Published on Mar 14, 2002
Ambient alternative rock – three words which can sometimes
strike fear in my heart. It’s not that I don’t like this particular
genre of music. Maybe it’s because the first taste I ever had of it
came in the form of a Cocteau Twins cassette which was tossed at me
during my two-year stint in college radio. That music both confused
me and scared the crap out of me.
Over the years, I’ve found some ambient rock which I’ve enjoyed
very much – absinthe blind immediately comes to mind. I’d like to
classify the Texas quartet Astroblast in this category as well,
since their sophomore effort
This Will Help You On Your Way does have some moments which
are quite pleasing. Yet part of me gets the feeling from these ten
songs that the group is still very much learning about the genre
and themselves as musicians, and they have yet to come into their
own. That’s not necessarily a knock, but it does give the music a
tentative feel.
Vocalist/keyboardist Jenn Kellough is the unquestioned
front-person of Astroblast, which does seem to be a good move. Not
that the other three musicians who share the vocal chores –
bassist/guitarist Chris Bowers, guitarist/keyboardist Bob Kellough
and drummer Jacob Cuthbertson – are any slouches, but sometimes
their efforts feel a bit understated, though this could be a result
of the final mix of the disc. Sounding like what Juliana Hatfield
or Tanya Donnelly might if they were to front Swervedriver, Jenn
Kellough often seems to bring a little more pop sensibility to the
music, especially on the track “North Georgia Experiment”. This
particular track sounded almost like something off of Tori Amos’s
Strange Little Girls, especially with the keyboard work
which drives this song home. Likewise, “Lives And Lies,” despite
having Jenn Kellough’s vocals mixed a little too far back, captures
the attention of the listener.
The formal praise for
This Will Help You On Your Way stops here, but that doesn’t
mean I’m going to crucify the rest of the disc, so put the hammer
and nails away. The bulk of this disc does seem to find Astroblast
fighting with the concept of producing music for art’s sake
(meaning the chords don’t always have to go together neatly, as
evidenced by “Conversation Hearts”) or daring to embrace a pop
nucleus around which their alternative music can be wrapped.
Sometimes, that’s the feeling I get when I hear tracks like
“Unsettled,” “The Lows” and “Maladjusted” – and it’s not always the
most orderly of musical marriages. But there is a gleam of hope in
what I hear, and Astroblast could still pull this combination off,
with a little more work and time together.
It would be too easy to write
This Will Help You On Your Way off – and it would be
incorrect to do so. While the disc has some flaws, it does hold out
the promise of better things to come. That’s what I’d rather take
away from this disc – as well as guarded anticipation of what
Astroblast will give us on their next outing.