Customer Reviews

Twelve Small Steps One Giant Disappointment

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very different CD than I was expecting, it's hard to know how losing a pivotal member both musically and personally will affect the music they create. Many people fall apart and give up, while others take the pain their feeling and focus it back into their music. Fortunately, Joey Cape is more of the latter than the former. I've always felt that the greatest artistic achievements have come from pain (see: Disintegration by The Cure, Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt, etc.), so while this CD wasn't what I was expecting, it is by no means disappointing.

I first heard of Bad Astronaut right around the time that Acrophobe came out, and it was such a breath of fresh air from the music at the time. There was so much thought put into the music, the cello was present, but never overused, it was just incredible song writing and musicianship (is that a word?). Their second CD was even better than the first, "My Son" literally drove my mom to tears the first time she heard it, and the maturation of the band continued. After Derrick took his life, there was a lot of talk that this record would never be released, it was too hard for them to face this. Luckily Joey took the pain and heartache and created a beautiful, if sometimes disjointed record.

This record was being written when Derrick died, so some songs were written before, some after, and the disparity between the two types of songs are huge. There are the "normal" Bad Astronaut songs like Go Humans that for some reason reminds me of Grey Suits, and there is the haunting Minus which has been one of my favorite songs for quite a while. The real highlight of this CD is the songs written to/about Derrick. You can almost see Joey trying to cope with it as the CD progresses. In One Giant Disappointment he almost sounds angry at Derrick for leaving him, for not struggling on. In Stillwater, California he pays tribute to the ones that have left us including Derrick, but also Jason (Thirsk? Sears?) and Richard (?). Finally there's a general acceptance of things with Thirteen Steps, the minor chord he drops into right before the "devastating" is just heartbreaking. There is so much emotion and depth to their songs.

So sadly as we say goodbye to Bad Astronaut, we can thank them for some beautiful songs, for putting everything out in the open so we can see what they were dealing with at the time. As I listen to the backwards guitars that have a very "Beatles" feel on Thirteen Steps, I smile, realizing that I was very lucky to have been clued into them, and realize that as long as Joey is creating (the Tony Sly split is beautiful) and the rest of the band keeps doing their thing, we'll all come out ahead.

Bad Astronaut. A band that was made as an excuse for 2 old friends, Derrick and Joey, to play together again. With Derrick gone now, Twelve small steps, one giant dissappoinment, is Joey's final goodbye to his best friend.

From start to finish you can hear the honesty and passion in the music, writing and Joey's voice. Even in the songs that are not written about Derrick {or don't seem to be written about derrick}, you feel the power in this album. This is record is truly a gift to the world of indie rock, punk, or all music lovers.

After hearing it for only one day, it moved me almost immediately. This is a must for all Bad Astroanut, Wagon, Caper, and Derrick fans. I highly recommend this for indie rock lovers. You will not be disappointed. The boys in Bad Astronaut put their heart and soul into this recording and I for one am going to miss this band's contribution to the world of rock.

Not to mention Derrick's contribution to the World of Punk Rock and Rock.

Do yourself a favor and get this cd.

Thanks to the Guys of Bad Astronaut. And thank you Derrick for the inspiration. You will not be forgotten.

Fist thing first: it's a great album. Songs are so hooked on a soap space, since the 'Houston...' LP that they are actually in so often feels like one. Good Morning Night' and Beat' still capture the old fashion secrets of Joey and added satisfy feeling that came with new ways such as 'Best Western. Only misguided feeling is the whole concept evolution through the "album" idea. After Derrick passing, it's hard to collect the motives of sound to create tracks and waited for a new born viewing behind the main ideas of the songs. Joe Strummer's Streetcore suffers by the very same thing. At the some point 'Twelve Small Steps...' seems like a some kind of superior collecting rare songs and b-sides album with a thrilling feeling in the core that is both dark and celebratory. As a legacy it's an ear-catching affair to it's white noise. As a tribute; it'll be along any forever...

Ok, the other reviewers before me have done a great job of talking about the background of this band and the trajedy that befell them. Therefore I will skip to my review of what I feel is a lackluster album (it appears I'm in the minority, which is nice... I love Bad Astronaut). Anyway, there are no real great songs on here, just a bunch of good ones. For any other band that would be more than satisfying, but this is Bad Astronaut! Their first two albums are without a doubt two of my favorite records of all time. The band grew so much between Acrophobe and Houston... and I was hoping that 12 Steps would be even better than the first two. However, this is not the case. Ignoring the death of one of the key members of the band is unfair, but we are reviewing the cd here and I can't change my rating of the music. Hopefully over time this album will grow on me, but unlike the first two it has not hit me immediately.

This is a very good album. It's their last album and it is good. One song sounds just like lagwagon. Joey really has a unique sound

all the tracks are great, here are some personal favs: Ghostwrite, Minus, San Francisco Serenade, Go Humans, the thirteenth Step

Perhaps my favorite Bad Astronaut release and definitely one of the best records of 2006. One Giant Disappointment is one of my favorites here. It made me cry everytime I heard it for 2 weeks, Ghostwrite, Minus, Best Western, San Fran Serenade, Go Humans are all excellent. Joey is consistantly great, one of my favorite artists of the last 15 years.

This is Joey Cape's finest hour. And that is no small feat, considering his impressive and extensive body of work.

Best record of 2006 and now one of the prizes of my music collection.