After the Germans from 'Kamala' with 'limbo66' released in December 2022, it's the turn of the Finns of Astral Magic' to present their latest album 'We Are Stardust' which was released at the beginning of January 2023. This project was created by singer, bassist and keyboardist 'Santtu Laakso' known for being the leader of the 'Dark Sun' project in the 90s, and the rest of the line-up consists of guitarist and violinist 'Jonathan Segel' and by guitarist 'Samuli Sailo'. Referring to their bancamp page, and given the youth of the project which is only three short years old, 'Santtu Laakso' has already released an impressive number of albums (no less than a dozen for 2022) which cover the whole of the psychedelic with the experiments and musical research attached to this style, the long instrumentals giving pride of place to electronic sounds and the songs with hypnotic melodies that some 60s bands performed under the influence of LSD.
As for 'We Are Stardust', these are sung compositions that take us back a few decades. The eponymous title of the album begins the album and reminds me of certain sounds of the first two albums of 'Status Quo', 'Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo' and 'Spare Parts' before they completely change their style, then the catchy 'The Simulacra' continues in the same sixties style and 'Drop It' unrolls languorous melodies with electronic effects of another age. 'Virtual Fixtures' changes tone by offering us a fast tempo with vintage guitar sounds still in the atmosphere of the time and, again change of scenery with the quiet 'Bottle Up Inside' in which we are lulled by the electric guitar accompaniment. The sequel continues to provide us with soaring atmospheres and relaxing psychedelic sounds: I'm hooked on 'Out in the Wild', 'They Walk Among Us' and 'Out in the Cold' which are in the same vein as their predecessors, a little less on 'Lost Planet', and the album ends with the catchy melody of 'Violet Sky' which, one last time, offers us a song imbued with serenity and a saturated guitar sound from another era.
In summary, with the Finns of Astral Magic', we embark on a psychedelic journey taking us back more than fifty years and if you subscribe to 'We Are The Stardust', you can also discover all the other albums which are also available on spotify and which should make you have a great time during the long evenings of this winter period... | |
