The Vinyl Word, Issue #4: ASTRAL CLOUD ASHES Transports You Back to the 90s

By Jeremy Ritch in Music, The Vinyl Word September 17, 2020

The Vinyl Word is a new column where The Farsighted’s poet laureate, Jeremy Ritch, is putting back on his music critic and vinyl appreciator hat to share his love for the format with the world. Starting with the the re-release of the fantastic Velvet Goldmine soundtrack, join Jeremy as he shares his final word on vinyl releases and re-issues… enjoy this issue of The Vinyl Word.

Astral Cloud Ashes
Dear Absentee Creator

In the vein of 90s emo and pop punk this release from 2018 really captures the energy and feel of that era. Jersey UK’s Astral Cloud Ashes deliver a really solid indie album, that rivals their major market peers. Being an independent artist in a horribly oversaturated market means quality often is overlooked for popularity. This release would fit that category.

While the genre isn’t my typical forte, I can really appreciate the songwriting, guitar work, and overall feel of this record. The melodic songs encapsulate Antony Walker’s vocals which are filled with personal experiences and emotional storytelling. His sound is reminiscent of that of Tom Delonge (Blink 182) and while the sound is true to this specific genre, they are still distinguishable from other acts who fit the signature sound of poppy emo punk.

The 90s feel is especially clear on the album, as if it were a time machine that jumped back 20 years. As someone that never was a fan of this kind of emo or pop punk, I did enjoy this release and all the way through. Walker’s consistent lyricism and songwriting stands out from much of the more sophomoric kinds of bands that would fall into this category. The presentation of the vinyl release is stellar. The artwork for this release is gorgeous, bright cartoonish colors and a beautiful blue splatter vinyl, it is a nice-looking album.

If you are a 90s pop punk junkie or a emo kid who is still searching for new bands to give you those old time feels, I suggest looking up Astral Cloud Ashes, you’ll be happy sad that you did.

Jeremy Ritch

Poet Laureate / Old School Hip Hop Enthusiast

Jeremy Ritch is a published writer and poet currently traveling the U.S. working on their next book. Jeremy has had many interesting life experiences and you can hear about some of them on Episode 3 of The Farsighted Podcast. You can get your hands on Jeremy's collections of poetry at their Lulu store. If you prefer you books digitally, Sidewalk Stories and Other Poems is available for Kindle at a discount price. They have a variety of other works all over the world wide web, as well. The long and the short of it is that Jeremy likes to write and we all like to read what Jeremy writes.