Half-Ass Astronaut :: I Like Pretty Things (Not Yet Remembered)

What begins as mechanical sound manipulation gradually transforms into drum-heavy recollections from another era entirely. A surreal passage through decades of IDM evolution, overflowing with restless imagination and stylistic bliss.

A multidimensional abstract electronic foray

Neil Burkdoll (Negative Neil), aka Half-Ass Astronaut, delivers a multidimensional abstract electronic foray with I Like Pretty Things, an album threading together vintage IDM motifs, brisk elemental atmospheres, and finely shaped melodic strands that gradually intertwine from one piece to another.

“Population One” bursts open with punchy breakbeat layers, channeling a nostalgic Toytronic-era spirit reminiscent of what Gimmik and Multiplex crafted effortlessly in the early aughts. “Wobbly Gobbly” slips further into memory, echoing late-90s experimentation in a way that recalls Autechre’s Amber period, while “Low Tide” eases momentum into a carefully sculpted ambient drift where every pulse feels suspended in slow motion.

Rhythmic fractures erupt across “Let Down,” balancing braindance introspection with acidic glitch interplay, making it another standout among an already immersive sequence. Still, much ofI Like Pretty Things reveals its strongest character during the latter stretches. “Simple Syrup” leans into downtempo shoegaze haze, “Mollasses,” once again, revisits classic Toytronic circuitry and emotionally charged electronics, and closing cut “Aye Eye” unfolds through cascading synth swells that feel part carnival dreamscape, part fading machine memory.

What begins as mechanical sound manipulation gradually transforms into drum-heavy recollections from another era entirely. A surreal passage through decades of IDM evolution, overflowing with restless imagination and stylistic bliss.

I Like Pretty Things is available on Not Yet Remembered. [Bandcamp]