Ceantesaurus - Astronaut Party

Ceantesaurus

Astronaut Party
self-released; 2014

3.8 out of 5

By Ethan Skelton

I had a hunch that Astronaut Party by Ceantesaurus was going to be interesting. It’s like techno for the galactic, but chill and blended like a good scotch. Clearly this album is an exercise in ambience as well as trip-hop and it makes no apologies for its back and forth energy. One minute you’ll be sedated in contemplation and the next you’ll want to break dance on the ceiling. The samples are spastic, the drums even more so and the wavering melodic textures swirl in and out like magical soft serve. 

After a few tracks, your mind starts to go on autopilot and the most jarring soundscapes lose their effect in a way. I see this as a good thing as this music isn’t easy to swallow. The spacey jazz free form break beats become familiar ground when minutes before they were just distracting percussion. The key here is engaging material whether it’s above or below the common denominator, being sweeping waves of synth oddities and the like. I will mention, I heard a Step Brothers quote in there somewhere, complete with gross overuse of voice modulation. Nice touch guys.

“Brofurd” has some really cool drums to go along with this Aphex Theory style loop. The improvisation and syncopation is enough to make any rhythm fan get all hot and bothered. To some it all might sound a bit unorganized, but there is clear composition at work. Let’s take some steps back in time to the aptly named “Dreamfucker.” I mean, you won’t forget that title and you won’t forget the song either. 

The sonic cacophony of pulses and drones stacked on top of frantic speed beats is like being tossed in a microwave with a drawer’s worth of silverware. As if to give the ears that long breath of relaxation comes “Blackhole.” There isn’t much more than reverberating panels of dreamy notes caught in a void, floating and unsure of where they’ll reside. The emotions it conjures have to do with intense consciousness in reflection of depth and isolation. That’s what I’m picking up, but it is more than open to interpretation. Ceantesaurus set the bar high for sheer listening experience so put your thinking caps on, pop your favorite mind expander and promptly lose it.

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