God is an Astronaut?

Sometime last year I was recommended the band God is an Astronaut a three piece outfit from Dublin. I assume the band was originally passed my way due to my affinity with the style of shoegaze. However, when listening to their last full-length album All is Violent, All is Bright I didn't see the connection there aside from maybe some of the dreamy textures. At first a bit disappointed by what appeared to be yet another notch in the ever expanding post-rock genre, I was gradually found myself warming up to it after repeated listens. I eventually came to the realization that the music within All is Violent, All is Bright isn't just another half assed stab at achieving something monumental and epic sounding. Instead, God is an Astronaut is monumental and epic sounding. Although the songs on the album are generally shorter than most post-rock compositions, I actually find it a bit relieving. Not to say I don't like the Godspeeds of post-rock, however the similarities and carbon copy effect can get quite tiresome after awhile. So in that sense, God is an Astronaut is a much welcome addition.

Taking an already familiar sound, God is an Astronaut incorporate a vast amount of synth and various other electronic elements to their music. Thus giving All is Violent, All is Bright a chilled ambiance to it that surely makes the more powerful moments throughout the album stand out even more. Listen to this album at night, as I did, and it will become even more apparent that this album is a great soundtrack of sorts. One that definitely deserves a hefty amount of praise. However, God is an Astronaut are still a bit under the radar, but with each album that they release they are gaining the notoriety they deserve.

God is an Astronaut - A Deafening Distance [MP3]
God is an Astronaut - Remembrance Day [MP3]

If you missed out on All is Violent, All is Bright in 2005, be sure to pick it up now at their website. You can also grab their newest EP A Moment of Stillness and their reissued debut The End is the Beginning through their website as well.

The music of God is an Astronaut is just one of a few bands that have been written into the screenplay for a television show called Lenexa that a couple of friends and I have been working on over the past few months. In actuality I contribute only a very small fraction to the creative process and none of us ever plan to have the show made, but it serves as a fun project for all of us to take part in and grow creatively. I do hope that anyone who is intrigued will check it out over at its MySpace page for screenplay downloads and more information on the show.