ASTR is a musical project that embodies the youth of America’s creative class.
Its name is semi-ambiguous. What (or who?) is an ASTR? Is it a reference to John Jacob and the rest of the infamous Astor clan? Or does it connote “astro,” the prefix meaning “pertaining to stars”?
Its creation story is rife with both authenticity and irony: “After meeting three years ago in a Manhattan yoga class, they discovered they shared a musical and artistic sensibility informed by cinema noire, Miami Vice and urban dreamscapes.”
Its bios are inspiring in a Wes Anderson-meets-Zoe Deschanel way (never mind that the lead singer is actually named Zoe):
Zoe, a New York native and a “former major label refugee,” met Adam, a “recovering vinyl addict with a penchant for 60s/70s cinema scores, after “a hiatus from music to explore the world via spirituality.”
Can’t make this stuff up folks.
Here we have two true artistes, denizens of Manhattan – that eternal font of creativity – who identify themselves publicly through their quirkiest attributes. Their Soundcloud features covers of Drake and Beck, two mononymous artists that hold significant cache in the salons of the urban artistic elite.
And yet, after all of this intrigue, their music sits comfortably at the radio-ready crossroads of hip-hop, indie electronica and pop.
Dear Zoe and Adam: Please make some music worthy of your bios. Zoe, you are a major label refugee who just “explored the world via spirituality.” Don’t rush back! Adam, where are the cinema score elements and vinyl hiss? Where is the concept album about the rise and fall of the Astor family, and the ironic insider album cover of Astor Place or the New York Public Library main branch?
As we await their reply, I’ll be working on the screenplay. Anyone have Michel Gondry’s phone number?