Astaron: Das Grauen Aus Dem All tape

First of all, a HUGE thanks to Stephane who provided me with these tracks. Second of all, I have re-uploaded the Astaron LP and EP.
Get them both here.
Here is the extremely rare tape from Astaron called Das Grauen Aus Dem All (Aka, "The Horror From Outer Space". Unlike their tape "The Slurring", which is pretty much the exact same thing as their selftitled LP, this tape is full of exclusive songs. And this is pure and beautiful, raw, minimal, dark, dirgelike, synthy, gloomy, gothic perfection. I'm not even going to say much more. You're probably not reading this, are you? You probably saw that there's more Astaron stuff to be downloaded and you said "holy crap, screw what this guy is saying, I gots ta download me some o' that!" And you were right to do so. Because if you did read the above paragraph, you just wasted precious seconds you should have spent clicking the download link.
Oh, but if anyone has the song titles, that would be great. I kinda don't have them.

Astaron: Das Grauen Aus Dem All.
1985, self-released
16 tracks (Track 9 is skipped... oops)

Click here to download this cassette.

Astaron: Selftitled LP & Lance the Ensemble EP

Here are the only two vinyl releases from Vienna, Austria cult band Astaron. When I was in Vienna a few months ago, I found the LP for a couple euro. It looked interesting, but unfortunately the record store did not have a record player (or I didn't know how to ask in German if they had one... I forget) so I had to buy it and hope it was good. I had to wait 10 days before I would get home and listen to it, and the anticipation mounted each day. I bought almost 60 records in Austria, but this one above all others piqued my curiosity. It looked so ... promising; I would be disappointed if it was anything less than gloomy gothic perfection.
When I finally got situated at home, laid in bed, and heard the first crackles of the record give way to synths and organs and chants and hauntingly ethereal vocals, I knew that this would instantly become one of my all-time favorites. I've listened to it dozens of times now, and have not ceased to be entranced by its melancholy beauty. I loved it enough to order the EP, which I just received today and have decided to share with others.
The music ranges from dirgelike chants to ethereal darkwave to haunting ballads. The EP is a bit more cold/darkwave sounding, with danceable beats on all songs; the LP is all doom and gloom, especially from the song "In an Absence" on to the end. Elements of groups like Vyllies, Cocteau Twins, I'm So Hollow, Malaria, Kas Product, and early Danse Society can be heard throughout these releases. Many songs (especially on the EP) also remind me of stuff by more recent darkwave bands, especially The Vanishing and Autonervous.
As for this duo, it contains two girls, who are never named. I do know, through some research, that one of the members was Angie Morth, aka Angie Modepunk, one of the members of seminal minimal electronic/post punk band Viele Bunte Autos (whose entire catalog has been reissued on cd, and who can be heard on their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/vielebunteautosmusik
Apparently Astaron also released at least one cassette, called Sarg Tape. If anyone can provide mp3s from this or anything else Astaron released, I would be forever happy. I simply cannot overstate how much I love the music this band produced.

Astaron: Selftitled LP
Ton Um Ton Records, 1987 (?)

A1		Black Galley (2:58)
A2		Finale - The Burning (3:38)
A3		Little Girl Crying (2:16)
A4		St. John's Fire (2:34)
A5		As Time Joins In (4:13)
A6		Torch-Light Procession (5:20)
B1		In An Absence (4:57)
B2		Sea-Blue Ladies (4:44)
B3		Collecting Bones (5:14)
B4		The Slurring (3:50)
B5		Untitled (1:01)

(please note that the last two songs are saved as one song)


Astaron: Lance the Ensemble EP
Bugel Records, 1988

A1		The Lance Ensemble (5:47)
A2		The Icequeen (4:21)
B1		Golden Carriage (5:27)
B2		It (4:50)

Download both records here! - Link updated with NEW rips from mint records 1/16/12!