God Is An Astronaut
The End Of The Beginning

THE REVIEW

Glen Of The Downs - Ireland, it's on the map.

Try to imagine... Dj Shadow at work on tracks by Massive Attack with the early career electronic equipment of Depeche Mode, in a recording studio set up by Boards of Canada and with the technical supervision of Brendan O'Hare of Mogwai... I'm not crazy.

The debut (2002) of the Irish trio led by the Niels brothers (bass, guitar and visuals) and Torsten (guitar, keyboard and vocal), with Lloyd on drums and loops; it's one of those that leaves you speechless... completely self-produced and released by their own "label", Rivive Records, "The End Of The Beginning" is soft post-rock infested with abrasive electronics, melodic and languid in its confident advance, with krautrock space openings like the sublime sweetness of "Rememberance", where Vangelis puts his "keyboardisms" at the service of Ash Ra Tempel or the dance collision of "Route 666" where Air's spaceship collides with Daft Punk's. Many souls coexist in these tracks, like the frantic chill-out of "Lost Symphony" or the isolationism of the title track, with Godspeed engaged in painting electronic lines drawn by the sun's rays. Miraculous are the intense fluid waves pursued by "From Dust To The Beyond" and "Ascend To The Oblivian", where melancholy takes the shapes and colors of the deepest cosmos... which becomes danceable anxiety in the loops of "Twilight", with a vibrant piano as a bonding agent. However, my choice falls on the cinematic "Fall From The Stars", a sort of compendium of all the best ideas and intentions of God Is An Astronaut, a little-known trio from the green Irish prairies. And if you want to get an idea of what I'm talking about... http://www.godisanastronaut.com, you won't regret it.