Astra Heights - Good Problems
The Good Problem Is Their Own
Too many debut albums build unnecessarily limiting walls around a band’s sound. Astra Height’s Good Problems unfortunately falls among these self-restricting LPs. The act’s strictly Brit-pop influences get in the way of more engaging musical styles; styles that might make Astra Heights stand out rather than fit in.
Dallas-raised, the band pride themselves on delivering polished light-punk pop similar to British acts Maximo Park and The Pigeon Detectives. In this sense, Astra Heights brilliantly succeed, cranking out crisp catchy guitar licks ready for a spot in Guitar Hero. ‘The March’ and ‘The Ride’ are filled to the brim with classically inoffensive vocals delivering pop-friendly choruses that would implode if more catchy. Clean guitar melodies that are impossibly difficult to get out of your head while dramatic hooks and climaxes sweetly serenade the ear. But nothing sticks.
By holding to their British pop influences — listing The Beatles and The Clash — Astra Heights probably limits themselves and their potential. They brand themselves as Brit rockers from Dallas, but they lack the rabid excitement and innovation coming out of the country today. Good Problems instead is a look back, a commentary on things past. Much like Shapes of Race Cars, Astra Heights nails the pop aspect of the light-punk, nearly British rock game. But where Shapes of Race Cars fluctuates in and amongst a variety of sounds and genres, Astra Heights stays put in one musical gambit; bland would not be an off-mark description of Good Problems. Stiff and unnatural would be better.
Not to discredit Astra Heights’ music–these guys are talented, pop-friendly, and damnably catchy. But when ‘The Whole World Changes’ comes on, the rest of the album feels perverted and frankly formulaic in comparison. Exotic and engaging, ‘The Whole World Changes’ contains instrumentals that are uniquely flavorful and catchy ethnic, near-Latin melodies. Beguiling guitar licks surround the same sort of ferocity and excitement found in Muse’s ‘Knights of Cydonia’. Why can’t we have more music like this? ‘The Whole World Changes’ leaves you wanting more as Astra Heights moves back to impersonal Maximo Park melodies by the very next track. This is the sort of music Astra Heights should be playing: unique blends of pop-rock and ethnic influences that are filled with emotion, not formulas.
They’re a good band that could be better. Their debut LP Good Problems could be a fairly formidable collection of more pop-punk rock tracks, but the addition of aforementioned ‘Changes’ frustrates the listener by adding a glimpse of fiery individualism and innovation that the band just does not develop on. They should drop some of the binding formulas of their influences since they don’t need to find their own sound: they’ve already displayed it. Now Astra Heights simply needs to accept it.it.
Michael Schmitt
