God Is An Astronaut
Age Of The Fifth Sun

God Is An Astronaut enters the era of the fifth sun. A sun in fading though, slowly covered by clouds charged with electricity. Emotional waves ride the ether, in an illusory calm, while time becomes a state of mind. And as always, we remain alone, at the mercy of our thoughts, waiting for the next roar.

This is the loop that summarizes the simple formula of the band, juggling between rarefied atmospheres and sudden clangs of guitars, as if to keep the listener constantly suspended between dream and reality. An evocative and engaging music, with psychedelic openings, that takes the post-rock of the previous decade and strips it down, abandoning dilated times and eliminating any roughness. We are far from the cerebral sound of Godspeed You! Black Emperor or the alienating one of Slint, even though the emotional factor is always predominant. The compositions go straight to the point, in their underlying melancholy that clings to you like a second skin. A continuous search for the "groove", the right sound, and that melody that can touch the chords of the soul.

"Age of the Fifth Sun" is the latest endeavor of this Irish trio. A record entirely instrumental, like the previous ones, that stoically carries on the musical discourse started back in 2002. There are no substantial changes, God Is An Astronaut simply does what they have always done, what they do best. Simplicity is the keyword and it is felt throughout all the tracks of the album. Starting from the decadent breaks of the overwhelming opener "Worlds in Collision", moving through the enveloping rhythms of "Lost Kingdom", to reach the electronic and almost ambient languors of the concluding "Paradise Remains". But the perfect balance is achieved in the inspired title track, where the delicate overdrive moans are followed by a sinister riff worthy of the best Kyuss (!). Anger and spirituality touch each other, without looking at each other, like two sides of the same coin. The notes fade and let sensations decant.

This is music of high hypnotic potential, full of emotion, that lives in the nuances and leaves you immersed in a kind of ecstatic torpor. Obviously, I can't yet tell you what will remain of all this. And it is fundamentally the reason for the absence of a rating on my part. For now, it's a great listen.