- CD (CRE CD098) - Very Good Plus (VG+) / Very Good Plus (VG+) - Sold out
The final release by Stephen 'Tintin' Duffy and company from their first (1988-1991) phase, "Astronauts" is a collection of winsome, somber and fragile guitar pop tunes that will probably appeal to fans of XTC, Belle & Sebastian, and Paul McCartney's early solo albums. The songs dabble in psychedelia-lite ("In Iverna Gardens") and bubble-gum pop ("Taste of Honey"), but much of the album is influenced by Nick Drake's "Bryter Layter" sophisticated folk-pop sound, particularly the melancholy but pretty "Finistere" and "Grey Skies and Work Things." Only the inclusion of the horribly out of place and otherwise just plain embarrassing dance-pop number "Dreaming" keeps this album from reaching five-star status.
"I really want this album - and it's not available on digital platforms!" - Camilla Chaudhary