Deastro
Moondagger
(Pod/Inertia)

There’s just no stopping Detroit resident Randy Chabot. At the age of 22, he has three different musical projects – Junior-Junior, Our Brother the Megazord, and Deastro – and has self-released three home-recorded albums worth of material prior to this, should-be breakthrough debut out on Ghostly International in the States and Pod in Australia. And despite his reliance on computer programs and extreme multi-tasking, Chabot has turned Deastro into a four-piece touring band. The funny thing is, none of these revelations are surprising after a single listen to Moondagger: it’s as potent a dose of youthful, creative enthusiasm as you’ll hear anywhere.

Things jump to life admirably with ‘Biophelia’, its mid-strength jets of synth doing nothing to disguise chipper rock signifiers and Chabot’s buoyant, pleading vocals. Sounds shuffle in and out at a steady clip, and micro-genres blur into a whipped dollop of electro-pop goodness that tickles the brains in even pace with the ears. The kaleidoscopic surroundings continue with the single ‘Parallelogram’, which has an even more urgent bite to its delivery. Clearly inspired in no small part by Dan Deacon, Chabot wants to hit all of our pleasure centres simultaneously.

Given Deastro’s daring tightrope walk between electro-pop and guitar-pop though, comparisons to the Postal Service will be inevitable. Chabot can also come off like a younger brother to Canada’s Junior Boys, only twitchier and with more wit. His love of language and lyrical imagery spills over the edges of every song, and he’s never too busy assembling his hyperactive musical ideas to ignore BIG IDEAS. As for undiluted whimsy, simply refer to – deep breath – ‘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’. (Yikes.)

Beyond that, the best way to appreciate Deastro’s multi-tiered powers is to behold the nutty lyrical acrobatics of ‘Greens, Grays, And Nordics’, followed by the lush, jubilant instrumental ‘Pyramid Builders’. Moondagger juggles those twin facets remarkably well, from the gnawing guitars of the dance-able yet eco-conscious ‘Toxic Crusaders’ to the bright bursts and pinpricks of percussion on the too-short ‘Rivers Of Life’. ‘Vermillion Plaza’ is particularly sublime, although ‘Day Of Wonder’ comes close with its pixel-scrambled re-imagining of a Nintendo soundtrack in the heart of a dewy pop anthem.

With so much going on at all times, Chabot runs the risk of wearing us out as we near the end of these dozen tracks. But for the most part, we’re right there with him, marveling at every microscopic flourish and wondering on what 3D trip he’ll take us next.

Doug Wallen

www.myspace.com/deastro