The Asteroid No. 4 are definitely one of my favorite groups out there right now. They bring elements from 1960s psychedelic rock together with some fresh ideas and concepts that bring a lot of diversity to their sound throughout their discography. I just noticed earlier today that they released a new album in 2020, so I immediately added it to the front of my queue to listen to tonight. The band originated in Philadelphia in the later 1990s and have since moved to the San Francisco Bay area. On the band’s website, the genres they describe their music as ranges from krautrock, shoegaze, folk rock, cosmic country rock, while generally being anything encompassed in psychedelic rock. I’m quite stoked to check this one out, so with that said I’m going to jump on into the music.
“All Mixed Up” starts out with some really interesting almost punk rock drums and bass, until the gospel-like organs and vocals come on and warm over the song, while the guitar gently keeps the tune grounded in a certain manner. The vocals have such a mellow feeling that reminds me of some mixture of shoegazing and mid-2000s rock/alternative rock. The organs really swirl around nicely. Oh wow, things seemingly slam together between the drums, bass, organs, and guitar on a beat near the end of the song, creating an awesome musical moment that’s got me absolutely hooked.
Oh wow, “Hand Grenade” segues right into things and has this strange sound that is unmistakably psychedelic. It kind of reminds me of Spacemen 3 a bit with the droning bass lines and the vocals that sound like they’re reaching across dimensions. Oh wow, the drums really move about really nicely through the soundscape. The electric guitar shimmers through the chaos, nearly beckoning you to follow along. The bass line has a really nice mobile, fat tone to it. I’m really digging this one, and honestly think I’m going to pick it up on vinyl. Oh wow, the vocals have such a lifting arrangement near the end of the song. The drums provide a bunch of forward momentum while keeping you grounded. Holy smokes, the electric guitar solo comes on with some crunchy distortion and absolutely goes in on this song. I’m absolutely hooked at this point.
“Paint It Green” has a really familiar melody and tone that sounds like it’s something out of an 80s rock song, yet it seems like it’s being painted with a psychedelic paintbrush this time. Oh wow, the band really takes you out to a dream-like space in this cheery sounding tone within this tune. The steady drums and bass really provide a great platform for the song. Oh wow, focusing in on just the bass line really lets the symphony of the other instruments envelope you, all while the bass is incredibly pleasant and interesting to listen to. I really dig the background vocals almost calling out from nature through the soundscape. Great tune.
“No One Weeps” has a really great rock and roll sort of vibe right away with that strong back beat, all while more layers gradually are added into the mix. The electric guitar has a really great fuzz to it that really gives a ton of flavor to the simple line. I’m reminded a bit of Spiritualized in this one, as everything sounds very nicely orchestrated and deliberate in approach. Oh wow, that tasty electric guitar tone mixed with the shimmering acoustic guitar is absolutely awesome. The bass is absolutely delicious in this one as well. I think there’s some sort of envelope filter on an instrument, but I’m not sure which one it might be. The jam this song contains is really awesome. Another great tune.
“I Don’t Care” has a really uplifting feel to it with the shimmering swirling organs and the vocals that sound like they reverberate through a large church hall, all accompanied by a percussive jangling acoustic guitar and at times some nice, bright high notes on an electric guitar. There’s also a really nice fuzzy electric guitar that plays some notes that seem to bridge the bass line and the high notes hit by the other instrumentation. Definitely a great little tune that keeps on giving. Wow, this outro is pretty sweet – it reminds me a bit of the Kurt Vile & Courtney Barnett album I listened to a while ago.
“Juniper” segues right into things really smoothly with some really smooth keyboard work (I think?), which is promptly followed by some incredibly heavy distortion from the electric guitar that contrasts well with the smooth tone of the bass guitar work. This really seems like some really awesome shoegazing sounds with a lot of emphasis on some sort of psychedelic rock that sounds familiar to me due to my experience with listening to this band. One of the guitars almost seem to wash over in some sort of 60s California-esque psychedelic pseudo surf rock fashion, and I absolutely dig it. Wow, this tune really continues to give more and more as the drums fade to something of a heartbeat and the distorted guitar gives way to some otherworldly chorus vocals.
“Northern Song” has a really nice sound right away, seemingly resolving a lot of tension I didn’t even notice had built up in the previous track. The bass line in this one is really tasty and seems to cover a lot of ground with some pleasant sliding up the neck. I really dig the the jangliness of the tambourine and the guitar work in this one, really giving the song an almost shimmering quality. Oh wow, when the electric guitar solo cuts through it sounds like it builds a bridge between the rhythm section and the uplifting vocals and organs with some classic twangy psychedelic electric guitar. Absolutely awesome song.
“Stardust” jumps into things right away with a quick tempo with all the instruments in the band coming together to create a really nicely orchestrated soundscape with a ton of different elements: airy cymbals, crunchy electric guitar, some smooth electric guitar that seems to melt into the tune from underneath, a super tasty bass line keeping things centered, some shaking tambourine to give some jangle to the tune, and some organs to really lift the tune to different levels, all while the vocals melt into the tune by raining from the skies. Definitely a really groovy tune.
“Swiss Mountain Myth” comes on with a really strong start that seems to melt into the ethereal dimension that The Astroid No. 4 often seems to channel. The bass line seems to carry you into this musical river of a song while a clean electric guitar reverberates through the soundscape and seems to guide you through the water, while shaking of the tambourine seems to give subtle forward movement as the drums keep this song propped up and driven forward. Oh wow, this jam at the end is absolutely awesome as everything seems to be melting together, until things fall back into another verse where you’re once again introduced to some semblance of reality before being sent further back out again. Awesome tune. Wow, this tune seems to continue giving until the very last second.
“The After Glow” fades into the track very nicely from the previous track, where things seem to have a feeling as though they’ve just been wrapped up. The keyboard/synth is super interesting, providing accentuations that nearly feel electronica in nature. The bass is absolutely massive and seems to be raining down from above, all while different guitar parts and vocals move about the soundscape and envelope you seemingly one last time before the album comes to a close. Oh wow, things change up really nicely from the expectations set up through the song while still keeping you grounded to the tune. Oh wow, the guitar tone in the solo near the end is absolutely awesome. Wow, this outro tune for this album is absolutely awesome; I’m getting really lost in this tune as the sweet harmonious background vocals and other instrumentation carry me away in this soundscape. Great tune.
Wow, this album is absolutely awesome. If you’re into psychedelic rock I would recommend listening to this album. There’s such a wide variety of sounds and influence that seems to be present throughout the album. I’m definitely buying this one on vinyl as soon as I’m done writing this post. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the experience at least as much as I did.
-A