away from the sounds into the quiet of space, contemplating.
Energetic and sensual, “Body Language (Feat. Chelsea Dove),” lacked proper enunciation. That was my only real gripe with the track. Yet, if the words don’t say it, you can feel the sexual tension in music itself. This continues all the way until the very end with, “Animal Etiquette.”
Still Sleeping is now available on iTunes and at Astronauts Anonymous’ Bandcamp.
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