God Is an Astronaut
Origins

The “post-rock” phenomenon exploded loudly in the second half of the '90s, giving birth to the "great masters." Leading the way were Slint (prior to the cited period), followed by Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, Sigur Ros, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and a multitude of cloned and endlessly recycled bands. Post-rock swept through experimental metal, electronics, and psychedelia, eventually becoming a label attached to bands that consider themselves alternative. This proliferation almost overshadowed the good things the genre produced, with God Is An Astronaut being one of the most famous and acclaimed names, even by critics who never fully embraced post-rock.

The return to the scene three years after "Age Of The Fifth Sun," the sixth work of a now well-established career. Some now argue that God, like other bands in the genre, are outdated, as it's the post-rock itself that has exhausted its creative spark. Each album is the same, lacking stylistic evolution. Precisely for these reasons, the work delivered by the five Irishmen seems different from previous productions: they accustomed us to dreamy atmospheres played on guitar recordings and sudden explosions of power. “Origins,” however, appears to be the band's most reflective album, more so than anything done before. A sort of "liquid" space rock diluted with electronic-like solutions, although far from being overused, shows us a different side of GIAA. A clear example is the single “Reverse World” which, after a soft keyboard introduction, succumbs to a melody that leaves little or nothing before a guitar reverb that lacks the effectiveness of bygone days. “Transmissions” also seems to be one of the most experimental tracks of the lot, but just when they attempt to change, the final result is not the best, with a song that spirals in on itself showing a mere repetition of not particularly exciting sound tricks.

However, it's worth noting that not everything is negative and that the group from across the channel still shows the courage to venture into territories that don’t belong to them: such is the case of the paradisiacal ambience of “Autumn Song” and the upbeat rhythm (by their standards) of “Spiral Code”. Also worth mentioning is the aggression of “Calistoga” where Pat O’Donnell (Fountainhead) lends his vocals, as he will for other episodes (“Exit Dream,” “Signal Rays,” “Strange Steps,” “Light Years From Home”). Yet the overall feeling is that the quality of songwriting has suddenly declined, with more "catchy" melodies than in the past, and a more linear development, detectable in the “canonical” duration.

“Origins” is an indecipherable album from several perspectives, but perhaps it's the first work that "breaks" with the conception of post-rock as GIAA had presented it up to this point. A work that, on the one hand, reveals a certain tendency towards innovation, but on the other, suggests that the band from Wicklow does not yet seem to possess the appropriate maturity. A "transitional" album, which in trying to shift coordinates, loses the reference points of the past. As if God Is An Astronaut suddenly lost their way in the undefined world they themselves created.

1. “The Last March” (4:44)
2. “Calistoga” (4:31)
3. “Reverse World” (5:11)
4. “Transmissions” (4:05)
5. “Weightless” (4:13)
6. “Exit Dream” (3:31)
7. “Signal Rays” (4:07)
8. “Autumn Song” (3:48)
9. “Spiral Code” (4:14)
10. “Strange Steps” (4:57)
11. “Red Moon Lagoon” (4:46)
12. “Light Years From Home” (5:08)