The Asteroids Galaxy Tour – Fruit
‘Mixed Basket’
The art of being able to guess the genre from the band name is dying out. Take Bon Iver’s latest offering as part of Volcano Choir, or Bon Iver himself (aka Justin Vernon) for that matter. Any idea what you might be expecting without prior knowledge? Gone are the down-the-line days of bands such as Helloween. Now, there was an outfit who lived up to expectations. What else but heroic hair-metal?
Denmark’s The Asteroids Galaxy Tour buck this trend somewhat coming on precisely like one might expect. Their brand of stoner space-pop is entirely summery, somewhat peculiar and gently pleasing. Their intergalactic artwork confirms what their names strongly hints.
`Push The Envelope’ recalls Simian (no, not the Mobile Disco) and their sleeper hit `We Are Your Friends’. The Marvin Gaye cover and album closer `Inner City Blues’ brings a little jazzy soul to the party. The Cardigan’s Gran Turismo era is brought to mind as `Satellite’ opens, before lolling into MOR reverie. Thought you’d heard the last of Smashmouth? The legacy of `Walkin’ On The Sun’ lives on in `The Sun Ain’t Shining No More’. `Crazy’ is cut-grass, special-cigarette summer distilled. Even Spooks’ `Karma Hotel’ is plundered for the opener `Lady Jesus’. Elsewhere, Morcheeba’s gentle drift washes to shore.
However, `The Golden Age’ is way too ‘Oliver’ for public consumption. Mette Lindberg’s pitch-shifted, helium-induced and androgynous vocal is at times questionable. The radio-humping bounce of `Around The Bend’ (used on an iPod commercial) is bland in comparison to other harmless extracts.
Fruit charms from its onset but repeat listens expose insubstantiality. What’s sweet to begin with gently rots over time. Get it while it’s still fresh, if at all.