Sounds of Asteroth have a couple of things going for them. The Los Angeles based band sounds great live and has a really fun live show filled with glitter and dancers and more glitter. Their album, <em>Big Top Hotel</em> sounds as good on CD as the band sounds live.
I have seen Sounds of Asteroth (S.O.A.) at a couple of Los Angeles venues, specifically The Echo and El Cid. I was there to see another (very good) band (NU-TRA). I came in the end of Sounds of Asteroth’s set and they caught my attention quickly. Eventually I got around to buying their album on CD Baby and guess what, it’s good.
Musically, Asteroth sound like no one else. Well they might remind you of one particular band, The B-52’s (primarily because of their look). SOA have a sound that really stays with you. Check my iTunes, I have listened to the band’s song Fluorescent Lighting over 70 times.
The band is made of Martin Zungo on vocals, Dawnee Frinta on drums, Brad Gordon on bass, horns and accordion, Pinky Mullins on guitar, Sprinkle on back up vocal and David Jay on guitar. The band uses a lot of background vocal harmonies for their choruses which give the songs a nice full sound. SOA’s songs cross musical genres, from the Ska sounding intro of Idol America, to the distorted rock of Uncertain Fixation and the downright funky bass of Big Pink Rabbit. Asteroth feels comfortable in more than one musical space and are able to move around without being too broad or sounding generic. Pinky and David (on guitars) are able to play varying types of rock within the same song in a cohesive manner. Another interesting part of their music is the changes in tempo within the songs, it makes the songs very unpredictable (in a good way). In case you were wondering, the ass shaking factor on this album is about an 8 out of 10, thanks to Brad’s baselines and Dawnee’s drumming. One of the more unique things about the band is their lead singer…
Martin has a unique voice that instantly commands your attention. His deep voice adds drama and theatrics to every song. In the same way that Jesse Hughes adds a particular sound to the Eagles of Death Metal’s songs, Martin adds that extra something. His enunciation and diction while singing, give the lyrics clarity and help to keep the listener focused on the subject of the…
Lyrics these days can run from mundane to insightful, loving to lusty and anywhere in-between. SOA have their ear on the pulse of the country with songs like, Idol America. The songs chorus details a man who wishes he, “could live on reality tv and have all the world watch me make a fool of me.” On the song Musical taste, the band tells their friend that he has the Musical taste of a teenage girl. Asteroth’s songs talk about friendships (Bernadette) and relationships (Boyfriend Girlfriend and Lost Fluffy Sheep) from some unique and interesting viewpoints. The lyrics on Big top Hotel tend to be insightful and sarcastic in a humorous way.
Big Top Hotel is a good musical ride through the some times crazy word of the band Sounds of Asteroth. Check out their site and then hop over to CD Baby and pick up the album.
