Review GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT “Embers”

Irish post-rockers God Is An Astronaut can look back on a long list of achievements. Founded in 2002, the band has released ten studio albums to date and with “Embers” the next effort will hit the shelves in September with nine new songs.

God Is An Astronaut play instrumental music and the new album doesn’t build on a different approach. With “Falling Leaves” the guys launched the lead single prior to the release date and the song reflects the sound of God Is An Astronaut very well. Long stretches of great melodies and big soundscapes are what the guys deliver on a very high level. There are softer, almost fragile emotional moments, but the band also doesn’t shy away from louder outbursts. It all comes back in “Falling Leaves”, which gives people who have never heard music from the Irish a good idea of what to expect.

Thematically “Falling Leaves” deals with the short time of our existence, which is perfectly reflected by the sound that gets more and more intense, but in the last part of the song there is a lot of melancholy that echoes in every note.

“Heart of Roots” instead comes with a very atmospheric feel and could be a song from a soundtrack. It is as if the song acoustically wraps the human soul in a gray blanket, with the piano parts being the emotionally driving factor.

The title track is the core of the album. “Embers” is an almost ten-minute milestone. It is one of the more psychedelic moments on the album and shows the wide range of influences that shaped the music of God Is An Astronaut. Slowly building in intensity, the song has heavier moments halfway through when some sonic outbursts take over. Listening to “Embers” feels like getting a summary of the entire album in one song.

Equipped with multiple layers and unexpected twists, “Embers” is a highly entertaining epos that doesn’t need vocals. God Is An Astronaut have the ability to tell the whole story through music and words would be more of a distraction from the essence of their music.

“Embers” is the new album of a band that seems to have an enormous creative potential. This album contains so many ideas that you will have to spin it several times to discover the nuances and finesse. This longplayer is another great addition to the list of releases and marks the next step in God Is An Astronaut’s journey through the hemisphere of sounds.