Your monthly imaginary horoscope told in album reviews!
April 2005 AstroPOP! is brought to you with musical reviews by igDana, igLiz, Chilly C, imaginary marcel, and Imaginary DC Correspondent Joe, as well as special astrological input by Imaginary Boy Lorenzo.
Aries {March 21-April 19}
The tide is high, Aries, and so are your emotions. The moon is running your show this month, and that feels weird for you. In fact everything feels weird for you this month. You're swimming in a sea of emotion, and all that water is either going to hydrate your sun-dried soul, or put your fire out. Which is it? Allow Parker and Lily to help you sort it through. On their latest release The Low Lows {Warm}, they have created another brilliantly spacious album, overflowing with steel guitar melancholia, trembling Farfisa, and organ accents. Light percussion moves against the roaming vocals of Parker Noon, sometimes accompanied by Lily Wolfe's angelic whispers, breathing oceans into each sad, slow song. And with whispers, Aries, you're the world's best communicator right about now. If you can find your waterproof megaphone, go sing little love songs to your sweet someone.
Taurus {April 20-May 20}
You need to heal your manhood, Taurus. And I'm not talking Lorena Bobbit, and I'm not leaving out the ladies either: every Taurus has a chance to heal his or her inner dude this month. So who is he? A lounge singer? A sensitive New Age guy? A sap who's nostalgic for youthful virility? Moby is all of this — and more — on his new soft-rock CD Hotel {V2}. Your "why" about your Y-chromosome will find solace in the transient, quiet beats that explore the fleeting nature of being. "Slipping Away" soothes even as it questions, and the relaxed, nearly-disguised cover of New Order's "Temptation" will also help you figure things out (sure, it's sung by a woman, but then Moby's yin has always been half yang, so to speak). Pop in bonus disc Ambient and set yourself awash with its formless flow: masculinity as thoughtful exploration. Your own inner man may not be who you think he is. So listen up, because if you ignore him, he's going to come popping out at the most awkward time — just like a boner in gym class.
Gemini {May 21-June 21}
Think it's odd that the Cops know how to party? Well, Gemini, sometimes horoscopes are odd things. Like yours for the month of April, which basically says: have more fun with your friends from school. Seriously — this is a great time for you to kick up a little dirt in the name of fun. Lucky for you, Mt Fuji Records just nationally released Why Kids Go Wrong, the debut EP from The Cops, who kick out the jams and then invite them back in again for an all night party a la the Godfathers and the Clash. Passionate and energetic, the guitars cut, the drums fly, the vocals twist, and the bass keeps it all steady on the ground. They take that old school rock and make it right again. So party with the cats you know from school. The caution? Do it on the cheap, 'cause money's as tight this month as it has been for a while.
Cancer {June 22-July 22}
Sweet, sweet Cancer… why can't you just cut loose and get laid? I know, your parents are acting as weird and overbearing as ever, but seriously — you need some lovin' this month, and not the family kind. Seattle band Mercir offer just the remedy you need. Their latest release As Small As The Center gets it on, pushing out with some rhythmic Radiohead-esque blips and bleeps. Then they move steadily into a mellow, grinding movement of melody and ache. The lyrics and vocals swirl around the music gracefully and graciously, never overtaking… just letting everything fall into its perfect place within the song. It'll warm up what's left of your winter and ooze you into spring. Spirit says there's a sweet someone out there who can make you feel right (a Pisces, perhaps?) — all you have to do is let your body go and your mind (and worries and neuroses) will follow.
Leo {July 23-August 22}
What the hell? This month, Leo, I see your dynamic self speaking the most eloquent poetry, and making the most persuasive speeches…to the ground. Not that you've lost your fire or your damn-the-torpedoes attitude. It's just that your deepest passion this month is connecting to the earth below you. Just like Harper Lee. How's that, you ask? With sweet indie songs with hints of brit-pop stylings and twee moods, Harper Lee's release All Things Can Be Mended {Matinée} slips through the speakers with hints of Belle and Sebastian, Magnetic Fields, and Trembling Blue Stars, and — dare I say — the Happy Mondays? I dare. For just as every fire ends up as the ashes that make up the earth, it's good to know where your proverbial self is going, Leo. Did that really make sense? When in doubt, ask the unorthodox man in your life what I'm talking about, and he'll show you what to do.
Virgo {August 23 – September 22}
Money, money, monnnah! Yeah! Except — what this? Easy come, easy go, Virgo. Only is doesn't have to be that way. It looks like your natural money making power is at an all time high; there just happen to be plenty of peeps around you who know how to spend that cash, and if you're not careful, you'll let them. Death Cab for Cutie might know a little something about being at the top of their money-making game, and any Virgo would be wise to tell our friends in Death Cab that if Chris Walla's Hall of Justice doesn't keep pounding out stuff like "This Temporary Life", or if they don't keep playing the great sounds we all know and love like they do on the new John Byrd EP {Barsuk}, they might find their newfound cash from Atlantic Records flittering down to earth like the seats of a closed Coney Island ferris wheel. Figure out how to hang on to your hard won coin, Virg, and maybe even drop a little bling on the wise live words from John Byrd before that bonus you get at work disappears something like an airplane… or a voted "yes!" ballot in King County.
Libra {September 23 – October 22}
Libra, I love you, because when you are flush with pride you will find a way to shower that esteem on your lover. And is that the patter of lil' footsteps I hear? You are particularly fecund this month, Libra. And even if you don't have the girl parts to make that happen, you still have the ability to nurture your inner kindergartner, who just wants to get out and play. Know who else likes to play? The Would-Be-Goods. Their latest Matinée release The Morning After is an upbeat, hip-swinging, finger-snappi
ng pop for the cute at heart. Smooth female harmonies sing over a nice and steady drum and bass line, while the guitar moves in sparse and rhythmic bursts of perfectly distorted lines. Contrasting mellow moments lilt into sweet dreams of days gone by. Sound about right to you, Libra? Find a way to make it happen, and take your (future) lover along for the ride.
Scorpio {October 23 – November 21}
Work is a drag, Scorpio, we all know it. The problem is that your subconscious is telling you that there's something amazing on the horizon. And there is — you just have to slog through the old detritus that has clogged your psychic threshold before your can get there. Huh? What I mean is — you gotta take care of the shit in your head, and show up to do the work before you can get the real-world goods. Seattle's The Luna Moth certainly know how to do their work. On their latest release The Compass That Only Points East, they methodically plod through layers of musical murk and banausic rhythms, resulting in uncompromising, steadfast songs for contemplation. Have a listen while you ponder, Scorp. No tricks, and no hiding.
Sagittarius {November 22-December 21}
I don't know how you do it, Archer, but even in the midst of this long-term transformation you're in, you still know how to party like it's 1999. Somehow you've managed to make hitting a rave every weekend this month look like an authentic spiritual experience. You really need to dance all night to the Long Ranger, a Seattle-based electronic brother-sister duo who sound like the soundtrack to some indie-rock-disco-down-new-wave porno. This month, you should stick with bands that can rhyme "short black hair" with "underwear." Your love, your love, your love, your love is burning down, Sadj — just make sure you know what's burning, and who you're burning with. Just because your brother trusts them doesn't mean that you should.
Capricorn {December 22-January 19}
Money, home, work. I'm not exactly sure how these three things fit together for you this month, Cap, but I'm sure they do. Is it that you're finally ditching your dayjob and apartment to go out on the road with your band? You finally got a promotion at work, so you can buy a nice home and settle down? Or is it deeper than that? I suspect that whatever it is, meditating on how your work life and how your home environment are linked will provide you with some kind of insight — maybe even a tangible, cash-based one. The perfect music for you to meditate to is Doves newest release Some Cities {Capitol}, which blends the dark etherealness of their Lost Souls release with the catchy hooks of their successful The Last Broadcast from two years ago. Check out the lovely "Snowden" whilst pondering your home/work confluence, Cap.
Aquarius {January 20-February 18}
Let the tears flow, Aquarius. Lord knows they call you the Water Carrier, and when you're facing up to the heavy duty shit that you got going on this month, that water is an ocean of cryin'. There is some illusion you had about the world, and about yourself, Aquarius, that you are now seeing is just not true. Bugs Eat Books know that there's no time like the present to let go of the illusory and accept the truth. On their latest release Ghost of Leaves {Happy Happy Birthday To Me}, they play quirky indie rock songs reminiscent of Bright Eyes, if Conor Oberst sang songs by Daniel Johnston with Pavement. Despite the overall upbeat sound, a feeling of angst permeates through the lo-fi delivery. Let 'em weep, but don't let the sad lyrics keep you from bouncing and grinning to the flow of the tunes. Though you might want to skip the drugs your sister gave you, and figure out a more reality-based way to expand your consciousness this month, kiddo.
Pisces {February 19-March 20}
Ah, Pisces — it's fun to be the silver-tongued devil from time to time, innit it? John Tsunam knows all about it, yo. This Hawaii-to-Seattle rapper could melt cynisism and ignite truth with his hyper-verbal glossus. His cranial nerves spit-fire at twice the speed of pop on his debut release Not Too Intelligent but Extremely Resourceful. Words that fast can talk money into your wallet, and hotties into your bed — as you know all too well, Pisces. The crazy thing is, this excess is actually good for your soul, as well as your ears. It's like your subconscious mind gets a cleansing while you spend money on hookers and blow. Shit, Fishes! The good times, they don't come like this that often, and your pious sister act has earned you some time in the Sin Den while the other signs whitewash your fence.