Bad Astronaut - Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment

Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative, Pop-Punk
Release Date: 11/14/06
Sounds Like: The Anniversary, Bad Religion, Superdrag
Overall Rating: 5.8/10

Summary: Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment is a pretty fair description of the new album by Bad Astronaut. I am not a fan of Pop-Punk, so I reviewed this album with an open mind. The opening track Good Morning Night sounded like it was straight from the mall. I was ready to quit right there. I didn’t think I could listen to anymore. I forged on and to my surprise it got a lot better. Most of the tracks are not Pop-Punk, but rather pretty artistic indie rock. I was surprised. Bad Astronaut is essentially the experimental side of Lagwagon. And believe me, I hate Lagwagon’s brand of mall punk. This album kind of floats along without you noticing, this could be good or bad. Either way it is worth a listen. This album is best summed up by saying it is like Coldplay and Lagwagon in a blender. You decide is that good or bad? This album ended with a higher rating because I believe this album pushes the boundaries for the Pop-Punk Genre. Click here to a few tracks from their myspace site.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 7.7
Originality by Band: 7.7
Production: 8.0
Did I like it?: 3.8

Track Ratings:
1) 5.5
2) 4.7
3) 6.1
4) 6.2
5) 5.8
6) 4.4
7) 6.1
8) 6.5
9) 6.1
10) 4.1
11) 3.8

12) 6.9

13) 2.1