Final mission.

Bad Astronaut - Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment
Posted by Tim Karan on 01-Mar-07 @ 12:40 PM

[4/5] Since their moody, experimental pop first emerged from Santa Barbara, California, in 2000, Bad Astronaut have enjoyed a small but passionate crowd-especially following the '02 release of their celebrated Houston: We Have A Drinking Problem. But after three years of work on a new full-length, the heartbreaking suicide of drummer and founding member Derrick Plourde (also formerly of Lagwagon and the Ataris) in March 2005 put everything on hold. One year later, remaining principal Joey Cape (Lagwagon, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes) took a deep breath and decided to finish what he and his friend had started-resulting in something that's part artifact, part memorial, and wholly intimate. Groomed from material written and recorded both before and after Plourde's death (in part with help from drummer Jonathan Gorman), Twelve Small Steps retains plenty of the wonderfully indulgent BA moments which recall Elton John or Yes, curiously mixed with Lagwagon. And though some ideas on the record seem vaguely incomplete or less rich than on past efforts, any tarnish is itself a part of the story told by this almost overwhelming release-which reflects real life and death in a way few, if any, will ever duplicate. (FAT WRECK CHORDS) Ronen Kauffman

ROCKS LIKE: Elliott Smith's Figure 8 • Elton John's Honky Chateau • Lagwagon's Hoss


Official Website: http://www.fatwreck.com