At a glance I was worried that this Goth-appearing record would not sit well with my Tropical North Queensland heritage. But as Sealed Records have managed to showcase such interesting voices from within the Punk spectrum thus far, Astaron deserves my full attention. Astaron are Austrian duo active 1984-99, influenced by, Viennese Actionism, Einstürzende Neubauten and Kate Bush and armed with a big dose of black humour and a true love for trash culture. While you can feel how subversive art movements have influenced their sound, it's within the framework of pop music. Imagine if Nico joined Whammy Kiss era B52's, or if Cocteau Twins were on Nick Blinko's Outer Himalayan Records. Like a favourite local act of last decade, Naked On The Vague, there's a good humoured approach to absurd, gothic theatrics. Mesmerising stuff! -Nic
