An Amazing Dream

iTunes Review

Philadelphia’s The Asteroid No. 4 perform a hazy, gloriously lo-fi psychedelia. Inspired as much by the reverb-drenched garage rock / paisley underground of the ‘80s as the original ‘60s incarnation, A4 lose themselves in a cavern of collective sound, a Phil Spector-esque wall of sheer impenetrability. Their previous release Honeyspot sported an inspired, naturalist take on alt-country that suggested the band would be purifying to a simpler sound, but the group reverts to lysergic form here with layers of swooping harmonies, jangly guitars and an extra level of hyper-distorted instruments that create a weightless feeling of traveling through time and space. Unlike most modern psychedelic warriors – Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips – who use the recording studio and its most recent technologies to reach new sonic plateaus, A4 achieve their reverberating clang with the most modest of arrangements. A4 focus on primal rock rhythms and simple chords as “Into the Meadow” and “Belong” attest. Think of them as a blue collar Jesus and Mary Chain.