The Asteroid #4: Intergalactic Dreams

 

The Asteroid No.4 is an American psychedelic band based in San Francisco, CA. Originating from Philadelphia in the late 1990s, the A4 remain an active studio and live act who are considered stalwarts

of the modern “psych” genre. They are one of those few bands that have the ability to record anything from good albums to masterpieces. The band began their relocation to the west coast in 2011. Since forming, the band has endured several lineup changes. Over the last ten years, however, they have consistently included Scott Vitt (vocals, guitar), Eric Harms (guitar) and Matty Rhodes (bass, vocals).  Drummer Mark Tarlton (formerly of Echodrone) joined the band in the Summer of 2020. 
             

The original lineup was formed in the suburbs of Philadelphia by childhood friends, Scott Vitt and Eric Harms, after years of playing in various punk, hardcore, and even a Smith’s cover band together. Throughout their high school and college years, the future bandmates submerged themselves

in what is now considered the original “shoegaze” scene coming out of the UK in early 1990’s. After many months of the obligatory “mom’s basement” rehearsals, the group began to take permanent shape during the second half of the 1990s. The newly formed quartet, which also included original bassist, Gregg Weiss, and drummer, Bill Reim, began writing the songs that would become their first recorded offering. The “Mellow Beach b/w CIA Took My Dog Away” 7” single was released on their newly formed in-house label, Lounge Records.
              

The band is known for their dynamic live act, integrating multi-textured guitars and reverb-drenched

vocal harmonies over an unwavering rhythm section. However, it’s been their prolific recording output, including their eleventh album “Tones of the Sparrow”, that’s helped build their dedicated fan base within the underground psych scene. With well over a dozen compilation appearances, digital-only rarity releases, and multiple singles and EPs, the band continues to hone its distinct sound with each release.
                 

The Asteroid No.4’s sound has been called a “hypnotic hybrid of several different genres filtered

through the kaleidoscope of all things psychedelic.” Whether it be “shoegaze”, 12-string driven jangly folkrock, “Kosmiche Musik” or even the occasional dabbling in “Cosmic” countryrock, the band have never shied away from being faithful to the sounds passed on by their influences.
             

Named after Vesta, the brightest asteroid in our solar system, their moniker is an obvious nod to

Spacemen 3, the legendary UK psychedelic band, which the Asteroid No.4 repeatedly cite as a major influence. In fact, one of the group’s earliest recorded offerings was a faithful cover of the Rugby band’s, “Losing Touch with My Mind”. Released in 1998 on UK label, Rocket Girl’s tribute compilation to the 80’s legends, Pete “Sonic Boom” Kember himself, named the song as a stand-out track in an interview with Magnet Magazine. 

                

01. THE ASTEROID #4 - INTRODUCING 1998

                     

Nearly everyone wants to consider Asteroid #4 as part of the beautiful psychedelic haze of the ’60s,

locking them into being a backward looking band. Please, allow me to assure you that had Asteroid #4 been around during those heady nights, the beautiful psychedelic haze of the ’60s would have been that much brighter, that much more profound, and entirely more liberating.
                           

The Asteroid #4 – Introducing…
Label: Lounge Records (US) – lounge 011
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Sep 15, 1998
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock

TRACKS

01. Onizuka    3:25
02. The Admiral's Address   8:24
Organ – Carmen DeGennaro
03. Golden Girl Of Spain   3:50
Organ – Hugh Luck
04. No More Vitamins    3:40
05. Underbelly Of A Mushroom    6:33
06. What A Sorry Way To Go    5:10
07. Egyptians & Druids    8:24
08. Visitation Rights    4:59
09. Kate And The King   9:14
Flute – Hugh Luck/Mixed By – Jason Knight 
10. My Stomach Since She's Left   2:42
Recorder – Hugh Luck
11. Honey Bee   3:01
Sitar, Backing Vocals – Jamie Mahon

LINE - UP

                 

Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals – Gregg Weiss
Drums, Percussion, Sampler [Samples] – Bill Reim
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Percussion – Scott Vitt
Guitar, Sitar [Electric], Keyboards, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Eric Harms

Flac Size: 384 MB

02. THE ASTEROID #4 - KING RICHARD'S COLLECTIBLES

                 

Asteroid #4 continue to deal with their own interpretation of what shimmered those nights so long ago,

yet they do it with their own blend and brand of lo-fi psychedelia, where every song and every instrument is drenched in reverb and echo … and often times, both in the same breath. 
                     

The Asteroid No.4 – King Richard's Collectibles
Label: Rainbow Quartz International – RQTZ 050
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2001
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Power Pop, Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

01. Apple Street    3:05
02. King Richard    2:52
03. Poor Man's Falls   3:15
Flute – Hugh Luck   
04. Monday Morning Gloom   5:14
Backing Vocals – Meg Baird
05. Mercenary Man    3:42
06. Gotta Find A Better Way    3:54
07. Local Fashion Junky    3:44
08. Thank You R.E.A.   3:28
Trumpet – Dave Donaldson
09. Queen Of My Dreams   5:16
Backing Vocals – Meg Baird
10. Little Flower    4:54
11. You Said    3:22
12. Urban Disaster    3:43

LINE - UP

               

Bass – Gregg Weiss (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Bass, Backing Vocals – Joe Patitucci (tracks: 4 to 6, 9 to 12)
Drums – Bill Reim (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Drums, Percussion – Steven Keller (tracks: 4 to 6, 9 to 12)
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Eric Harms, Jamie Scythes (tracks: 4 to 6, 9 to 12)
Lead Vocals – Joe Patitucci (tracks: 6, 11)
Lead Vocals, Guitar, Percussion – Scott Vitt
Lyrics By – Joe Patitucci (tracks: 6, 11), Scott Vitt (tracks: 1 to 5, 7,to 10, 12)

Flac Size: 370 MB

03. THE ASTEROID #4 - AN AMAZING DREAM 2006

                       

Asteroid 4 bring much to the table that’s new, consider their effects driven swirling backgrounds, which don’t only create a sonic atmosphere, but these aspects hold in check what could be monstrous hooks,

giving their music a restrained feel, a feeling that the music could instantly bust right out of the bag and lay waste to the world. Yet as Quicksilver Messenger Service did on Happy Trails [probably the most profound psychedelic album ever], Asteroid #4 do the same here, and that’s to guide the listener with a gentle hand, assuring the listener that A4 will take them exactly where they want to be, but with sensibilities and production, rather than noise and feedback.
                                

The Asteroid #4 – An Amazing Dream
Label: Rainbow Quartz International – RQTZ131
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Sep 5, 2006
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

01. Take Me Down    3:41
02. Here We Go    2:23
03. The Shepherd    3:20
04. Outside    4:10
05. Ask Me About Pittsburgh    4:46
06. To Be In Your Eyes (Lyrics By, Written-By – S. Kilbey)   4:38
07. Shoot Out The Stars    3:32
08. Go Ahead    3:29
09. Into The Meadow    5:02
10.1. Belong    4:10
10.2. (no audio)    1:55
10.3. Untitled Track    2:54

LINE - UP

                          

Vocals, Guitar, Percussion, Lyrics By – Scott Vitt
Drums, Vocals, Percussion, Keyboards – Adam Weaver
Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Noises [Noise] – Eric Harms

NOTES 

Contains a hidden track at end of CD: 10.1 "Belong" 0:00-4:10, 10.2 (no audio) 4:10-6:05, 10.3 (Hidden Track) 6:05-8:59. (Basically the spoken re-telling of a dream, with acoustic and ambient sounds).

Flac Size: 321 MB

04. THE ASTEROID #4 - THESE FLOWERS OF OURS - A TREASURY OF WITCHCRAFT AND DEVILRY 2008

                             

In the liner notes to These Flowers of Ours, we're treated to a brief description of the Asteroid No. 4's workshop, where across the room from an extensive shrine to the history of shoegaze the bass player

watches a bootleg video of the Rain Parade while rolling a joint on the back of a Teenage Fanclub album. And if that sounds like a place you'd enjoy visiting, then These Flowers of Ours is doubtless the sort of record you'd like to spend some time with. Floating through an echoey netherworld of jangling and roaring guitars, subsonic bass, thundering drums, and vocals that drift as clouds through the paisley atmosphere, this music is space rock at its most engaging and organic, psychedelia that's timeless because the music sounds too languid and loose-limbed to bother committing itself to any decade in particular.
                                               

The Asteroid No.4 – These Flowers Of Ours - A Treasury Of Witchcraft And Devilry
Label: The Committee To Keep Music Evil – EVILCD514
Format: CD, Album, Digipak
Country: USA & Europe
Released: 2008
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Alternative Rock, Shoegaze, Space Rock, 

TRACKS

01. My Love   5:57
Words By – R. van Kriedt, S. Vitt
02. Let It Go   4:41
Words By – S. Vitt
03. Hold On   5:04
Words By – R. van Kriedt, S. Vitt
04. I Look Around   3:14
Written-By – Dave Roback
05. She's All I Need   5:20
Words By – E. Harms, S. Vitt
06. War   6:21
Words By – S. Vitt
07. Flowers Of Ours   3:09
Words By – S. Vitt
08. Hei Nah Lah   5:07
Voice – Dean Brown
Words By – R. van Kriedt, S. Vitt
09. She Touched The Sky   4:44
Words By – R. van Kriedt, S. Vitt
10. All Fall Down   6:39
Words By – S. Vitt
11. Empty Like A Little Child   4:21
Words By – R. van Kriedt, S. Vitt

LINE - UP

                       

Vocals, Guitar – Scott Vitt
Vocals, Percussion, Keyboards – Aislinn Van Kriedt
Bass – Damien C. Taylor
Drums [Drum Kit], Vocals – Adam Weaver
Guitar, Bass – Eric Harms
Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards, Bass – Ryan van Kriedt
Instrumentation By [Additional] – The Asteroid No.4

Flac Size: 390 MB

05. THE ASTEROID #4 - HAIL TO THE CLEAR FIGURINES 2011

                        

Always seeming to step back in time, we find the band drenched in the lysergic heyday of psychedelic

music, yet revitalizing those hazed sounds that made the 60’s so memorable, Asteroid 4 have released their new album record, employing all of the psychedelic manifestations that have made them so intoxicating over the years.
                      

The Asteroid #4 – Hail To The Clear Figurines
Label: The Committee To Keep Music Evil – EVILCD516
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2011
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Ethereal

TRACKS

01. Wicked Wire    2:17
02. Wild Opal Eyes   3:57
Harp – Mary Lattimore
03. Hail To The Clear Figurines   4:46
Harp – Mary Lattimore
04. Vesta    2:06
05. The Unknown    4:18
Baritone Saxophone – Tracy Stanton
Trombone – Drew Mills
06 .Got Nowhere To Go    4:09
07 .All Flase Reasons    3:22
08 .The Interest Of Captain Marbles   1:32
Baritone Saxophone – Tracy Stanton
Trombone – Drew Mills
09. Be Yourself By Yourself    4:52
10. A Sunny Day (One Afternoon)   3:55
Toy Piano – Mike Kiker
11. Carnival    1:33
12. Ignition Slated For Eight    3:36

LINE - UP

                 

Vocals, Guitar – Scott Vitt
Words By – Scott Vitt
Bass Guitar, Vocals – Damien C. Taylor
Co-producer – Gary M Gates
Drums, Vocals – Adam Weaver
Guitar – Eric Harms
Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards – Ryan Van Kriedt

Flac Size: 276 MB

06. THE ASTEROID #4 - THE ASTEROID #4 2013

                    

Of course it’s been 45 years since the first psychedelic wave washed across the world, and during that time, there have been a few bands who’ve not only embraced the genre, but moved it forward,

flowering with unexpected shimmering delights that we all can relate to, and diving deeper into the subconscious nature of the shared experiences of our collective beings. Asteroid #4 are embracing the listener and cradling them with swirling comfort laden chords of passion, splashed with delay and reverb guitars that tangibly hover in space just out of reach, like the afterthought of a hallucination that can’t be forgotten or ignored.
                                           

The Asteroid No. 4 – The Asteroid No.4
Label: Bad Vibrations Recordings – BADVIBES CD 02
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK & Europe
Released: Sep 2, 2014
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Space Rock, Alternative

TRACKS

01. The River    5:45
02. Rukma Vimana    6:48
03. Ghosts Of Dos Erres    4:16
04. The Windmill Of The Autumn Sky    6:04
05. Mount Meru (Sitar – Thomas Wave)   3:43
06. Back Of Your Mind (Lyrics By – Carlson Van Kriedt, Vitt)   4:32
07. Ropeless Free Climber (Sitar – Thomas Wave)   4:58
08. Ode To Cosmo (Sitar – Walker Phillips)   1:57
09. Revolution Prevail    3:31
10. Yuba    3:38

LINE - UP

                            

Vocals, Guitar, Percussion – Scott Vitt
Bass Guitar, Vocals, Guitar – Matty Rhodes
Drums, Vocals, Tabla – Adam Weaver
Guitar – Eric Harms
Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards – Ryan Carlson Van Kriedt

I bought this MP3 File from the official site of the band, years ago, along with the compilation "B- SIDES & SINGLES" 
MP3 Size: 125 MB

07. THE ASTEROID #4 - COLLIDE 2018

                                            

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been riding with Asteroid #4 for two decades now, with their new album Collide celebrating those mystic years when they first washed my Philadelphia nights with their

hypnotic watercolored jangling guitar driven emancipations, then up and moved themselves to California, the land of warmth and sunshine. 
Collide is sonically layered, uncommonly innovative, laid back, drenched with mild reverb and swirling with comfort, all while embracing the listener with worthy lyrics … Asteroid #4 have indeed found that delicate balance, creating a series of songs that come off as half remembered hypnotic lucid dreams hovering just out of reach.
                                                         

The Asteroid #4 – Collide
Label: Amazon Digital Services LLC – none
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2018    
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Alternative

TRACKS

01. Ghost Garden    4:23
02. Explore    4:56
03. Sagamore    5:14
04. Collide    6:53
05. Weeping Willow    4:26
06. Finest of Mimes    3:53
07. Remedy    5:28
08. Cry of Hosana    9:26

Flac Size: 279 MB

08. THE ASTEROID #4 - NORTHERN SONGS 2020

                       

The Asteroid No. 4 have always worn their influences on their collective sleeves and the tongues firmly

planted in their cheeks. A heady collective of musicologists, their albums range from Cosmic Country Americana to Rubbles-styled beat, hallucinatory psychedelia, and many other flavours of the musical rainbow in between.
                            

The Asteroid No. 4 – Northern Songs
Label: Cardinal Fuzz – CFLCR021, Little Cloud Records – CFLCR021
Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition
Country: UK & US
Released: Sep 18, 2020
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Alternative Rock

TRACKS

01. All Mixed Up    2:40
02. Hand Grenade    5:13
03. Paint It Green    3:46
04. No One Weeps    3:23
05. I Don't Care    3:14
06. Juniper    4:09
07. Northern Song    3:28
08. Stardust    3:11
09. Swiss Mountain Myth    4:24
10. The After Glow    4:35

LINE - UP

                     

                      
Vocals, Guitar, Percussion – Scott Vitt
Bass Guitar, Vocals, Guitar – Matty Rhodes
Drums [Drum Kit], Vocals, Percussion – Adam Weaver
Guitar, Keyboards, Bass Guitar – Eric Harms

Flac Size: 283 MB

09. THE ASTEROID #4 - TONES OF THE SPARROW 2022

                         

Those who walked through the psychedelic doors during those heady days and nights planted a seed

that’s come into bloom, one that’s flowered into the intoxicating rapture laid down between these grooves that could not have been imagined over fifty years ago. Asteroid No.4 is a band who’ve managed to pick up that banner and walked it into the 21st century with grace and a resounding style that can not be ignored.
                   

     

The Asteroid No. 4 – Tones Of The Sparrow
Label: Club AC30 – AC3019001
Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition
Country: UK
Released: Mar 25, 2022
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

01. Emma    4:48
02. Tones Of The Sparrow    4:03
03. Set Your Sights    6:55
04. Surrounded    4:26
05. Chameleon    4:24
06. I'm Not The Enemy    5:55
07. A Castle Built For Two    4:26
08. Forever    5:05
09. Somewhere In The Middle    4:13
10. Transmission   2:58

LINE - UP

                  

Vocals, Guitar, Percussion – Scott Vitt
Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar – Camilla Saufley
Guitar, Keyboards – Eric Harms
Bass Guitar, Vocals, Guitar – Matty Rhodes
Drums, Percussion, Sounds [Soundscapes] – Mark Tarlton

Flac Size: 330 MB

10. THE ASTEROID #4 - B- SIDES & SINGLES 1997 - 2007 (2015)

                       

In the headspace created here, textural guitars dance over delicate harmonic vocals that are intermingled

and spiced within a reverb laced slice of inherent rhythm that holds not only all other aspects in place, but gives the sonic wanderings a place to expand and develop, all while allowing the entire production to come across as a fluid unified concept, one that ushers in outwardly directional explorations, giving those wonderings a welcomed place to return and then venture out again.
                         

The Asteroid #4 – B-Sides & Singles 1997-2007
Label: Not On Label – none
Format: 21 x File, MP3 Compilation, Reissue, Stereo 
Country: US
Released: 2015
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Alternative

TRACKS

01. Last Of The Lonely Kings    3:47
02. Let It Bring You Along    6:34
03. Losing Touch With My Mind    7:27
04. 90 Colors    6:11
05. Back Where I Belong    3:58
06. Car Thief Millenia    5:28
07. Century Girl    5:25
08. The CIA Took My Dog Away    4:58
09. Find My Way Back Home    5:07
10. Fingerspan    6:26
11. Imagination Station    3:05
12. Lady    4:20    
13. Leave Me Alone    3:08
14. Mellow Beach    5:33
15. Shield    4:22
16. Sometimes...    3:58
17. Sorry Way to Go    5:07
18. The Stranger    3:04
19. Tinkerbell Meets Reality    2:47
20. Words    6:03
21. You Win    5:46

I bought this MP3 File from the official site of the band, years ago, along with the album "The Asteroid #4: The Asteroid #4  2013
Size: 176 MB