Sometimes it’s all about refinement. You take a thing, you make something of it and the people take a look and say, “yeah, that’s it!” But you know it’s not, and if you can just whittle a little more away from the body you know you’ll see it. You try again, and some folks look and say “Eh, that’s not what I thought it was going to be.” Still others come by and exclaim “yeah, that’s IT!” But you know there’s more to pare away. Astronoid have been at this sonic whittling session since 2012, and on their third full length Radiant Bloom the quartet have further sliced away more of the abrasive, metallic bits. What is left is still recognizable as Astronoid (it really couldn’t be anything else), but honed to a point where I think the band can sit back and marvel at the sonic sculpture they’ve exposed, even if it’s only until a further turn unearths another form the band wishes to explore.

Continue reading →