top 3 CDs of 2014

Ok so here’s the breakdown and musical shakedown from the lair of yours truly, Count Robot.

3. Twink-Critter Club

Toy piano madness with smoking horns! This release made the top 3 list based on the packaging of the CD alone let alone the fantabulous sounds. It comes with tarot cards and a complex symbology, which is used to entitle all the tunes. Brainer people than I will be left to decode it all accurately but I will simply say all the symbols, numbers, runes (?) equal awesome. I’ve long been a devotee to Twink but damn if the addition of the live horns doesn’t lift this release up. It is impossible to depressed while listening to such joyously infectious bright tunes. It’s a secret bunny rabbit party at midnight in a jam-based forest! I would list stand out tunes but I can’t type all the symbols without a code breaker!

https://toypianoband.bandcamp.com/

2. Mission Creep-Sea of Suns

Lounge lizards set the jams into go-go atomic cool party music. Been a long time fan of Mission Creep. My t-shirt of theirs will continue to log many travel miles. So I was overjoyed to get their first full-length recording. It’s a groovy collection of tunes. Dig dropping the laser needle on this disc big time. Having a dull party, throw this collection of songs on and the dance floor will rock up to a Love Boat psychedelic jazz bop party town. One of my favorite tracks is Weed Wacka and Lucky Dog is another stand out. Party down in surf space!

https://missioncreep.bandcamp.com/album/on-the-sea-of-suns

1. Electrik Wurms – Musik, Die Schwer Zu Twerk

Ok the Electrik Wurms are a version of the grand psych band The Flaming Lips. Wow. This CD is a kraut rock spaced out freak out man. Discordant weirdness beauteous sounds flow over under around everything man. This is one dense layer of sounds. Ok its only 29 minutes but damn, it’s a trip of strangeness. It ends with a cover of Heart of the Sunrise, which you would expect to be at least as ten minutes long as the original but no it’s shorter. It feels like they did a bizarre edit/sample/time/mind/warp of the original. Man its cosmic.

Please feed me more Electrik Wurms!

Ok so that’s 2014. Come on 2015 bring the good tunes!

There was a great torrent of releases this year. This list is just so difficult to make….

Yours in awe at all the great music of 2014,

Count Robot

October in Onion Town

We hadn’t planned on doing another gig this year but when Dan Trembly master of ceremonies of the Onion Town Variety show invited us to do a ghoulish set this October how could we not come by and get creepy?


A few pics of Tapley Hall done up for Halloween
















Here’s a pic of Dan who kicked off the gig by telling some gags.













Here’s a pic of Dan beneath a portrait that looks a bit like him? Is it the portrait of Dan Gray?









Dan sang a couple of tunes with Ministrel Michael


















Minstrel Michael then played a cool but sad Christmas tune. Most of the best Christmas songs are sad. Why is that?















Then it was time for the sounds of Astro Al being spooky. Thanks to Alyssa Arrigo for the great pic! We did 3 things. Mansion of Dracula, You’re Dead, So Shut Up, and a brand new piece called Movement in the Field.















Next up was singer/songtress Amy Spillert. Amy sang a very cool tune about being a spy in WWII. She also passed around pics of some ladies she wrote songs about.




















Scott Matsumoto played next. He did an all instrumental set. This guy is one great guitar player. Very impressed with his skill and his humble nature. Hope to see him perform again!



































Then Captain David and his crew took the stage. Pics and a brief video clip below. Captain David and his crew always bring a shipload of fun to any gig they are at.



















































The show closed with a group sing along to the Monster Mash.























A ghoul good time. Go to the Onion Town you may cry but you won’t regret it.






Yours in variety,


Count Robot

Empire of Night

One of my favorite bit of words that I ever wrote for space rock metal masters, Spaceseed, is The Empire of Night.

People may get different things out of this track and most of the time I loathe over explaining my scribblings because when I read something I like to take my own interpretation of it just as I do with any other piece of art, but after some reflection I figure it is worth chatting about this piece a little.

What Empire was about for me when I wrote it is quite simply, paranoia’s prophecy becoming self-fulfilled.

When you get so paranoid that something is going to happen, often you make it happen just to validate yourself, even though you could never face that fact.

The character in Empire was never on the “government watch list” until he put himself there, and would never have his machine taken from him until he put it out there about the things he claimed it could do. Then of course he destroys himself and the entire world just to free himself and vindicate himself at the same time.

That’s what paranoid prophecies can do to you folks. Sadly it’s in the headlines all the time now. Don’t give in to those delusions.

-Yours in Bunker based living,

Count Robot

More Tunes

We in Space Castle Astro Al are always craving new tunes to dig.

Here’s some fine stuff we’ve been spinning lately.

The GoatMan Orginal Soundtrack by the Unseen

This is a most 70’s groovy find. A soundtrack to a movie that may exist or may not exist. We were hipped to this by our friend Garry Lee who is a dj for the great Starship Overflow show. Thanks Garry!  Here’s a link to Garry’s show

http://www.starshipoverflow.com/

There’s a lot of cool creepy sounds on this here GoatMan recording.

It reminds of us of the Astro Al cd Psychedelic Drive In Music which is about a drive in movie theater that no one knows for sure if its real or not…

The GoatMan soundtrack has a great story and visuals behind it. Give it a listen here:

http://theactivelistener.bandcamp.com/album/the-goatman-original-soundtrack-performed-by-the-unseen-al023

Read about the story behind the insidious GoatMan movie at the link below.

Warning this link isn’t safe for work!

http://unseenhorror.wordpress.com/

We’re also digging the latest release by prog super Swede’s Opeth. Their latest is called Pale Communion.

Check it out for a fun filled dive into epic time changes!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Communion

So go forth and dig some tunes!

Yours in happy listening,

Count Robot

listen

We at Astro Al don’t just like to make sounds, we dig hearing them too.

What are we digging at the moment? Lots!

Mission Creep: On the Sea of Suns

It’s space party jazz for the groovy kids

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=9356977

Twink: Critter Club

Always a good time in the garden of toy piano party tunes

http://www.twink.net/index.html

The Unseen: The Goat Man soundtrack

Trippy freak out horror soundscapes

http://theactivelistener.bandcamp.com/album/the-goatman-original-soundtrack-performed-by-the-unseen-al023

Hedersleben: 2

Yeah I can’t pronounce their name either but I can bathe in the glory of the

sounds they make

http://hedersleben.bandcamp.com/

Electric Wurms

It’s the Flaming Lips under another name making one of their best albums.

Fantastic!

Ok there’s enough for you now get out their and dig some tunes!

Yours in aural joy

Count Robot

town of onions 7/11/14

hey! Astro Al was grooving at Onion Town on 7/11/14. Onion Town is a fun filled variety show.

if you were there well you know how much fun it was. for those who weren't here's some highlights.

DNA Girl getting ready for the gig.

our pun filled host and nifty musician Dan Trembly

stuff that was thrown at our host!

sorry I don't remember this cats name. he played a good set. did some stevie ray vaughn and accompanied Dan. very good player.

Gio! a comedian. not sure why this pic was so dark but he was funny. liked it when he goofed on ikea.

the always wonderful and fun Captain David Fork Tongue. the best pirate around!

a very pro video clip from our tune Cocoa Clouds the Chocolate Dimension. dig the mask.

The boondock sinners. good acoustic duo.

more of captain david!

ministral michael singing sea tunes as part of Captain David's crew

sword dancing! another member of captain david's pirate crew.

so yeah, if you weren't at onion town friday night feel square because you missed a lot of good times!

yours in fun

Count Robot

And the Stupid Shall Inherit the Earth

I would never claim to be a genius or the smartest man in the room. I understand that not everyone is smart, and I hardly count myself in the realm of gifted thinkers, we can all have good qualities and a high IQ isn't always one of them. One thing I will never understand is when someone covets their stupidity and uses it as a shield and armor to protect themselves from learning.

There is always a chance to grow, learn, and improve so why cling to being a moron?