The Lilys/Aspera Ad Astra - split album
(Tiger Style)
I really, really, really, tried to like this release.
The packaging is great, I love the Lilys' Bliss Out
for Darla, and I've heard some great things about
Aspera Ad Astra. So when I popped the cd in my player
I had very high hopes.
The first couple of tracks are done by the Lilys. As
I listened to the first couple of songs, especially
track two, I couldn't help but feel that I was back in
1993. Most of the music that shaped my tastes was
released that year. Just as I started to drift back,
back in time I realized something quite disturbing...
it's the year 2000. Sadly, I have moved on from 1993.
I've realized that My Bloody Valentine will not
return, Slowdive has broken up, and I will never see
the Cocteau Twins live. The Lilys' music on this
release is but a faint shadow of those halcyon days. I
don't know about you, but I'd rather just look at
what's making the shadow.
While my enjoyment of the first half of the EP was
stilted by a need to move on to paths less traveled, I
thought that Aspera Ad Astra would offer me something
fresh and new. Unfortunately, they did. I can't get
past the high speed ultra-chorused guitar sound and
"silly" extraneous noises. For me, the actual sound is
just as important as the chord changes. I thought the
sound was tinny, the effects were cliché, and the
songs sounded a bit tossed off.
I am sure that Aspera Ad Astra is capable of great
things. A lot of their ideas were very interesting in
a Flaming Lips sort of way. As for the Lilys, I'll
just stick with their Bliss Out and be quite happy.
I suppose that my harshness is based more upon the
fact that I had really high hopes for this release. If
I had heard this cd in a record store by chance, I
might have enjoyed it a lot more.
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