Astronauts of Antiquity’s latest isn’t just for dummies
With 13 solid tracks on the new album Rocket Science for Dummies, the optimistic Astronauts Of Antiquity have very good reason to feel uplifted.
The indie band combines the musical genres electronica and neo-soul, and its world-uniting musical sound reminisces with some jazzy and disco beats.
Best of all, for people looking for something beyond the everyday mainstream, the band’s odd music calls for some not-too-standard lyrics.
Not being able to predict the next line before it’s harmonized with a familiar chord is a nice switch from, well, plain-old predictable.
Spacey and beat-heavy, the beginning of the album hosts a proud sliding guitar that leads into lyrics, “I wake up in the morning to the sound of a distant train. / Wish I had a ticket to that place where I feel safe. / The phone is ringing off the hook before I can answer it. / So much to do all the time ...”
If listeners are human, there is a 99.9 percent chance that they have experienced some kind of day like this.
In the same song, vocalist India proclaims, “If I saw you anywhere, / I have nothing to feel. / If I saw you in everything, /I’d be grateful for all that you bring.”
Hear that? More than one person has one of those days.
Continuing on the band’s musical journey, the music to the track “Strangest Places” somehow rings of a jazzy beat through its outer space synchronic sensation.
Listeners might feel as if they are sitting at a warm, cozy dance club diner, as the vocalist calls out between soaring brass notes, “There are no closed cases / When it comes to help above.” A reminder to be open to the powers that be, perhaps?
Leaving jazz territory as the album continues, “Sup A Soul” tells everyone where they start off — “Stuck in a sardine can. / No room to move around. / I hear a melody breeze through the crack. / Two kids playing violins ...” From there the song kicks up its heels, preaching to listeners that they should free their minds and that they can find a beat to who they are — and can be a superman or superwoman.
The showcased beauty in the band’s lyrics is the ability to find soulful things to say without being dark and depressed.
They didn’t take the easy way out of their writing style by making listeners cry. Track title “Breakthrough” continues this happy trend, passionately proclaiming, “The universe is going to surprise you. / I got nothing but faith.”
Then, to soften the dancing demands the album usually demands, “Beautiful Fate” slows down. The next time life drives listeners into a corner, they ought to give this song a listen, with its chorus, “It’s a beautiful fate. / Taking yourself on a blind date. / Substitute your self-hate. / Everything else can wait. / It’s a beautiful fate. / Wake me up from all that’s fake. / Let yourself celebrate.”
Most impressive about this piece of work is vocalist India’s ability to make her voice fast and flirtatious to match the musical beats, yet manages to slow down enough to make her ballad feel sweet without completely losing the energetic spark that fuels every song this album has to offer.
It’s nice to hear namesake track “Rocket Science” demand among its reviving beat, “Is anybody home in there?” Are listeners awake and aware of their world as the music demands they sway and dance to the entire album — especially “Dance Until Dawn” — and listen up? Only they can answer that.
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