God Is an Astronaut
A Moment of Stillness

The Irish God Is An Astronaut play post rock. Already this statement might deter several people from reading this review, for a simple reason. It's a genre that features a plethora of performers, all (in their opinion) different, many, in the end, copies of each other. It's difficult to navigate this vast sea, one must have style, quality, and ideas that others do not (or did not) have; one must have the character to stand out. Our guys may not be remembered in the years to come as examples of this genre (at least not in light of what they have done so far, albeit excellently crafted); however, they might rightfully earn a spot among the brightest stars of this genre, among the groups that have best been able to carry forward and develop in their own way the lessons of the "masters."

"A Moment Of Stillness" is an EP that follows the successful (and in my opinion almost perfect) "All Is Violent All Is Bright." The first track, "Frozen Twilight," is the ideal bridge between the two works. Cold as the title suggests, sidereal in those light electronic strokes that cyclically pass through you, and crying, they enter your bones like the sharpest cold, the track comes alive already halfway through, with a beautiful insistent guitar riff, but never obsessive, never monotonous, a beautiful lullaby that grows in step with the rhythm and fervor of the other instruments, and once it reaches its peak, it moves, like a sudden outburst of a northern lights before your eyes, flaring up in a kaleidoscope of colors, and then dies in the darkness from which it was born.

The cold and icy images suggested by the twilight immortalized by the previous piece are followed by those, warmer (and perhaps a little less touching), of the title track, which quickly opens into what was, in the previous album, one of the most touching and heartbreaking pieces, "Forever Lost" (here presented in "Reprise" version). Honestly, the differences between the two versions are almost imperceptible and probably (but I wouldn't bet on it) due to the addition of some synth effects here and there and a few shortened moments. The piece absolutely does not lose its magic; it is a pleasure to continually get lost between that guitar riff and that never intrusive, lulling electronics.

The next two tracks, neither outstanding nor underwhelming, close an EP that is worth acknowledging, especially for the first three tracks. They indeed represent an ideal continuation from what was heard in "All Is Violent All Is Bright," with special mention to the opening track, which in my view is truly sensational.

I reiterate what I said at the beginning: God Is An Astronaut do not invent anything, but they rework and shape their material with great class, adding personal touches and characterizing themselves by an atmosphere that is always cold and icy, yet never so distant and far as not to pass through your skin to touch certain heartstrings directly. For those who love the genre (and appreciate the Irish trio), an EP to have; in general, a more than worthy extension of an already excellent album by itself.