Moondagger

Rate It! Avg: 4.0 (293 ratings)
Sample Album
ALBUM INFORMATION

Total Tracks: 14   Total Length: 48:20

eMusic Review

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Yancey Strickler

eMusic Contributor

06.02.09
The return of Deastro!
2009 | Label: Ghostly International / IODA

When we last saw our wunderkind young hero, Randolph Chabot was making his debut on eMusic Selects with Keeper's, an incredible electropop record way beyond its years. Clearly Chabot's talents were noticed: since, he has signed with the excellent Ghostly International for Moondagger, his first official album. (Keeper's was sort of a best-of his solo home recordings.) Now armed with a label and a band, what fate awaits him?

You can certainly hear the differences between Keeper's and Moondance right off the bat — the wonky levels and occasional hiss have been swapped for polished sheen and layers upon layers of instrumentation. Among the standouts are "Tone Adventure #3," "Rivers of Life" and "Toxic Crusaders," all extremely well done and all big beneficiaries of the updated look.

The countless ideas — every song feels like it has at least thirty of them — and the manic energy are all very much Deastro, even when they come channeled through electro or goth or indie or whatever other style Chabot feels like taking on that week. The combination of his dilettante mindset and his focused talents is a powerful one, and Moondagger displays it wonderfully.

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Shades of New Order

MinneapolisDan

While "Keepers" is a great album, the songs on Moondagger have a bit more punch, and it probably comes from interacting with more live musicians. I hear New Order influence all over the music, especially tracks 3,4 10 and 11. Definitely some retro sounds here, as on Keepers, but something new too. I can't wait to hear where it goes from here.

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Not as good as Keepers

JCl3m

I really liked Keeper's, but Moondagger just isn't doing it for me. I'm not writing off Randolph as a musical artist, but I hope he returns to the Keeper's sound/structure in future installments.

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M83 + Cut Copy? 4.5/5

logic1000

In light of an interesting debut, I gave Keepers a 3/5 because of the oftentimes poor recording quality. Deastro does it big here, though. It's better in almost every way, though I admit that the DIY aspect was endearing. Now, if we could get him to rerecord Keepers in the same manner... Oh, and I don't mean to imply that his music can be described by a simple equation, but I think it does his sound justice. If you like either band, I would highly recommend that you give this album a chance. And if the music isn't enough, he also seems like an awesome person. Plus, I love the sci-fi feel of the artwork and lyrical content.

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even though...

hipster1doofus2

I personally dislike oneliner reviews; here's mine: "It's a 3 syllable 'Goood'. You know, loved the 80s, been there done that". Cheers, Deastro, keep the faith.

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Deastro's OK, I'm OK

PeterPan

Okay, I've just taken a bottle of valium and I understand that we're not all made equal. You mustn't get me wrong, I LOOUVE America and chili dogs (big wet kisses)and, of course, that Statue of Liberty. Now if only someone could just reach into her virtual bag of cyber tricks and get me a green card, PLEASE! P.S. I mean, so I can download it.

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Very Upbeat

thelittlefield

I really like this album even though the pace of it gives me a headache after awhile. 'Keepers' was great because it had a decent variety. He would have done well to include a track or 2 on here from his 'Grower EP' to break up the pedal-to-the-floor pace a little. Other than that, 5 stars. Grower EP: http://rcrdlbl.com/d- - ownlo- - ad/Deastro_-_Grower/ (remove hyphens in 'download')

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NOW we're talking

timabouttown

I found parts of Keeper's hard to take -- although I really enjoyed some of the MySpace tracks that didn't make that anthology. In any case, I wasn't sure I really cared whether he had a new record. But my goodness, this is AMAZING! If I'd heard this first, then heard the earlier stuff later as early bedroom demos, I'd have said he was a genius from the beginning. So I'm a little late. He's a genius.

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They Say All Media Guide

After Randolph Chabot released Keepers, a loose compilation of his output spanning a decade’s worth of home recordings, from the ages of 12 to 22 — he decided to take Deastro in a new direction by incorporating a live band and recording in an actual studio, this time with drummer Jeff Supina, guitarist Mark Smak, and bassist/keyboardist Brian Connelly. The result is surprising — mainly because it really isn’t all that different. In essence, Moondagger sounds more like a lap-top creation than an organic jam, with synthesizers coating everything in an ’80s pastiche that’s not too far off from M83′s Saturdays=Youth or Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion. Even though the record is extremely electronic, it’s still warm and colorful. Starry arpeggios fight it out and blur together in Deastro’s headphone fantasy land as he conceptualizes a prince’s quest for a mythical “moon dagger” that bequeaths ultimate power to whoever holds it. Like the album’s concept, which comes from a dream that Chabot had, the listening experience is dreamlike in its wooshy and surreal grandeur. It’s fitting that the concept sounds like it was inspired by He-Man (he had a power sword) or Lord of the Rings (the quest part), considering that Deastro’s moniker is a play off the name of the bad guy in GI-Joe cartoons. Cartoonish as his songs may be, they’re actually quite earnest, in spite of their irreverent titles and nebulous themes. Moondagger’s centerpiece, “Daniel Johnston Was Stabbed in the Heart with the Moondagger by the King of Darkness and His Ghost Is Writing This Song as a Warning to All of Us,” is a new wave dance blast with a peppy melody about rebuilding a damage-stricken city, and “Vermillon Plaza” plays like an eight-bit version of a U2 stadium anthem, with Chabot commanding, “beat our drum, because God is on our side.” Because the album is so continuously lush and candy-coated with a shoegaze gleam, no particular song really sticks out. Instead, hooks surface slowly from the electro-wash, rewarding repeated listens. – Jason Lymangrover

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