Friday Full-Length: Asteroid, II
Asteroid, II (2010)
There had not been much word from Swedish fuzz jammers Asteroid in over a year until about last month. Guitarist/vocalist Robin Hirse had moved on to a new project, The Sun, the Moon and the Witch’s Blues, and by all accounts, the trio were defunct. Then, on Sept. 23, they asked the simple question, “Is there anybody out there..?” on Thee Facebooks and followed that up with this picture, presumably a current shot of the band’s lineup of Hirse, vocalist/bassist Johannes Nilsson and drummer Elvis Campbell, the latter of whom was already out of the group when they released their final (to-date) 7″, Move a Mountain/One Foot in the Grave (review here). All this has prompted speculation of a reunion, and a particular point of interest is another photo from Oct. 24 given the heading “The circle’s complete…” of a setlist that features “Move a Mountain,” “Towers” from 2010’s II (review here), and one noted “Nya Låten,” which is Swedish for “new song.”
I don’t know when that photo is from. It could well be that it was a remnant from the last live show Asteroid played, but it would have to have been after that final single was put together, since the “new song” was coming together after “Move a Mountain,” which was the newest release. I’m also not sure where the song “Last Man,” noted on the same setlist, comes from, if that was also new or something else entirely. Either way, it’s fodder for thinking that Asteroid are either now or were at some point working on new material, and that potential is invariably good news. Whether or not anything comes of it obviously remains to be seen.
Still, the simple prospect of an Asteroid reunion is enough to have me breaking out II this afternoon for another go. Hands down one of the best albums of 2010, it was a step forward from the catchy stonerisms of the band’s 2007 self-titled debut (discussed here) and found the band nestling into a jammier sound, modern but still in line with the organic vibes for which their hometown of Örebro is known, having produced acts like Witchcraft, Graveyard and Truckfighters in addition to themselves. Truckfighters, incidentally, were the ones who released II, through their Fuzzorama Records imprint. A deal with Small Stone in 2012 fell through and didn’t lead to any release through the label, so I can’t help but wonder if a new Asteroid release would surface through Fuzzorama or perhaps another outlet. Still seems like a good fit to me.
My esteem for these tracks has only grown in the half-decade since they were released, and while I dug the single-song demo from The Sun, the Moon and the Witch’s Blues (review here) and that band seems to currently be engaged in some form or another of recording — the more the merrier — the chance of a reborn Asteroid is one more reason to look forward to the New Year, when presumably we’ll find out one way or another if this thing is really happening.
In the meantime, enjoy II, because it certainly is enjoyable.
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So here’s my deal. I missed seeing YOB this week in Boston. I have a 90-minute driving commute each day to work and it has basically destroyed me for doing anything on weeknights more than watching Star Trek and complaining about my commute, how tired I am, and so on. YOB are playing New York tomorrow, which is Saturday, at an early show with their tourmates in Black Cobra and perennial favorites Kings Destroy. An early show at Webster Hall. Over at 9:50PM so the venue can do the dance-club thing.
No brainer, right? Of course I make that trip.
Thing is, Sunday morning at 10:45AM, I fly out of Boston Logan airport to go to Chicago. I’d be making the trip from Massachusetts to New York and back — eight hours of road time, minimum — and get in probably a little bit before 3AM before waking up at, what, 7AM, to get to the airport by 8:45 for a 10:45 flight. It is madness.
Precisely my favorite kind of madness.
Question becomes whether or not I completely demolish myself for this work trip, or whether I let the show go and just miss YOB, Black Cobra and Kings Destroy — all of whom I’ve certainly seen before — this time around. I’ll admit I’m not yet settled on the issue.
Anyway. However it winds up, good stuff to come next week. I’ll have a Magic Circle track premiere, I think, on Tuesday, and since I’m traveling one way or another, I’ll be sure to stop in at a record store somewhere along the line, so hopefully some fruits of that endeavor as well to remind myself why I have a job in the first place. Because I enjoy record shopping.
Speaking of, anyone notice that yesterday was a seven-post day and today was eight? No? Don’t flatter myself? Fair enough.
That’s 15 friggin’ posts in two days. Granted a lot of that was news, videos, etc., but still. Not exactly healthy, but it’s been a busy time between fests, new records, tours, videos, reviews and so on. Lots to try to keep up with. I’m only one person. Do not expect seven posts to become the norm.
Do have a great and safe weekend, and please do check out the forum and radio stream.
Tags: Asteroid, Asteroid II, Fuzzorama Records, II, Örebro, Sweden
