Interview: The Dead Astronaut

Confession time: we missed this one when it came out in September, but we’ve certainly made up for it in the last few weeks. By the fourth or fifth listen your correspondent was a blubbering wreck and The Dead Astronaut s/t had revealed itself as one of the most thought-provoking and beautifully crafted records we’d heard all year. We caught up with The Dead Astronaut himself, aka Bristol based songwriter James McKeown.

“Listening to a whole album is a bit of a dying art,” says James McKeown. “It’s the impact of technology, busy lives and our butterfly minds.” His current album, The Dead Astronaut S/T, is a record that demands careful listening: eyes down, headphones on, mobile switched to flight mode.

Riffing on a J.G Ballard story of the same name, The Dead Astronaut S/T contrasts the glamour and danger of the space age with the earthbound struggles of a man in crisis. “I knew from the offset it was going to be a very personal and emotive collection of songs,” recalls James. Bristol settings include College Green and Underfall Yard, and there’s a particularly heart-rending scene on the old Severn Bridge. “I wanted to give the songs a place and setting,” James explains, “but also some of it is just reflecting the honesty of where I come from.”

Describing the album as “a cathartic outpouring reflecting current events in my life,” James says Ballard’s tale was a “creative tangent” for him rather than a direct inspiration.  “Mine is talking about how early experience in life, childhood, can determine personality traits, addiction, flaws and problems that spiral down the years and get passed on through generations.” It’s also filled with a Ballardian sense that civilisation itself is decaying. In the words of the brilliant Concrete Town: “it’s all just falling down”.

If that makes the record sound a little harrowing you’ll be relieved to hear it’s very beautiful. James’s previous projects include a spoof Christian acid folk album that was championed by Jarvis Cocker and Stuart Maconie, and The Dead Astronaut S/T is a wonderful showcase for his versatility as a songwriter and arranger. Indie, folk, film soundtracks and cosmic rock are all in the mix, and there are fine guest performances from Charlotte ‘Chipper’ Nicholls (cello), Pete Judge (trumpet) and Paul Bradley (backing vocals and guitar). The album also features Aidan Searle and Jeff Green, two of James’s bandmates from (dreamy Bristol psych-rock collective) Hi-Fiction Science.  From the sample-infused sound collage of North Star Loop to the celestial wig-out of Skyboat Reprise, the album’s a fully realised trip.

James is now playing shows as The Dead Astronaut. “The first time I took it out live was last month as part of the Sanctum performances. The majority of the set was myself playing acoustic guitar and Jeff on bass. Aidan joined towards the end of the set, I changed to electric guitar and we expanded into a band performance for Skyboat and Skyboat Reprise”. The set went down well: “I was allocated a great slot at 8pm on a Friday night, which meant we had a busy, captive and receptive audience.” This month he’s bringing a similar set-up to a matinee show at Exchange, although “it will hopefully involve a few other musicians” as well. Support comes from Strange Strings, described tantalisingly as “a tribute to Ornette Coleman”.

“I’m really not sure about the lifespan of The Dead Astronaut,” says James. “To be honest, I kind of prefer working under a pseudonym rather than my own name for the creative freedom and flexibility…I would like to continue to evolve it, maybe to make more of a bigger band sound throughout on the next album. I’m always writing songs…” Whatever comes next, he’s made an album that deserves to be heard by a wide audience – a powerful and cohesive set of songs wrapped up in a beautifully produced vinyl package. “It’s a pretty bleak listen,” he says. “The next one will be the disco party album.”

The Dead Astronaut plays Exchange on Saturday, January 9. For more information visit thedeadastronautuk.bandcamp.com