Review Summary: God is an Astronaut introduce yet another pleasant, albeit unremarkable album to their passable discography.
After spending a good bit of time away from music, as both a critic and consumer, it struck me as surprising how easy it was to slide right into
Origins. The latest from the Irish post-rock band God is and Astronaut is about as straight-laced and unassuming as they come; a by the numbers album that has no hurdles to overcome yet is comfortingly inviting in its accessibility. One could discuss the downfall or marginalization of all post-rock bands in regards to this sentiment, but really,
Origins (and its creators as a whole) is a pleasant, albeit unremarkable, achievement.
God is an Astronaut will forever fly under the radar, and one cannot help but imagine that is becoming intentional. Playing a very straight forward brand of post-rock with a heavy emphasis on climaxes, the band has carved themselves a little niche thanks to some electronic elements a la 65daysofstatic. It’s become a tad trite at this point, however, despite the not so subtle flourishes that have been added to the sound. Yet,
Origins keeps things interesting with relatively short songs featuring vivacious bursts of energy and rapidly changing dynamics. Much like their aforementioned inspiration, the band has introduced a poppy, almost dance-like feeling into their latest batch of songs. Selections such as “Transmissions” and “Signal Rays” have a definite toe tapping quality to them which keeps things moving along at a steady clip. Where the album fails is in its lack of truly compelling material. Yes, the sketchy electronic work is nice, but at times is feels like a mere attempt to flesh out some truly banal music. It’s neat. It really is, but for listeners who require a bit more,
Origins will not likely yield much replay value.
God is an Astronaut’s recent endeavor is a tad difficult to talk about. While my time with it has been
pleasant, I can’t help but feel entirely unfulfilled. What is lacks in astounding moments it makes up for with a steady and consistent stream of passable fare.
Origins will find its fans, surely enough. As far as simplistic and generic post-rock goes it’s fantastically inoffensive. Yet with the face of the genre ever changing, God is an Astronaut and their sixth are slowly becoming a relic of the past.
