Review Summary: Ad Astra Per Aspera deliver music just as wild and complicated as their name. They mush many diverse indie influences together to create a hodgepodge of noise and creativity. An experimental gem.
I like peanut butter. I really do. I also find rice krispies treats delicious, and hot nacho cheese really hits the spot sometimes. However, let me be the first to tell you: these three things do not taste very good together. Equally as scrumptious are Sonic Youth, Franz Ferdinand, opium, and bits of oriental madness. Let Ad Astra Per Aspera be the first to tell you: these ingredients are superb when thrown in the mixing pot together (unlike my cheesy peanut-butter rice krispies’). Catapult Calypso can literally blow you away what with everything that’s packed within its ten tracks. Found inside are experimental influences like that of Sonic Youth and The Velvet Underground, only hopped up on some horrible form of caffeine. Franz Ferdinand’s catchy pop-influenced indie can be spotted as well, especially in quick guitar work ("Scatter Baby Spiders!"). Added to all this are exotic Middle Eastern and Latin touches, and flavors of country rhythms ("Everybody Lets Me Down"). The result is the rough musical interpretation of falling down the stairs…only without broken limbs. "Nothing Else Is the Real Thing" delivers an exhausting odd-ball instrumental, supported by the foundation of a quick-paced beat and ornamented with raw guitars flying everywhere - sometimes perhaps discovering the right notes. Ad Astra Per Aspera channels some sort of primeval energy, both through their instrumental thrashings and punk-rock vocals. The addition of unexpected influences reveal that Ad Astra Per Aspera are more than just randomly pounding out songs - they have some master scheme in mind and are dragging you along for the ride. "Voodoo Economics" begins as if it may turn in to a off-kilter pop tune, but flips in the completely opposite direction as the tempo is sped up, the ante is raised, and all hell breaks loose as the vocals let it rip ("We’re asking for subsistence!")., Just like that Ad Astra Per Aspera have you hooked. An exhilarating experience that’s both exhausting and refreshing at the same time, Catapult Calypso puts a new spin on experimentalism, and shows that perhaps mixing your favorites might not be so horrible. But stay clear of the rice krispies.
