With 20 years and a strong collection of masterful, acclaimed albums to their name, Irish post-rock maestros God Is An Astronaut come full circle with a live studio output, The Beginning Of The End, due out on July 15 via Napalm Records.
Recorded at Windmill Lane Recording Studio in Dublin, Ireland on October 3, 2021, the album features modern transformations of all of the songs from their debut album, 2002’s The End Of The Beginning, encompassing each track’s evolutionary changes throughout the band’s years of live performances while allowing the original melodies and songwriting to shine through.
Following previously released first single "From Dust to the Beyond”, today the band have shared a brand new music video for "Coda”. To this day, the song is lauded as one of the highlights on God Is An Astronaut’s 2002 debut album. Featuring one of the best choruses the Irish space rock band has ever created, its compelling drums and soaring, spacey mood represent their songwriting qualities throughout.
Bassist Niels Kinsella reveals: "'Coda' was written late in December 2002, the first draft of The End of the Beginning had already been released. In 2003 we added 'Point Pleasant' (inspired by the Mothman Prophecies) and 'Coda' (inspired by the beauty of the cosmos) to the album. We had some challenges to overcome to perform 'Coda' live - the original version was primarily programmed and had large parts that were reversed which was a challenge to recreate in a live performance. We also took the opportunity to expand on the song writing with more variation in the melody."
Watch the new video for "Coda”:
God Is An Astronaut's upcoming release provides a sonic snapshot of the evolution of the Irish post-rock band over two decades. Stage classics such as "From Dust to the Beyond", "Coda or "Route 666" can be heard in a new light, with clear, transformative variations originally heard during the band’s captivating live performances now incorporated. Plus, in addition to these live expansions, technical advances have been applied to each track. Originally limited to just a keyboard sequencer and an Akai S3000 sampler on The End Of The Beginning, 20 years later on The Beginning Of The End, the band seizes the opportunity to breathe new life into these live versions, allowing them to bring more feeling, experience, equipment and expression to the music and songs.
Niels adds: "When we recorded the The End of the Beginning we only had limited equipment; we couldn't even record full live performances,“ bassist Niels Kinsella reveals. "The Beginning Of The End gave us the opportunity to perform the whole album live and allowed us to bring more feeling and expression to the music and songs. We're very excited to share this with everyone."
The release of The Beginning Of The End could not be more relevant than in these current dark times. War themes are strikingly evident on songs such as the aforementioned "From Dust To The Beyond", as well as album title track "The End Of The Beginning" – named after a quote credited to Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the WWII era. Influenced by the chaos and futility of war, these themes are also reflected on the album’s cover, created by the band in collaboration with returning artist David Rooney. Featuring a war-torn concert hall and a piano, the art is a defiant message reflecting that the power of music transcends war and time.
Torsten Kinsella adds: "From Dust to the Beyond was written in 2002, inspired by the futile wars of the past and how we are doomed to repeat our mistakes and ironically we are now seeing the same unfold once again."
The Beginning Of The End will be available in these varying formats in various territories:
- 1CD Digisleeve
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- 2LP Gatefold Gold - limited to 300
- 2LP Gatefold Marbled Orange Transparent & Black - limited to 500
- Shirt & 2LP Gatefold in Black
- Shirt & Digisleeve
- Digital Album
Pre-order here.
The Beginning Of The End tracklisting:
"The End Of The Beginning"
"From Dust To The Beyond"
"Ascend To Oblivion"
"Coda"
"Remembrance"
"Point Pleasant"
"Fall From The Stars"
"Twilight"
"Coma"
"Route 666"
"Lost Symphony"
"From Dust To The Beyond" video:
Lineup:
Torsten Kinsella - Guitar, Piano/Synths
Niels Kinsella - Bass
Lloyd Hanney - Drums
Jamie Dean - Guitar, Piano
(Photo - Brian Meade)
