Awesome Color

Awesome Color, which shares this bill with Eyes and Ears and Outer Neon, records for Sonic Youth maestro Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace Records — and if the imprint's moniker were spelled just a little bit differently, it would make an even more perfect home for the group's albums. For proof,...

By Michael Roberts

October 2, 2008

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Awesome Color, which shares this bill with Eyes and Ears and Outer Neon, records for Sonic Youth maestro Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace Records — and if the imprint's moniker were spelled just a little bit differently, it would make an even more perfect home for the group's albums. For proof, plug in Electric Aborigines, the latest recording by this young Brooklyn-by-way-of-Michigan band, which features one ecstatic piece after another. Lead singer Derek Stanton has a serviceable voice, but he really excels when he lets his guitar do the talking — and the squealing, and the bellowing, and the roaring. Psychedelia and '70s proto-punk represent his creative touchstones, but on wild ditties such as "Eyes of Light," "Already Down" and "The Moon," the mayhem he wreaks with assistance from drummer Allison Busch and bassist Michael Troutman is as fresh and juicy as a still-twitching gazelle turned lion snack on Animal Planet. Color me impressed.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

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