#duster stratosphere

favourite tracks:

"Topical Solution"

"Echo, Bravo"

"Shadows of Planes"

"The Twins / Romantica" (really like this one!)

thoughts:

been meaning to get into more shoegazey stuff recently, so i figured this would be a worthwhile introduction

and it was! i've never heard anything like it before but i enjoyed it. it's very much a soundscape in my opinion, it invited me into a sort of liminal, midwestern, ambient turn-of-the-millenium bleakness - not just music but rather something highly experiential.

as someone who loves everything midwestern gothic this album was splendid in that regard

simultaneously comforting and almost upsetting

it sounds like the album cover

i want to write something that feels the same way

a lot of the tracks sound quite similar, which is likely what they were going for, but the album does all sort of blur together at times and the individual tracks aren't easy to remember especially after having finished listening.....but again, on the other hand, that's probably what they meant to achieve, and i've only listened once so far lol

that said. "Sideria" was horrifying and hard to sit through for me and i had to physically recover afterwards (but an apt closer i will admit)

this album isnt gonna be for everyone but i can see some of the tracks going into my music library for sure

gonna look into more duster! i liked the experiential, experimental nature of the album

overall personal rating: 8/10 (my subjective opinion)

Duster - Stratosphere (1998)

Genre: Indie rock, Space rock, Slowcore

Release date: February 24, 1998

Label: Up Records

🧡 Fav tracks: Gold Dust, Topical Solution, Inside Out, The Landing, Reed To Hillsborough, Earth Moon Transit, Constellations