The Lilys / Aspera Ad Astra
Split
Tiger Style
This split EP (four songs each) features an unusual chronology: the Lilys recorded their set in late ‘93, with producer Art DeFuria (Photon Band), while the Aspera Ad Astra contributions date from earlier this year. The seven-year gap may seem odd, but the old Lilys and the current Aspera Ad Astra work well together, both bands clambering up the My Bloody Valentine tree up to the point where the branches are dangerously thin. With a slight touch of guitar dissonance for a base, and carefully wrought melodies perched precariously on top, these eight tracks are the soundtrack to one long dream sequence. The Lilys’ “Elsa” is an intimate song in a big room, and “Coby” is dense and swirling in a 1993 sort of way. Aspera Ad Astra’s strangely orchestral “Good Beat Down” and “Bring Back The Walls” feature the sort of haunting hooks that stuck in my head for weeks. A good find.
Tiger Style, 149 Wooster St., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10012; http://www.tigerstylerecords.com
