The Astronaut
Self-Released, 2022
9/10
The Austin, Texas singer-songwriter and guitarist Jana Pochop surrounds herself with some impressive musicians for this folk, pop, Americana and indie-rock mashing that’s full of well thought out and beautiful songs.
“Head Spin” opens the listen with dreamy acoustic guitar, as Pochop’s gorgeous singing is quite poetic in the gentle folk climate, and “As Long As It Feels Right” follows with more forceful strumming and warm lap steel from Lloyd Maines and Sean Hutchinson’s agile drumming that make an impression.
In the middle, “The Hard Part” welcomes Shawnee Kilgore on vocals and benefits much from Mark Hallman’s mellotron for the cozy Americana, while “Quiet All The Time” mixes Kilgore’s pipes and Maines’ lap steel with Pochop’s pretty, eloquent and timeless song craft.
“Solar System” and “Maps” exit the listen, where the former employs Brian Standefer’s cello and Hallman’s synth amid Pochop’s precise acoustic guitar, and the latter places Don Dixon on bass and Eliza Gilkyson on backing vocals for a very colorful and cautious finish.
An album with no filler, Pochop’s wordplay is quite developed and descriptive, and the variety of instruments allows each track to radiate in its own uniqueness.
Travels well with: Terry Klein- Tex; The Lied To’s- The Lesser Of Two Evils