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The Astronaut's Wife by Bluebook

\14.8.23\

As a Denver local act putting on immersive live performances, I was shocked to find I've known of Bluebook well before their powerful full length debut last year, Optimistic Voices. And as much as I would love to bring you this great record, I've yet to get my hands on the LP. So for now I'll leave you with a strong recommendation to give this album a listen on streaming (or tape if you can find it). Today's review centers around the debut work from Julie Davis and Jess Parsons; The Astronaut’s Wife. I first became introduced to the duo in 2019 when I was looking for cassettes to go with my car's tape deck. It goes without saying this tape rarely left the player (with rare exceptions for the debut EP from American Football and an album I've mentioned previously from Roommates).

This 5 track EP starts with a characteristic melodic droning with a deep yet muddled percussion that gives enough rhythm to keep the listener hooked. "Carnage" is the title of this opener, and there is no shortage of vibes that could be described by adjectives similar to the namesake. The group has described their work as "haunting apocalyptic lounge" with the keys and synth coming across distant and suspenseful. Here we get the full religious cult feel with the synth coming through like an organ hitting a single note across long stretches of the piece. Similar to their live performances, there's a sense that we are all gathered to celebrate or mourn, worship or condemn. It's a spiritual experience without a doubt, but it refrains from preaching. The message that is carried in these tracks is one that is distinctively familiar to this city, often called the Denver sound. Acts like Sixteen Horsepower and Slim Cessna's Auto Club have embraced this type of dark country mixed with gospel. The themes of hard times, despair, and melancholy are familiar here in the sound of Bluebook. 

The next track "Please Forgive Me" echoes these themes strongly, with the song's title ringing in harmony like from deep inside. Behind this, the familiar percussion provides a backbone to more melodic droning and keys that feel far away, shrouded in fog. This is the shortest track on the EP, but is by no means weaker for it, rather more concentrated in its powerful feelings. 

The following track "The Way Young Lovers Do" is a cover of a Van Morrison song of the same name, but tonally and sonically the cover tows the line and keeps the pace. Morrison's lyricism comes through on this track, strong and resilient, only brought to greater heights by Davis' vocals and Jess' harmonies. Not much of the original songwriting or arrangement translates, replaced by a unique mix of old fashioned sounding synth keys, making this cleanly produced track feel timeless. Less in a sense that it would fit in any time period, but more that it exists beyond the definition of the time it is from. The powerful production lends to a liminal feeling, where Julie Davis' voice is your only guide, and you best hold on tight.

Coming next is a gritty cut underlined with a lot of Amp feedback, blending the familiar percussion with the upright bass Julie also performs here. "There's the Line" has a similar progression to "Please Forgive Me" but goes in a lower hitting direction to deliver a gut punch. You're reminded here that Julie is in charge of this journey and is your only way through it. Like the apocalypse has hit the lounge and if you want to survive, you must treat every word like the law, biblical.

We're treated to a wonderful reprise at the end with "Your Heart is Blue", grounding the whole piece and filling one with a unique warmth, salvation at last. This track starts to let you down gently, having guided you through the troubles and tribulations of grieving the apocalypse that has befallen you. Julie's words at the end don't leave us with much resolution, however, leaving us on our own now that she can no longer guide us. The words that echo here "then when you find all the years that you've tried, another is fine with you '' remind us that the love that has left our hearts blue is not something to be avoided. To keep moving forward towards someone new. The adage it is better to have loved and lost, to have worshiped and fallen from grace, than to have never loved at all. A shining light emanates from this track, giving us faith to accept the years to come, the people to come, and the love to come.


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