Marc Bianchi, the man behind
Her Space Holiday, recorded the songs on
Astronauts Are Sleeping (Vol. 2) on various analog machines from 1996 until 1998. Milwaukee's No Karma Recordings released the disc in 2000.
Astronauts Are Sleeping (Vol. 1) had been previously released on Skylab Operations Records. His clear, sometimes awkward vocals are blended with clean guitars and the hiss of lo-fi recording on the disc's ten songs. The melodic and laid-back songs create a dreamy environment throughout. Bianchi's sincere vocals, while not trained or excessively charismatic, are saved by consistently lush and gorgeous electronic instrumentation. The slow-motion sadness of "Crazy" and "Slide Guitars and Moving Cars" reveal immensely personal lyrics and a concentrated sense of Bianchi's musicianship. The promise of the songs on this disc forces one to wonder how seductive his songs could be if fleshed out with a full band.
Her Space Holiday is Bianchi's complete musical vision. The synthesizers and keyboards, along with the sparse drum and bass arrangements, add up to a droney and spacy atmosphere for the disc's entirety. Such inventive arrangements, if not always jaw-dropping, are certainly courageous and borderline genius. The echoing vocals on "Homecoming" serve as powerful instruments, and the disc ends with blissful organs, guitar, and synthesizer on the radiant "Ceiling Stars." ~ Stephen Cramer