"Cool" is an underrated concept in modern music, where seemingly every other indie band is lining up to replace the chic with the goofy. Thankfully, some out there are still carrying the dapper torch - the experimentally jazzy Astronauts of Antiquity, for example, whose sophomore release Rocket Science For Dummies is like some lost hybrid collaboration of Hooverphonic, The Bird and the Bee, and Everything but the Girl.
As their ironic name might imply, the Astronauts are a heady mix of eclectic urban genres and ultra-cool lounge swagger. Armed with a healthy dose of funk, polished production, and a whole hell of a lot of handclaps, Rocket Science For Dummies succeeds in being both innovative and accessible, allowing eager listeners to catch an aural glimpse of the Astronauts' fast-paced, rhythmic world.
Of course, it helps to have a vocalist as dynamic and cocky as India, who, fortunately, often comes across as a self-indulgent, crooning jazz songstress rather than some pop star wannabe. Clearly, the foundation of the Astronauts' aerodynamic package is built around her teasing persona - a less-prickly version of Garbage's Shirley Manson, for example. The results are smooth and fearless: songs waste no riff or transition in their glide, compacted into nothing short of cafe-infused pop brilliance that swirls and twists around India's advisory muse.
Perhaps the real key to Rocket Science's success is the fact that it maintains an authentic, jazzy pulse throughout, no matter how glossy the production gets. Indeed, tracks like "Everywhere" pulse with a clubbish, urban rain, owing nothing to standard radio fare, while "Strangest Places" brims with a bebop soul that outstrips any coffee house-bred singer/songwriter ballad. The album thus prevails because it is both familiar and yet exotic, melding the habits and techniques of lesser-known musical styles with a tried-and-true sensibility. Such is the method of "Beautiful Fate," which plops alternative guitar, electronica flourish, and rhythmic euphoria into a gigantic blender and goes to town on the highest setting. Whereas some other band would get unrecognizable glop, the Astronauts get a tasty shake.
In the end, Rocket Science For Dummies is alluring because of its unending strive towards slick perfection, and in turn, listeners will recognize the effort and self-discipline that emanates from Astronauts of Antiquity's sonic offerings. Then again, perhaps it's not that complicated - perhaps the album is simply the musical equivalent of an unbridled car race, too damn fun to peel away from despite its mindless entertainment. Yet that, too, is a misnomer, as Rocket Science possesses an ample brain to go along with its considerable heart.
June 11, 2009
