To celebrate the release of Astari’s Nite’s latest full length effort Midnight Conversations, the band’s frontman Mychael is giving us an exploration of the album a track by track, to go along with a full album streaming of the LP provided below.
“To be asked to speak about the songs written on MIDNIGHT CONVERSATIONS took me by surprise” says Mychael, “I couldn’t be happier than to oblige and take you through each track. “This is very frightening, like a modern day hanging.”
But before we get to that, we spoke with Tom Shear from Assemblage 23, about the album’s rich sound that adds a dynamic range to the dark melodies collected in the band’s finest work yet:
“I met the Astari Nite guys on a couple occasions when we had played shows together in West Palm Beach, so when they approached me about producing, I already had a good idea of their sound and was excited to work with them. Of course, producing an album when you’re on opposite ends of the country presents its own challenges, but it didn’t take long for us to develop a good method of working and the whole process was actually quite quick. Most of the songs they presented were already pretty well fleshed out, so my concentration was less on making a more complete arrangement and adding new parts than it was cleaning things up and making what was there sound the best it could. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot in the process.”
Listen to the album below, followed by Mychael’s track by track.
“In “SUNDAY QUEEN”, a tragic obsession occurs between magick and curiosity. I grew very fond of the witchery of others and found myself constantly gazing at photographs of artists that I admired. Witchcraft is superior to any other religion that has been pushed on me. I couldn’t imagine a world with something not worth believing in. Did you know that saying “hello” is the same as saying “goodbye?”
Abandonment in its truest form. Imagine waking up each day questioning why someone decided to leave your life knowing you knew the answer all along.
“UNFULFILLED PROMISE” somehow turned into a gothic comic book break-up anthem about the saddest boy and strangest girl ever. A fact to think about, this track is the continuation of The Witching Hour.
Sometimes we try to find comfort in something that once was, or perhaps that’s just me. Howard (Guitarist) introduced this song as an idea that he had years before him and even knew of each others existence. Danny (Keyboardist) then turned the rough draft of this song into an anthemic movement that became “I AM NOTHING”, which seems to appear as a reflection speaking to itself. In time anything can change for better or worse. I do find comfort in loneliness however I am also certain I am infatuated with laughter.
In early February of this year I professed my love to Hope Sandoval (Mazzystar) from afar and rekindled my obsession for Siouxsie and the Banshees, the outcome of all these feelings became “ROSARY SOCIETY”. It kind of reminds me of putting on cold lipstick in some strange way but who am I to justify that.
Hush hush, keep it down now, “VOICES CARRY”. I’ve always gravitated to this song. There is a certain sadness in the lyrics that I find to be beautiful and comforting in a haunting kind of way. At the time ASTARI NITE was on tour in Europe. We just got off stage from our performance at Electrowerkz in London and I remember checking my mobile phone once we made our way to the green room. To my surprise Danny sent a version of the track that I immediately fell for. Aimee Mann (‘Til Tuesday) touched me deeply with her and the bands existence. Many have asked and I feel this is the perfect time to set the record straight that my current look is absolutely inspired by Aimee Mann circa 1980s.
Truth be told, many of the songs I write tend to bloom into another. I often ask myself when will it stop however my dreams tend to reflect on what once was or could be. “THE WITCHING HOUR” speaks of a fragile friendship or bond if you will. Relying on the comfort of home and waiting to see that person again can take its toll, I am certain of this. Memories can only fade in time unless you rewind.
Perhaps I should’ve wrote “Kiss me as I refuse to let you walk away” as opposed to “Miss me as I refuse to let you walk away.” DIVINATION is a love song that pulls on my heartstrings every time, how’s that for gratitude.
Reciting the lyrics “Lying awake in bed at night, Drifting away so far inside, Both of us knowing all the time” in my mind over and over again for countless nights. “THE GIRL WHO TRIED” became my own personal lullaby that still haunts me to this day.
Often around the holidays we tend to remember the people or things that we loved, that are no longer in our lives. Within the past two years I’ve lost quite a few friends to mental illness, so in that respect “LOVESICK” can be identified as a holiday song about the dead ones I once knew.”
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