Think of Swallowed A Star as the soundtrack of your most lovely dream. But don’t mistake Daniel Agust’s soon-to-be-released ten-track CD as “easy listening.”
Far from it. Agust’s dark, haunting vocals backed by rich orchestration, a hint of pop, and subtle side effects, combine to create powerful stories that would fit in with any contemporary format.
Of particular note is the opening track “Someone Who Swallowed A Star,” a captivating tale told through Agust’s full vocals and lyrics (“I inhale the air, as someone who swallows, as someone who swallows, a star in a dream”) accompanied by enchanting string-dominant melodies.
Another selection, “The Moss” (with the lilting chorus “High on Love”) also evokes powerful images and emotions. Of course, not all songs are as powerful.
“The Stingray” reaches just a bit too far into sound effects. (Ghost sounds? Clanking steps? An old phonograph playing?) But even though such missteps can be a bit disconcerting, they don’t detract from the overall delight of the CD.
Consider this Rolling Stone review of an Agust concert: "[Agust] made even the hardcore drinkers in the back pay attention to the gorgeous exhaustion in his songs - and the salvation never far from the surface." Let’s face it—Agust is a man who knows what he’s doing musically.
As co-founder and main vocalist of seminal electronica collective GusGus, Agust was the driving force behind the band’s two critically acclaimed albums, Polydistortion and This is Normal. No wonder this solo album, slated to be released in the U.S. on February 6, combines just the right balance of pop and lyrical poetry.
The only downside is that the CD was five years in the making. Hopefully Agust won’t make us wait that long again or more of his work.
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