OFFICIAL: http://www.astronomiquemusic.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Astronomiques
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/astronomiques/
BANDCAMP: https://astronomique.bandcamp.com
Written by Mike Yoder, posted by
blog admin
Sharp
Divide is the first full length album from synth pop four piece Astronomique
and a memorable release from beginning to end. The ten songs included with this
album cover a gamut of synth pop poses and capture listener’s imagination from
the first with the relaxed atmospherics behind the song “Forefathers”. The
synth pop leanings of Astronomique seek out instrumental balance a lot more
than many typical acts in this style do, but there’s no question the material
deserves the label. The assertive performances from drummer Mitch Billings and
bass player Preston Saari, however, always keep the band near funky or pop rock
with the muscular performances they often provide. “Side of Your Mind” has more
energy than the opener, primarily concentrated around the synthesizer playing,
but Hogan’s guitar brings a lot to this song as well. Fongemie gives a
loose-limbed, confident performance striding through the song and her
synthesizer playing is likewise top notch, especially a short instrumental
break she takes in the song’s second half.
“We
Disappear” begins with a synth fanfare, a common introduction on Sharp Divide,
soon transforming into a song with a consistent thudding pulse reverberating
throughout the track’s entirety. The base of the performance is, of course, the
tandem of Saari and Billings and the guitar takes a supporting role to the
synthesizers in terms of providing instrumental color. “Losing Our Control”
returns the guitar to a pivotal position in the mix while still keeping
Fongemie’s synthesizer work up front as well. One of the crucial factors
sending this song over the top is the five star vocal Fongemie provides. The
feel noticeably darkens with the album’s title song, but there’s some reprieve
in the track as both the chorus and bridge alike features some lovely, distinct
guitar work from Sean Hogan.
“Smoke”
has a tighter lock on the synthesizer as a lead instrument than most songs on
Sharp Divide and both Hogan’s guitar and Fongemie’s singing are arguably more
adorned with theatrics than any of the previous cuts. It’s another fine lyric
on an album that may not be properly appreciated for its writing, but Fongemie
and Hogan do a superb job bringing together seeming disparate influences and
ideas into a coherent, deeply artistic whole. Mitch Billings’ drumming
generates a nice trot for the song “Unspoken” and the crystalline guitar fills
from Hogan are quite complementary to Fongemie’s voice. Coming back to back
with “Smoke”, the two songs launch the album’s second half in a memorable way.
The album’s concluding curtain “Heading to Nowhere” is a final tortured musical
missive from Astronomique’s creative world and the pairing of Fongemie’s voice
with the effects directed band sound makes for compelling listening. Even if
they are a synth pop band, there’s plenty going on with Astronomique to help
them draw fans from multiple different styles and that’s a testament to the
level of accomplishment and polish they bring to their latest release Sharp
Divide.
