Album Review: Keeper's

Deastro has been making DIY pop music underneath his parent's roof since he was 12. He has self-released 3 albums worth of material and has recently been signed by Ghostly International. Keeper's is a bit of a "best of" compilation released through eMusic Selects, which is a label that distributes music exclusively through independent online music retailer eMusic.

Deastro, who is now 22, has a youthful sense of dreaminess to his music. You know how children can say things that are nonsensical and just sort of stick with you? His music feels like that, set to this chill, amazingly pleasant, blippy electro-pop.

There's often a profundity to child-like nonsense, and that's demonstrated here on what's sure to be the latest edition to the hipster's Xmas playlist, Child of Men, Son of God. In it, the speaker ponders "If there was room in the inn, maybe he wouldn't have to pay for my sins."

The major flaw on this album may be a deal-breaker. Deastro has admitted to not knowing what he's doing when it comes to recording music, and unfortunately these songs are pushed beyond the wall to distortion. The mix is fine for bangin' at parties, but with headphones it might drive you crazy. There's hope for future projects, though, as the version of Light Powered that appears on Ghostly Swim seems to have a much cleaner sound.

I think that more I listen to his music, the more I am fascinated by the man, and that rabbit hole takes a steep dive when you start looking at his artwork, which looks like a brilliantly deranged high-school student's notebook after a semester of boring classes and a pack of markers. His liner notes, complete with lyrics, can be found here. Be prepared to use the "Rotate Clockwise" button on your .pdf reader.

So, with sound quality issues plaguing the recording, Keeper's might very well be a pass, but hopefully future releases from Ghostly International will be better. Like Palpatine to Anakin Skywalker, I'm gonna keep my eye on this kid.