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.
Deastro: MoondaggerLabel: Ghostly InternationalRelease Date: June 23rd, 2009Rating: 4.5/5By David Johnson-Igra Maybe the answer can be found in the uncertainty surrounding our economy, the disillusionment facing recent graduates, or the intrinsic need for answers to all our questions. Any one of these would explain why Deastro's Moondagger feels perfect. This is more than an album. Moondagger ...
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I already posted this review, but this one is new, improved, and just better written - full thing at In Review Online.'Spiritual space-rock' may be odd musical terminology, but it's perhaps the best way to describe Randolph Chabot's unique brand of electro-pop. The 22 year-old prodigy recording under the Deastro moniker draws inspiration from church choirs, 80s synth-pop and any electronic ...
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Deastro’s Moondagger album is one of the freshest forms of electro infused indie rock that I’ve heard in a long time. Seriously. Check it out if you have the chance. Will Tompkins aka Vancouver’s Van Benton (one half of the duo Nino Van Benton) recently conjured up a superb remix of the stellar “Toxic Crusader” [...]
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Deastro’s full-band album, Moondagger, has quickly made itself one of the top albums of 2009. Swirling with synth lines and vocal hooks, Randolph Chabot finds his home in a weird parallel universe where babies are born with one eye. Such is the world of his new single, “Toxic Crusaders.” The 4th track off the album, [...]
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Deastro: MoondaggerLabel: Ghostly InternationalRelease Date: June 23rd, 2009Rating: 4.5/5By David Johnson-Igra Maybe the answer can be found in the uncertainty surrounding our economy, the disillusionment facing recent graduates, or the intrinsic need for answers to all our questions. Any one of these would explain why Deastro's Moondagger feels perfect. This is more than an album. Moondagger ...
More >
I already posted this review, but this one is new, improved, and just better written - full thing at In Review Online.'Spiritual space-rock' may be odd musical terminology, but it's perhaps the best way to describe Randolph Chabot's unique brand of electro-pop. The 22 year-old prodigy recording under the Deastro moniker draws inspiration from church choirs, 80s synth-pop and any electronic ...
More >
Ghostly International artist Deastro, a Detroit electronic musician, has been getting all kinds of attention since the release of his new album Moondagger in June, which happens to be one of my favorite albums of the summer. Watch Deastro perform his song Toxic Crusaders at KEXP in Seattle below: Deastro - Toxic Crusaders
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Biophelia |
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| 2 Parallelogram |
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| 3 Tone Adventure #3 |
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| 4 Toxic Crusaders |
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| 5 Greens, Grays, and Nordics |
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| 6 Day of Wonder |
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| 7 Pyramid Builders |
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| 8 Daniel Johnston Was Stabbed in the Heart with the Moondagger by the Kin |
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| 9 Rivers of Life |
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| 10 Vermillion Plaza |
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| 11 Moondagger |
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| 12 Kurgan Wave Number One |
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| 13 The Shaded Forests (Gift Giver's Version) [*] |
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| 14 Tree Frog [*] |
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| 15 [Untitled] |
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| 16 [Untitled] |
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| 17 [Untitled] |
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| 18 [Untitled] |
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| 19 [Untitled] |
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| 20 [Untitled] |
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| 21 [Untitled] |
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| 22 [Untitled] |
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| 23 [Untitled] |
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| 24 [Untitled] |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Moondagger")
