THE WEIRDING

Astra's debut album sets up the band's general approach neatly: specifically, what you are dealing with here is a solid album which distinguishes itself from the rest of the retro-prog crowd by taking its cues from a slightly earlier phase of progressive rock. Whilst other nostalgia prog acts strive for a clean, pristine sound and polished performances reminiscent of prog's apex, Astra instead look to the early 1969-1971 phase of prog in which the subgenre's roots in psychedelic rock hadn't yet been smoothed away.

As a result, Astra are willing to get a little fuzzier and rougher around the edges, giving them a sound which simultaneously roots them somewhere between psychedelic proto-prog and full-fat prog and helps them assert their own sonic identity. If you've heard The Black Chord, the approach there is basically the same as here; if you haven't, I'd say go for whichever of that album and this one strikes your fancy first, because they're both excellent examples of this style.