Astral-Desia

US cinematic outfit Whatitdo Archive Group unleashes "Astral-Desia", the third single taken from their upcoming new album Palace Of A Thousand Sounds.

Record Kicks presents "Astral-Desia", the third single taken from US cinematic outfit Whatitdo Archive Group's upcoming album Palace Of A Thousand Sounds. The single will be available on all digital platforms on April 21st, while the album is coming out on May 5th. "Astral-Desia" takes us into a new proverbial "room" within Whatitdo Archive Group's expansive new album, Palace Of A Thousand Sounds. Here we are surrounded with a tense, off-kilter bassline interplaying with sharp hits of Mumbai-esque funk guitar. A feeling of nervous energy settles in as a sitar, flute and vibraphone all blend together into a dramatic, unified sound creating a haunting yet richly textured melody one might stumble upon while shifting through Mulatu's writing desk in the '70s. A rush of eastern-tinged violins emerge reminding us that despite the dark tone set by the rhythm section, W.A.G. never leave things in a one-dimensional state for the listener. We are finally treated to a ghostly vibraphone solo that ceremoniously takes us to a higher plane, leaving us in a dizzying state of what could only be "Astral-Desia".

The new album Palace Of A Thousand Sounds is WAG's most recent foray into the realms of the esoteric and arcane, and their most adventurous album to date. Its release is scheduled on May 5th, 2023 on Record Kicks on limited edition LP, CD and digital platforms. Palace Of A Thousand Sounds finds Whatitdo Archive Group entrenched deeper in the worlds of mid-century exotica and library music—from the Tropicalia-steeped Amazon to the minor key tonalities of the far-out Near East.

Steeped in obscurity, a cult following of crate-diggers and musical oddity collectors has been brewing over the mysterious releases of the Whatitdo Archive Group. Surfacing in 2009 from the high deserts of Reno, NV USA, this three-piece recording collective (Alexander Korostinsky, Mark Sexton and Aaron Chiazza) focuses solely on curating, performing and preserving esoteric soundtrack, library and deep-groove collections. As an onlooker, it's hard to tell whether the music they are procuring is actually archival, music of their own creation, or both. Their debut LP The Black Stone Affair, the formerly lost soundtrack music of a once-shelved Italian cinematic masterpiece, was released in 2021 and received praise from the likes of Wall Street Journal, Mojo Magazine, Uncut, Shindig and Blues & Soul Magazine, BBC 6 (UK), FIP (FR), KCRW (US), JazzFM (UK) and more. Two years later, the Whatitdo Archive Group is back. Get ready for an exotic adventure with their sophomore full-length effort: Palace Of A Thousand Sounds.