Ever wondered what Radiohead would sound like if they dropped the prentiousness, got their heads out of their arses and listened to a couple of Lagwagon records? Well wonder no more, for Bad Astronaut have solved all of our problems. More commonly known as Lagwagon head-honcho Joey Cape‘s side-band, these spacemen released a 10-track EP, ‘Acrophobe’, which was well received by all of us here at Punktastic. Amazingly ‘Houston, We Having A Drinking Problem’ raises that notch even higher, delivering a masterpiece of work which quite simply pisses on anything that Radiohead have done since ‘OK Computer’.
Over the course of 14-tracks, Joey Cape and his seven merry men (including members of Lagwagon and Sugarcult) hack every Lagwagon thought you had into bits and spit them back out as works of art. There’s enough synth and moog here to create plenty of albums for Vagrant Records, but what you get is a record with so much mood and atmospherics it becomes pretty much the thinking man’s punk release of 2002. Even though there is so much going on in each song, Bad Astronaut remain melodic enough to have even the poppiest kid singing along to one of Joey’s trademark hooks. ‘These Days‘ is a perfect example of how good this supposed ‘hobby’ are, while the dark and brooding ‘Clear Cutting’ is quite the experimental number, with verses quiet and simmering before the orchestral and electronic bursts that litter the rest of the song. But this is merely a prelude to the excellent ‘Single’, aptly named because no doubt it will be the first release from the record. Melodic as always, it’s as close to anything from the first Bad Astronaut release, and also offers enough for any Lagwagon fan to get interested. Of course there’s also a chorus as big as any Cape has written in years.
The piano driven ‘Break Your Frame’ even comes across a bit like Grandaddy or Elliot Smith before the guitars kick in. This is certainly a break from the norm and well worth experiencing. ‘Disarm‘ starts with a lonesome Joey and guitar and has all the hallmarks of a lighter in the air classic. But as you come to expect from Bad Astronaut, there’s the traditional curveball and the guitars and bass kick in to produce a thick and heavy sound – before it all quitens down again. The cleverly entitled ‘Not A Dull Moment’ describes the scene of the song in so much detail you couldn’t paint a better picture. Again just Joey and a guitar, it takes a full minute for the backing band to kick in and make a sonic racket. ‘You Deserve This’ is bloody awesome, lyrically one of the best tracks you’ll come across this year, while the almost morbid ‘If I Had A Son’ relies on a piano to keep things in check driven by a tinkling of the ivories and a desperate Joey vocal. It’s as depressing as anything Thom Yorke and co have ever done, but equally as good. Imagine songs from ‘OK Computer’ sung by Joey Cope and you have this track to a tee. Essential stuff.
And just as you think things can’t get any better, you get the sublime ‘Solar Sister’ a track which again is heavily layered, but is absolutely fantastic. ‘Off The Wagon’ is all slow and lovely, ‘Another Dead Romance’ off-kilter as only Bad Astronaut know best and ‘Killers And Liars’ starts off with a gorgeous acoustic strumming which seems to fit Joey Cape so naturally. It’s all a bit good. And let’s not forget the awesome, dare I say it, emotional doodlings of ‘Our Greatest Year’, where it seems inevitable that Joey just wants to break down in tears. Dawson’s Confessional this mob certainly are not – they piss all over their fish. Then there’s the fragile ending of ‘The Passenger’ – hands down the most depressing song you’ll hear all year. Wrists are slit to this kind of music…
With Bad Astronaut so damn good it begs the question as to why Lagwagon have been so mediocre of late. It also leaves hopes extremely high that the band will deliver the goods on the new record sometime next year. But if you love music that is a little more complicated than Sum 41, Bad Astronaut will provide a most welcome and unexpected change. Breaking down boundaries, this is easily one of the top 10 records released this year. Perfect for winding down to, Joey’s back on form.
Paul