It's been an exhausting voyage for the emotionally disconnectedastronaut of Odawas' debut release The Aether Eater. Just a glance atthe lyrics, with references to constellations, outer rings, Dante, andVirgil, proves that the Indiana trio has self-revelatory traveling ontheir minds.jagjaguwar
"The Astronaut" starts things off on a subdued note, as slowly chimingbells toll, an understated guitar and warped vocals slowly make theirway to the fore. Mike Tapscott, in his reedy warble, introduces us tothe protagonist who "spent his days walking the streets with violentthoughts." The astronaut is then launched into space on the next track,"If It Smells Like a Rain Cloud," as plinking keyboard riffs and simpledrums rocket him past strange worlds and stranger characters. Onseveral of these tracks, such as "The Golden Fog" or the childhoodtrauma of "Benjamin," Odawas sound much like fellow low-fi prog-poppersMt. Eerie. But where Mt. Eerie often sound like a reverberating oldgrowth forest, Odawas appear much grander and remote, as though theyare being beamed in as a far away signal. Elsewhere, the band engagesin some unique experimentation. "Songs of Temptation" rides a swingingpiano and a near smooth jazz sax. Along with the female backing vocalsthat echo throughout, it would not be such a lark to assume it were aDark Side of the Moon castoff. Most bizarre though is "Ant Man MessiahElijah," where a harpsichord backs up a near monologue that providessome of the best insights and poses some of the toughest questionsregarding Odawas' antihero. Behind heavily manipulated vocals, MikeTapscott declares "There are lights in the sky that have called me byname; the galaxy's secrets are whispered in rain." By the time Ireached "Virgil," I felt as though I had been gone for years and hadlanded in a world vaguely familiar yet distinctly different. Odawas'journey is an often confounding and challenging one, but it's one Iwon't soon forget.
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