Short Reviews [Astrovoyager - 2010 - "Symphotronic Lunation"]

The French outfit ASTROVOYAGER is the creative vehicle of one Philippe Fagnoni, who made his debut back in 2006 with "Temporal Gravitation". "Symphotronic Lunation" is his second effort, and this multimedia production was released in 2006. A promo EP is all that is sent out for this venture only gives a limited impression of what this is all about. But if the material presented here is representative, it is fairly easy to conclude that this package will have little appeal amongst fans of progressive music. The 6 tracks are basically either exploring a style residing somewhere in between synth pop and light techno or relaxed unobtrusive atmospheric excursions of a more new age oriented type, at times with both rich and intriguing arrangements, but not to the extent that the word progressive ever comes to mind, and somewhat lacking in originality in general. The video footage presented follows a young woman in various situations, often sporting an androgynous look referencing British synth pop icon Gary Numan, with a few simplistic computer generated effects and film footage related to the first trip to the moon inserted on occasion. The entertainment value of these two clips, if emblematic of the multimedia content in general, comes across as tedious more than anything else. If you enjoy synth pop and new age oriented music with rich arrangements you might want to explore this album further. If not, this is a venture you can safely pass by.

Olav M Bjornsen: October 21, 2010