Review: The Grand Astoria - The Mighty Few

In recent years Russia has produced some wonderful psych-based bands, some have become 'well-known' and some haven't. The one consistent aspect to all these bands is that take the recognised sounds and styles of psych etc but warp into their own sounds, and so remain constantly evolving and surprising. To the list of these bands we can add The Grand Astoria.

The Grand Astoria have been plying their trade for many years since forming in St Petersburg in 2009 (their name is actually taken from a hotel in St Petersburg) and 'The Mighty Few' is their sixth LP. Although ostensibly describing themselves as "Tripped out psychedelic fuzz rock having sex with heavy metal!" it is so much more than that. To use an artistic metaphor, the average band may have one or two colours on their palette but The Grand Astoria have colours from the whole spectrum, and have painted a positive masterpiece, albeit firmly in the school of the surreal.

'The Mighty Few' is comprised of just the two tracks: 'Curse of the Ninth', clocking in at 28 minutes, and 'The Siege' at 21 minutes. It's normally at this stage of a review that I would proceed to give you, dear reader, a breakdown of the tracks but in this case I'm not going to for 2 reasons: 1. There are so many aspects to each track it would end up reading like a double album review, and 2. I'm not going to spoil the surprises in store! What I will say is that the scope and imagination of this album deserve a wide audience. The LP takes in straightforward, fuzzy stoner rock with some lovely psych leanings, some prog, some groovy 70's jazz (very 'Dirty Harry soundtrack!) some straight up rock, some flute heavy folk and even some dub! What is truly impressive is that these somewhat disparate styles segue together well and feels less like a portmanteau piece and more like an orchestral suite in that it flows and moves smoothly. This is not a band who throw everything, including the kitchen sink, into the mix but one who has a plan, a vision of what they want to achieve...and achieve it they have. An intelligent, ambitious and imaginative album.

'The Mighty Few' can be purchased via the band's Bandcamp page, either digitally or CD (via email at thegrandastoria@gmail.com). In October the album will get a vinyl release via those wonderful people over at Vincebus Eruptum.