Astra - The Weirding
Released May 25th, 2009
Astra is the progressive rock band that Brian Ellis plays lead guitar and moog synthesizer for. They were signed to Rise Above Records (home of Sleep, Electric Wizard, Witchcraft) in London last year, and have finished their debut album "The Weirding", which will be released in late May 2009.
Bio from the Rise Above Records press release...
"The very thought of a ‘Progressive Rock Concept Album’ in 2009 is likely enough to put the fear of Rick Wakeman’s 1975 King Arthur On Ice Rock Opera into any post punk’s limited musical mind. But Prog is back and like it or not, has never sounded this vital or refreshing. Riding at the forefront of the New Wave Of Psychedelic Prog are San Diego based cosmic masters, Astra.
Free from all the ugliness and self-indulgence that took the initial spirit away from its post-60s psych originators, Astra make timeless music for timeless minds. None of that bloated pomposity that turned Prog it into a four-letter word, their approach is genuine and heartfelt.
Originally forming under the winter sun of 2001 as Silver Sunshine, Astra had undergone several line-up changes before the recent addition of guitar wizard/multi-instrumentalist Brian Ellis, who proved to be the final piece in the cosmic jigsaw. It was at this point the planets aligned and Astra was born.
Already making a name for themselves on the West Coast, they’ve shared the stage with such like-minded and diverse acts as Dungen, Winter Flowers, Earthless, Jennifer Gentle, Jana Hunter, Bigelf, Saint Etienne, Persephone's Bees, Entrance, Titan, The Black Keys, The Sunshine Fix, All Night Radio, Green Milk From the Planet Orange and DMBQ.
The Weirding, like all great concept albums is initially rather vague in it’s er, concept. As band founder Richard Vaughn explains; “The main themes are death, introspection and contemplating what lies beyond. It's about pondering the rapidly deteriorating state of the world today and trying to find an escape”.
Despite being themed in a rather solemn environment the actual tonal beauty that comes from The Weirding makes for a breathtaking and adventurous journey through various states of mind. What would any great album in this genre be without an epic seventeen minute instrumental? Despite its length, the mood-changing wonders of Oroborus still manage to hold the attention without derailing into the realms of pomposity. Aided by the marvelous guitar playing of Ellis, it’s a monumental piece in its own right.
Mellotron-heavy title-track The Weirding invokes a celestial ocean of wah wah waves crashing against a shore of confusion, whilst the ethereal folky strains of Broken Glass mellow the tone for the contemplation of eternal solitude. Beyond to slight the maze ends this epic journey that will be suitably released as a double vinyl edition.
Like a heavy hammer onto anvil, down from Ether's starry meadows, the sounds of Astra are engulfing planet Earth.
The Weirding is scheduled for a May 2009 release.
www.myspace.com/astrasound"
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