mp3	1.	opening renouncements
	2.	(we) come on strong
	3.	a consolation bribe
		liner notes

Pitch Weekly - Chris Glenn
Mike Tuley sports an Errol Flynn mustache and a curly shock of auburn hair. The suave new facial hair can't disguise the bandleader's nervous energy, though. He spills Scott Edwards' beer trying to pull a napkin from beneath it in an attempt at prestidigitation. Ad Astra Per Aspera is like that. It surprises you.

The Lanetime Lawrence group's dynamic glows with the familiarity of family, in music and conversation alike, which is not surprising considering that of its five members, four are coupled. Drummer Kurt Lane and keyboardist Julie Lane have been married since May (he proposed to her in Central Park), and Tuley and second guitarist Brooke Hunt have been involved for about four years.

"Scott [Edwards, bassist] also has a Lane-term girlfriend, but she isn't in the band yet," Tuley jokes. "Thus far, having two couples in the band hasn't proved difficult," he continues. "There isn't much cutesy bullshit when we're together making music. We focus as a group."

Ad Astra shows its focus onstage and on record, navigating diverse feelings and sounds, treading the lines between melody and noise with a ferocity that recalls Surfer Rosa-era Pixies.

In a way, the band's music, which reaches a new plateau with the first full-length Ad Astra album, Catapult Calypso, is like a successful relationship. Every screaming outburst is tempered with a wriggly make-up-sex groove.

Tuley, Hunt and the Lanes use their voices as diversely as their instruments. They burst into cheerleader chants, then, between passages of peaceful crooning, Tuley explodes like an enraged third-grader shrieking at the bullies who have pushed him too far. Through it all, the music remains upbeat, stubbornly catchy and danceable. Hunt's guitar and Julie Lane's keyboards add atmosphere and complexity, and Edwards, who has adopted the persona of the band's brooding mystery man, keeps pace with Kurt Lane's complex beats.

Tuley himself, who not only writes the songs but also taught both Hunt and Edwards to play, is the guy in the creative-force driver's seat. His artistry struts through Calypso. The postpunk intensity of "Voodoo Economics" and "Scatter Baby Spiders" contrasts with the poppy aesthetic of "Post-Scarcity Sing-A-Long" and "Unnamed Acoustic Songs" and with the epic architecture of "Nothing Else Is the Real Thing," "Glosbos Illuminados" and "A Fish Would Much Rather Swim." The album's closer, "Flannery's Coming Home," captures the haunted, streetwise allure of Sonic Youth's "Dirty Boots" on the way to a soaring resolution.

Tuley says he and his bandmates still haven't settled on a single approach to their music. But despite its schizophrenia, Catapult Calypso has a solid identity.

The reasons that this group has been able to fashion something as solid as Catapult Calypso become apparent when you talk to its members. They relate to one another like a group of friends who have been through a lot together and have developed the humor and humility to deal with it. When asked about his musical influences, Edwards replies that he is "heavily influenced by the people in my band."

It makes the name, which is the Kansas state motto, all the more appropriate: To the stars through hardship.

As 2005 began, Ad Astra had two fine EPs (2003's An Introduction To... and 2004's Cubic Zirconia) to draw from and had played all over the Midwest. The group commanded a loyal following but was frustrated by its lack of distribution and opportunities for wider exposure. After recording a demo with local producer Chris Cosgrove, the band members decided that if things didn't pick up, they'd have to break up.

Then their luck changed.

Canadian indie Sonic Unyon showed interest in the demo, and around the same time, the band booked dates at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas. By August, the album was finished, the contract with Sonic Unyon signed, the trip to Austin had become the subject of a two-part documentary for Lawrence's Channel 6 show The Turnpike, and Kurt and Julie were married.

As for their musical progression, everyone in the band agrees that their work on Catapult Calypso is a career best -- dirtier and more lively -- and they share genuine pride in the new songs. In a poignant moment in the Turnpike documentary, a quietly frustrated Hunt comments on the small crowd at a cramped bookstore gig: "You make something wonderful, and you want to share it with people."

Based on the buzz the new material has created, it would seem that Ad Astra Per Aspera will finally get to share its music with a lot of people. The band's innovative sound, intense shows and unique aesthetic -- the fake palm trees often adorn the stage, Tuley's favorite color being "tropical" -- give Ad Astra a legitimate claim to being among the area's best outfits.

Commercial success is a long shot, and the band members haven't quit their day jobs, but as Julie Lane points out in the documentary, "At least we don't know together, I guess."

Chart Attack
The strength of the Canadian dollar has had its benefits for many individuals and businesses. After recently inking a deal with Hamilton's Sonic Unyon Records, Lawrence, Kansas quintet Ad Astra Per Aspera have no qualms with receiving payment in whatever currency their new employers wish to dole out. Well, almost.

"Given the current exchange rate of Canadian to U.S. dollars, we'd be more than happy to accept Canadian money, even though it does ruffle our anti-Loyalist feathers," says band member Kurt Lane.

Sonic Unyon knew they had found something special after witnessing the act's performance at this year's South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Contract negotiations followed, and soon the imprint had another colourful ensemble to add to its talented roster.

"We played terribly at SXSW, so I hope they didn't sign us solely off of that," jokes Lane.

Brooke Hunt provides further explanation of the situation and adds that getting to meet the label's manager, and their eventual A&R representative, was what helped seal the deal for her.

"Chris Logan from Sonic Unyon contacted us earlier this year, before we'd been invited to play SXSW," says Hunt. "We met him in Austin and had an extensive Q and A session.

"We dug him, especially because he was the singer from Chokehold and shares our DIY spirit."

AAPA formed in 2002 and released two EPs before hooking up with the Unyon. Their debut full-length, Catapult Calypso, comes out this week. It was recorded over the course of two years, as the band grafted in different elements of rock, pop, country and psychedelic music to create a wonderful, sprawling collection of eclectic tales.

"We recorded Calypso in chunks, so the album has a mixtape vibe due to our changing ideas and influences over the course of time," says Mike Tuley. "I like that about it. I dislike records that maintain the same feel throughout."

Although the drawn-out process added to the disc's diversity, Catapult Calypso likely would have been just as powerful without the recording breaks. Armed with a better understanding of what they'd like to accomplish and the musical know-how to achieve it, the group had no intention of making a typical indie rock album. Pushing themselves as musicians and songwriters, they set out from the beginning to further expand their unique stylings.

"I use different tunings to avoid playing power chords," says Tuley. "I have no problem with power chords, but I wanted to challenge myself as a musician and songwriter.

"I wanted to avoid using the same chord patterns or ideas. It's been a challenge, and it lengthens the songwriting process, but I'm happy with it and think it's worth the wait."

AAPA will get to spend some of their newly earned Canadian dollars during their CD release shows this week in Ontario and Quebec. Although several members have visited here before, this will be the band's first time to play for what Lane affectionately refers to as their "geographical bedfellows."

Everyone has different anecdotes about Canada and is excited to see and do different things. Tuley seems to have the most interesting story. We're unsure, though, whether his expectations for his upcoming trip refer to firearms or wildlife. Either way he's psyched about coming back.

"I went to Canada when I was much younger on a canoe trip with the Boy Scouts. We were confronted by a bear and were armed only with whistles. It was illegal to have a weapon. I'm expecting the same this time."

Pitch Weekly - Nathan Dinsdale
It's Saturday afternoon, the sun is shining, and the music nerds are swarming inside Recycled Sounds. The crowd of Neutral Milk Hotel t-shirts and Buddy Holly glasses is so thick, in fact, that the congestion forces some people to get much closer to a used copy of Corey Hart's First Offense than any human being should.

The audience isn't here for a rare Kraftwerk bootleg sale or to ask employees what Prince is really like when he's buying giant posters of himself. They're here for Ad Astra Per Aspera, and that makes the band members a little uneasy. They titter nervously and stare at the floor while tuning their instruments, which have somehow been shoehorned into a claustrophobic patch of space in the back of the store.

Five people, three guitars, three keyboards, a drum kit and assorted noisemakers are wedged between stacks of posters. This performance celebrates the release of the band's EP, Cubic Zirconia. As fate would have it, the finished album was flown in that morning, albeit too late for the previous night's show.

"It was a total Spinal Tap moment," lead singer and guitarist Mike Tuley tells the crowd with a laugh. "We had a CD-release party with no CDs."

Not that convention is a high priority for Ad Astra Per Aspera. The band begins its Recycled set with soft atmospherics, Tuley playing his guitar with a violin bow, Julie Noyce massaging the keyboard, both singing in a whisper. Drummer Kurt Lane delivers staggered pa-rum-pum-pum-pums, Scott Edwards plunks a bass line, and Brooke Hunt fiddles with the sampler.

Then all hell breaks loose.

Noyce is pounding on the keyboard. Tuley is screaming into the belly of his guitar. Lane fires Uzi drumroll bursts. The music builds feverishly, then abruptly drops off a cliff into placid waters. It is loud. Then quiet. Then loud again. Some beeps and whistles, scrapes and twangs, a chime -- did I just hear a baby rattle? -- and some screams, and plenty of guitar squall. It's a subtly organized and wonderfully chaotic mess.

"We're going to be at the Westport Coffee House on the 15th," Tuley says casually after ripping through an abbreviated set. "Unless you're going to prom. Then we're the official prom afterparty."

He's only half-joking. The band's experimental punk does draw a broad spectrum of indie aficionados.

"There's a pretty strange mixture of people at our shows," Lane says. "But people seem to like what we're doing fine. They seem able to overcome the fact that our songs are a lot of disparate parts."

Indeed, a lot can happen during an Ad Astra song. Bells. Whistles. Rattles. Drums. Guitars. Keyboards. Sir Ian McKellen reading a riding-lawnmower service manual. OK, not the last one. But Cubic Zirconia does manage to sprawl across musical borders. And the songs are complex for a reason. The band pieces them together with the painstaking diligence of a cut-and-paste ransom letter. The band has completed little more than ten songs in two years as a result, although Lane assures that the band is just starting to find its stride.

"Some of the first songs we did were pretty all over the place," Lane says. "It would take us a long time to put something together. Now, I think it's a lot more focused. We all have a more solid idea of what we want to do."

lawrence.com - Jon Niccum
The band Ad Astra Per Aspera shares more than just its name with the Kansas state motto. "To the stars through difficulties" has become something of a personal credo for the Lawrence five-piece.

"In the beginning we chose the name mostly because we like the way it sounded -- and us all being from Kansas was important as a Kansas pride thing," says Julie Noyce, keyboardist/vocalist for Ad Astra Per Aspera. "But now that we're well into being a band together, we've discovered there are some difficulties involved. Now it's indicative of a struggle -- or maybe a process -- of doing what you want to do and making music the way you want to make it."

So far the group has succeeded in crafting a sound far removed from that of other acts that fall under the umbrella of Lawrence's indie rock scene. By blending male/female harmonies with eccentric grooves, experimental textures and arrangements complicated enough to rival the progressive rock acts of the '70s, the evolving ensemble can't help but stick out.

"We have the luxury of not being easily compared to other bands," she says. "It's not like we read that we sound like MxPx, and it's, �Aaagh!' We've had very few comparisons that way. I don't think we've ever had a comparison that made us cringe."

Of these cringe-repellent comparisons, one does seem to head to the front of the pack: Sonic Youth. Although Ad Astra Per Aspera's music is much more listener-friendly than that veteran unit, the local band's fondness for prolonged bursts of discordant noise does invite the association.

"I wouldn't consider that inappropriate," says drummer Kurt Lane. "Because the bands that we've been compared to in reviews and things, they're good bands. I like Sonic Youth quite a bit. And I obviously like Black Sabbath a lot," says Lane, pointing to the Black Sabbath logo on his jersey. For this year's Halloween, the drummer even dressed as the helmeted pink warrior depicted on the cover of Sabbath's "Paranoid" album.

Lawrence audiences may feel a little paranoid this weekend, because it seems Ad Astra is everywhere. The "artsy" band makes a fitting match for tonight's one-year anniversary celebration at Grimshaw Gallery. Then Saturday night the quintet will head next door to join Ghosty and Minus Story at The Bottleneck.

"I like playing a big mix of shows like that because it's probably going to be two totally different audiences," Lane says. "People who go see Ghosty play regularly versus people who are stopping by the Grimshaw Gallery for a party, it's going to be different people. I enjoy playing at art spaces or houses or weird places because it doesn't feel like a club show where there's this ritualized thing that happens."

Formed in the summer of 2001, Ad Astra has undergone a number of lineup revisions but seems to have solidified itself as of late. Lane and Noyce partner with vocalist-guitarist Mike Tuley, bassist Scott Edwards and newest addition Brooke Hunt, who was recruited to provide live samples but has since learned to play guitar also. ("It's a lot more fun onstage for Brooke now than just pushing buttons at certain times," Lane remarks.)

Interestingly, this is Noyce's first band experience. She and Lane had been dating each other for more than two years when the drummer suggested the group could use another member. "We knew we wanted someone to play keyboards," he recalls. "Julie had taken piano lessons when she was little but hadn't played in a long time." Noyce was actually doing study abroad in Paris and Florence, Italy. But upon returning to the United States she immediately started working on the right way to musically integrate into the lineup. "I don't think I'd recommend it for most people's relationships," Lane asserts. "But it's been fine for us." Noyce adds, "I much prefer NOT being the �girlfriend who goes to all the shows.'" So what was it like when she first took the stage for a live gig? "Honestly -- and I don't mean this in a cocky way -- but I felt like I knew what I was doing," she says. "That surprised me."

Noyce has gained a lot more tangible experience along the way. Ad Astra Per Aspera has taken its show on the road, hitting such states as Colorado (motto: "Nothing Without the Deity"), Nebraska ("Equality before the law") and Wisconsin ("Forward"). "We did what I like to call a �tour' in quotes," she says. "It was the type of thing where we try to set it up and nothing worked out. It ended up being a lot of Midwest shows but not in one long stretch." Lane clarifies, "It was more of a commute."

The "tour" coincided with the release of Ad Astra's first demo, a three-song disc titled "An Introduction To." Now the band is sitting on a recording made with Robert Rebeck at Black Lodge in Eudora. "I got to play on a real piano," Noyce says. "Kurt rented timpani. It was a definite �studio' experience." The as-of-yet-untitled project is being sent off for mastering this week. The members hope that it will be on shelves by May ... if all the financial stars align correctly. "Those other songs (on �Introduction') were the first three songs we ever wrote," Lane explains. "That was the beginning stages. Now we're settling into what we're going to sound like."

IGN.com - Ed Thompson
9.2/10
Have you ever wandered through a museum, looking in amazement at canvases painted by those who are labeled as misunderstood geniuses and outcast loners? While staring at those works of art, you undoubtedly wonder what goes on in the minds of these artists, hoping for even a second to be able to understand them.

Well, I may not be able to tell you what they think, but I can now say that I have heard the soundtrack to the lives of those men. It is Catapult Calypso by Ad Astra Per Aspera and it is as unique and individual as any of the canvases hanging on the walls.

The first full-length release from this Lawrence, Kansas quintet is nothing short of a sonic gem. The category-defying indie band uses this release to successfully blend a litany of diametric opposites into a package of beauty: melodies and discordant sounds; harmonious vocals and agonizing screams, punk rock rhythms and pop beats. These all come together to form a well-crafted record that will appeal to a mass audience while eschewing the pleasures of the masses who are just looking for formulaic songs from pre-fabricated artists.

The very first track, "Voodoo Economics," is a blast of high-octane energy infused with rhythmic dissonance. So as to prevent any kind of complacence with what they are trying to accomplish, AAPA follow that up with "Post Scarcity Sing-a-Long," a tune that can best be described as what you might have heard if the Cure were southern rockers.

"Scatter Baby Spiders" is a Jackson Pollack-esque song in which the band, in a fit of musical inspiration, throws musical notes onto a scale to see what will stick. In typically atypical AAPA fashion, the next song on the CD is "Nothing Else is the Real Thing," a song which belongs as the background music on a Johnny Quest-like cartoon chase scene. To ensure that the status quo of stylistic wanderings is continued, "Unnamed Acoustic Song" gathers all the characters from the previous two songs and puts them in the same room for a giant Moroccan dinner party, complete with belly dancers and magical smoking pipes.

Ad Astra Per Aspera, which is also the Kansas state motto meaning "To the Stars, with Difficulty," is an appropriate fit for the band as the songs on Catapult Calypso will definitely take the listener to the stars, among other places, but the ride will be free and easy and the listener will want to go again and again.

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Music Emissions - Michael Schmitt
4.5/5 Catapult Calypso can literally blow you away from everything that's packed within its ten tracks. Found inside are experimental influences like that of Sonic Youth, only hopped up on some horrible form of caffeine. Franz Ferdinand's catchy pop-influenced indie can be spotted as well, especially in quick guitar work ("Scatter Baby Spiders!"). Added to all this are exotic Middle Eastern and Latin touches, and bits of country rhythms ("Everybody Lets Me Down"). The result is the rough musical interpretation of falling down the stairs, only fun. "Nothing Else Is the Real Thing" delivers an exhausting odd-ball instrumental, supported by the foundation of a quick-pace beat and decorated with raw guitars flying everywhere, sometimes coming across the right notes. Ad Astra channels some sort of primeval energy, both through their instrumental thrashing and punk-rock vocals. The addition of unexpected influences like the Middle Eastern and country threads reveal that Ad Astra are more than just randomly pounding out songs, they have some master scheme in mind, and are dragging you along for the ride. "Voodoo Economics" begins as if it may turn in to a off-kilter pop tune, but flips in the completely opposite direction as the tempo is sped up and the ante is raised, all hell breaks loose as the vocals let it rip ("We're asking for subsistence!"), and just like that Ad Astra have you hooked. An exhilarating experience that's both exhausting and refreshing at the same time, Catapult Calypso puts a new spin on experimentalism, and shows that perhaps mixing your favorites might not be so horrible.

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PastePunk.com - Corey Schmidt
I'm guilty of overusing the word interesting in a lot of reviews. Sometimes it does a band justice and sometimes it might simply be used because it was "easy". Rest assured because there's finally an album that is best summed up as interesting: AD ASTRA PER ASPERA's debut album titled Catapult Calypso. From the band name and cover art alone, I had a feeling something crazy was going to be happening on Catapult Calypso, but did not expect it to be as diverse, unique, and enthralling as that of which it actually contains.

At first listen, AD ASTRA PER ASPERA immediately sound reminiscent of progressive, forward-thinking art-punk/post-punk bands like THE BLOOD BROTHERS, THE MARS VOLTA, and even THE FALL OF TROY. This is apparent from the opening notes of "Voodoo Economics" all the way through the song's hyper screamed/shouted ending that contains everything from clapping to distorted keys. So, from the start it sounds as if though AD ASTRA PER ASPERA is simply following a common trend. However, after this first song things get really interesting. "Post-Scarcity Sing-A-Long" is a mid-tempo, progressive-folk song, "Scatter Baby Spiders!" is a rambunctious and undoubtedly quirky piano-driven tune, "Nothing Else Is The Real Thing" is the album's craziest song with its out-of-this-world song-structure, and "Unnamed Acoustic Songs," because of its snake charmer vibe, seriously sounds like it was composed in India. The next trio of songs is where things get really good. "Glosbos Illuminatos," at nearly six-minutes in length, is AD ASTRA's pretentious side if they had one, "Everybody Let's Me Down" is as folky as they come with added hints of twang and string sections, and "A Fish Would Much Rather Swim" is a bizarre spectacle. In this one song, AD ASTRA manages to incorporate nearly all of their influences into an amazing performance. The entire length of it has a building drum rhythm that sounds as if though the song could break-out at any moment. When it does, the band goes into an all-out jam session that concludes the song on an amazing note.

AD ASTRA PER ASPERA are like a kid on Ritalin with nervous mood swings. At times, the medicine works and everything is calm and easy. At others, it's simply overcome by the sheer rowdiness of the kid. While this type of kid could cause someone massive headaches, AD ASTRA PER ASPERA do quite the opposite. Instead, they impress at any level of excitement or emotion. Catapult Calypso is in one word interesting, albeit in the up-most value of what the word represents when it comes to music.

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All Music Guide - Ned Raggett
Kansas quintet Ad Astra Per Aspera are nothing if not all over the place -- and initially it seems like their hyper-eclecticism might do them in, with "Voodoo Economics" veering between neo-post-punk-dance, ska beats, and the kind of wackiness that either suggests a lot of Frank Zappa or a slew of Twinkies. (Having calm female voices set aside high-pitched screaming is, if nothing else, ear-catching.) A bit of gooey sentiment in the song titles aside ("Nothing Else Is the Real Thing," "Unnamed Acoustic Songs," and "The Romantic One" all suggest section titles in a new Nick Hornby book more than anything else), Catapult Calypso ends up a winner largely because rather than about 95-percent of their American indie rock contemporaries, Ad Astra Per Aspera aren't interested in creating dour or saccharine mock symphonies. It's a bit like Mercury Rev's insanity in its earliest days, if not truly as chaotic and gone, admittedly; alternately the hyped-up screams and often tense, nervous arrangements suggest mid-'90s emo ala Gravity Records, before sops like Dashboard Confessional hijacked the term into sludge. Either way, a band on Sonic Unyon that seems like it almost belongs more on Ipecac while being worthy of both is a rare treat, and at its best Catapult Calypso lives up to its name. If there's a flaw, it's that no one song seems to stand out from the album -- it's almost best heard as a continuing experience, though all the compositions are discrete and it's definitely no concept album (at least on the face of it). But at 40 minutes it definitely doesn't wear out its welcome, and moments like the rising vocal yelps on "A Fish Would Much Rather Swim" and the banjo-tinged back porch kick of "Everybody Lets Me Down" are worth the listen.

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neufutur.com
'Voodoo Economics' comes at listeners with a number of different styles and sounds, and allows the band to create something that is intense as all get out without having to go into thrash or noise genres once. In fact, during 'Voodoo Economics', Ad Astra Per Aspera are really sedate, pulling influences from surf rock and Weezer more than Resist and The Locust. The band even throws in some catchy vocal melodies into the track, making 'Voodoo Economics' a track that individuals can eat up with a spoon. 'Post-Scarcity Sing-a-Long' blends together another batch of styles that would normally seem incongruous. This time, there is hints of the alt-country of Lucero, the folk-punk of acts like Latterman along with the indie rock of At The Drive-In and the early emo of Sunny Day Real Estate.

Again, there is intensity present even though that music does not have a sharp edge to it. The band is able to cull together a number of hits on their 'Catapult Calypso', and tracks like 'Scatter Baby Spiders!' show that the band can experiment with time signatures and different instruments and still create something that works well with the rest of the tracks on the disc. The band puts forth some of the most challenging rock music I've heard this year; there are so many nuanced lines struggling for dominance in a track like 'Nothing Else Is The Real Thing' that individuals will have to play over and over the track until they can hear the big picture that Ad Astra Per Aspera is committing to disc.

I could completely hear a track like the aforementioned 'Nothing Else is the Real Thing' making it big, even though most listeners will not be able to appreciate the full beauty that is the track. The extended instrumental ending to the track would likely be cut from a radio edit, but in my opinion it is the strongest the band is on this disc. Continuing using a Middle Eastern sound for the opening of 'Unnamed Acoustic Songs', Ad Astra Per Aspera understand the necessity of tying together tracks to create a fuller album. This does not lock them into a specific sound for their disc, but allows them to showcase exactly how innovative and interesting their output can be. This is the band's debut full length, and it does not sound to be that case; Ad Astra Per Aspera hits on all cylinders during each track of 'Catapult Calypso'.

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Vue Weekly
Punk rock spirit with The musical smarts to make Me say: 'Holy Shit!'

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Slug Magazine - Jeremy C. Wilkins
After two EPs and signing with Sonic Unyon Records, Ad Astra Per Aspera is finally releasing their debut full length. Catapult Calypso smacks the senses like a brick to the face. There is nothing on this record that deserves anything less than your full and undivided attention. Even if you tried not to listen closely to the blissful disunity exhibited throughout Catapult Calypso, it couldn't be done. There is something inherent within us that makes us curious and causes us to want to know more about things that are mysterious, things that we don't immediately understand. In the four short years since AAPA's inception they have mastered how to draw the listener in and make them so curious that they feel compelled to explore further and further. Ultimately, it is impossible to avoid getting caught in the chaotic web of noise that is AAPA's debut full length. The first listen will draw you in, but it may not convince you. It's the second listen that will draw you in, hit you like a brick and render you helpless.

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Smother
New Wave chaos! Post-punk crust! Hectic hardcore rock! You can't lump this Lawrence, Kansas band into any particular genre or category. It's that intriguing mixture of avant garde music craft that pitches fastballs inside that will have you backing off the plate. Humorous lyrics with hypnotic chaotic choruses that remind you of Blood Brothers and indie rock coming together to party with psychedelic drugs in tow. Weird but delectable rhythms amid a torrential downpour of off-time melodies lead to an incredible musical adventure. An art-noise adventure!

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Pitchfork - Cory D. Byrom
This year has been stuffed with bands exemplifying the sort of adjectives that give critics a bad name: angular, sharp, spastic-- basically, shorthand phrases that don't actually do much to convey the sound of a record to the reader. Moreover, comparisons to Brainiac or Fugazi can only go so far. And with Ad Astra Per Aspera-- as well as plenty of others-- even though they pull from those influences, they never exactly sound like the bands. Sometimes what separates one band's sound from another is just out of reach, something you can't quite place. So while there are moments on Catapult Calypso that sound reminiscent, chalk it up to similarities in approach rather than a lack of originality. Because if there's one thing this band's got plenty of, it's originality.

How many rock records have you heard recently that infuse screamy post-hardcore with melodies that sound like castoffs from Fiddler on the Roof? Probably not many, and for good reason. But Ad Astra Per Aspera pull it off here and there. There's a little bit of everything in this mish-mash, and sometimes it works better than others. The disc's first track, "Voodoo Economics", bounces from spacious indie rock to disco-punk within the first minute, mixing dreamy female vocals with ferocious male screams. From there we're thrown into "Post-Scarcity Sing-a-Long"-- Latin-tinged indie pop that, despite the name, doesn't offer much in the way of a sing-a-long.

Those songs showcase the band's ability to effortlessly switch between anger and sweetness, so it's a shame that the group also seems to trade in memorable melodies for musical oddities. This is especially a problem in the album's middle section. "Unnamed Acoustic Songs" features a sitar, but that might be the only thing to make it stick in your mind, as it's essentially the same line repeated ad nauseam over acoustic strumming and, well, then there's the sitar. "Glosbos Illuminados" is a generic, noisy blues number that sounds like the song during which you hit the bathroom and then grab a beer. Even worse, the band forays into honky-tonk with "Everybody Lets Me Down", complete with tinkling piano and banjo. It's not that there's anything wrong with tinkling piano and banjo; it's just that it starts to feel like the band has an identity crisis after a few of these departures.

But by "The Romantic One", things are back on track, and even though the track has a little in common with "Glosbos Illuminados", this time the cyclical guitar in the background and vocal shrieks pull it out of the barroom muck. "Flannery's Coming Home", the album's funky and melodic closer, is the most uplifting track here, ending things on a positive note. Any band that leans this heavily on experimentation is bound to have a few failures. But we try to forgive and move on, and focus on the successes. With Catapult Calypso, you might be bored by the lows, but that only makes the highs that much higher.

Indie Workshop
Ad Astra Per Aspera are definitely on par with some of the experimental bands operating in indie rock now but are a bit more polished than say Need New Body or Animal Collective. Experimental aspects such as tripped out vocal effects and moody synth noodlings are placed nicely against creative song structures that actually help you digest the more chaotic parts of the song. Opener "I Am The Palm Tree" and "Sun Sets On The Chalk Pyramids" are perfect examples of this. One of the more straight forward cuts like "Goodland at Night" employs some Talking Heads-ish type quirkiness mixed with abysmal death metal like screaming only to end with a moody outro your favorite mall goth teen would be proud of.

Personally speaking, I can handle all out experimentalism but when mixed with pop sensibilities, the band's CD will definitely stay in my stereo for repeated listens. All 20 minutes of this EP flow together pretty seamlessly and what you are left with is a well-written record for those who enjoy the more artier, abstract forms of pop music.

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Culture Bunker
The carnival art school madness of Ad Astra Per Aspera unspools on "Cubic Zirconia" like spending a chemically pleasant evening at Beck's mansion as he pulls the curtain back on the origins of his peculiarities. Like the fearless idiosyncrasies of that Silverlake God, AAPA shift gears at will and create collages that almost make you feel like you're listening to multiple albums at once. "I Am The Palm Tree" starts with a carnival piano riff before launching into a e-bow laden riff with two singers holding down both ends: one sings calmly while the other is fed through a distortion pedal. "I am the palm tree, a reconstruction. I am a sentimental coconut obstruction."

At first blush AAPA recalls the complex experiments of Sukia, Dust Brothers, and Exhaust, with the exception of sounding more like a real band than those artsy collectives. While making interesting sounds they don't forget the rock, in other words. Intense moments of precision power chords segue into surreal movements in different time signatures. Vocals waft in where moments before stood only a wall of noise. Grinding guitars and urgent voices wash into Casio keyboard riffs and handclaps, and then the music is propelled forward with staccato piano and guitars, on "Bi-pedal, Ungrateful, Empty and Awake." These four songs continually demand your attention with nary a dull moment. Closer "Goodland At Night" combines the bleeding fingers angst of some of the finer underground bands with poster-boy pretty vocals, tortured screaming and Middle Eastern fretwork. A heady concoction that is highly recommended!

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www.lawrence.com - Richard Gintowt
One of Lawrence's most intriguing new bands is back at it with a four-song, 21 minute EP titled "Cubic Zirconia." The fascinating fivesome crafts dark and melodic art punk in the vein of Sonic Youth or Blonde Redhead, singing and screaming by turns and dwelling in feedback-driven explosions of noise. Ad Astra builds on the adventurous sound explored on its debut three-song EP "An Introduction To" (2003). The band leaves much (but not all) of its abrasiveness behind in favor of a more tuneful and mature approach. Female vocalist Julie Noyce plays a more prominent role while lead vocalist Mike Tuley explores a softer approach to singing.

Though "An Introduction To" was outstanding for a home recording, "Cubic Zirconia" benefits from a professional job courtesy of Eudora's Black Lodge Studios. The recording leaves nothing to be desired sonically, with huge drum sounds and plenty of studio sheen. This is an immense benefit to Ad Astra's dense sound, helping sort out layers of guitar effects, keyboards and auxiliary percussion.

Though Ad Astra's challenging arrangements can be difficult to absorb on first listen, they reward repeated listening and make for a rich headphone experience. With each successive listen, the disparate parts seem to fit together more and more. After half a dozen listens, you'll wonder if this isn't in fact pop music at its core. Probably the biggest improvement on "An Introduction to" is the copious use of a real piano, which sounds downright haunting on most tracks. Drummer Kurt Lane also turns in some riveting performances, augmented by a percussive potpourri of shakers, chimes and handclaps. Though there's only four songs on "Cubic Zirconia," there's a wealth of creativity within each track. If this band ever puts out a full-length, it'll feel like a boxed set.

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bettawreckonize.com - Tim Anderl
For every twenty lukewarm or just fucking terrible releases we receive here at BW headquarters, there are usually one or two good ones that keep the zine on track by keeping me motivated enough to get the damn thing together that month. I have no doubt that the copious piano runs, acrobatic guitar work, effortless male and female vocals, and menagerie of tempo and thematic shifts here will help me maintain a steady pulse while I wade through the mire of �latest and greatest� doo doo that comes through our mail box this month.

What's so great about this band? Their Sonic Youth-like propensity for feedback, pop melodies that would turn Brian Wilson�s head, Iron Maiden-inspired proficiency with the guitar, screams that would make The Blood Brothers� toes curl, and psyche rock delusions that would make The Apes heads spin. The band may have titled this record Cubic Zirconia, but let me assure you that these guys are as real as it gets.

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exoduster.com
The five member clique of Lawrence, Kansas' Ad Astra Per Aspera formed in the fall of 2001, though they took awhile to get going. AAPA are composed of Julie Noyce on keyboards/vocals, Mike Tuley on vocals/guitars, Brooke Hunt on guitar/percussion/samplers, Scott Edwards on bass and Kurt Lane on drums. In the spring of 2003, they released their debut EP on Big Brown Shark entitled An Introduction To and then went on some sporadic touring.

This, their second EP, was recorded at Black Lodge Studios in the winter of 2004. Cubic Zirconia starts on "I am the Palm Tree" with a piano that nears the American Airlines commercial before core instruments build into low audible screaming. After some feedback, rims and piano notes, "I am the Palm Tree" hits a high with a male-female singing. "Bi-Pedal, Ungrateful, Empty and Awake" ushers in like a processional with bells, slight distortion and vocals. Midway through, the song picks up to a more standard rock number and then diminishes in strong fashion. The third track "Sun Sets on the Chalk Pyramids" has some cool Nintendo-crossed-with-Middle Eastern keys in the opening, then moves to anticipation-ridden rock theme with a strong closing. The record concludes on the nearly six-minute "Goodland At Night." "Goodland At Night" is as close to a new-wave dance party we get on Cubic Zirconia and it is awesome. If there were to be a single off the record, this is clearly it. Given the four stellar tracks on this release, Ad Astra Per Aspera deserve some all-star treatment in the coming year.

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aversion.com - Michael LeRay
Opening with a hyper and repetitive carnival-esque psycho player-piano line and some guitar screeching that bleeds directly into warped stabbing a la Joey Santiago, �I Am The Palm Tree� and the rest of Ad Astra Per Aspera�s Aspera latest EP, Cubic Zirconia, owes as much to Santiago�s work in The Pixies as it does to Sonic Youth and June of �44. Maniacal, moving, moody, and melodic throughout, Ad Astra Per Aspera gets quite a lot accomplished with these four songs. Among these accomplishments are tighter rhythms and song structures when compared to their self-recorded debut EP, An Introduction To. This time around, thanks to the spit-shine of a professional studio, giving into the �everything but the kitchen sink� mentality is a boon instead of a bane to the final product. Equal opportunity is given to for all the elements, allowing them to shine through without resistance, whereas things were kind of blurred and lost among the large host of sounds all pining for attention on its debut. There is also the maturity of all elements involved, namely the piano.

The complexity of sounds remains plus some, but the net effect is an overall easier listen. Still, those accustomed to straightforward rock and pop might find the music on Cubic Zirconia a bit challenging. With its mesh of piano and wiry guitar, snaky bass runs and drums that never sit still, it might sound like typical art-rock fare. Add to that light touches of well-placed synthesizers, a host of percussion instruments (tambourine, vibraphone, timpani) and feedback that swells to the bursting point and you have highly structured and creative art-rock. However, when you add galloping rhythms and flawless rock hooks to the mix you have something special

Keeping with the texturally contrasting theme of the music, vocalists Julie Noyce and Mike Tuley lend much balance with their calm and soothing vocals. Aiding that balance is Tuley�s Jeckyll and Hyde routine. While he�s a bit more reserved, he still has his share of blood-curdling screams, only it sounds like it�s emanating 5 feet from the mic, getting in your head instead of in your face. The better recording allows for the multiple layers to shine through without being stifled by the multitude of sounds that occur throughout.

Ad Astra Per Aspera translates to 'to the stars with difficulty,' which rings true with regard to their music. In other words, the payoff for a few open-eared listens is nothing short of astronomical musical joy. Nothing is overdone or overly repetitive, which allows the band to hurdle the pitfalls that most bands of the genre feel are necessary to remain inaccessible to the majority. Whether intentional or not, art/noise rock doesn�t get much catchier than this. For fans of Sonic Youth, June of �44 arty/noisy, etc.