God Is an Astronaut | |
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God Is an Astronaut performing live in 2009
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Background information | |
Also known as | GIAA |
Origin | County Wicklow, Ireland |
Genres | Post-rock |
Years active | 2002 | –present
Labels | Revive, Rocket Girl |
Website | godisanastronaut |
Members | Torsten Kinsella Niels Kinsella Lloyd Hanney Jamie Dean |
Past members | Michael Fenton Gazz Carr |
God Is an Astronaut is an Irish post-rock band from the County Wicklow, formed in 2002 by Niels and Torsten Kinsella. Their style employs elements of electronic music, krautrock, and space rock, reminiscent of Tangerine Dream. The band currently consists of the Kinsellas, Lloyd Hanney, and Jamie Dean. They have released 7 studio albums and 1 extended play to date.
The band was formed in 2002 by twin brothers Niels and Torsten Kinsella, who took the inspiration for its name from a quote in the movie Nightbreed. God Is an Astronaut's debut album The End of the Beginning was released in (2002) on the Revive Records label which is independently owned by the band. The album was intended to be a farewell to the industry. Two music videos for "The End of the Beginning" and "From Dust to the Beyond" produced by the band received airplay on MTV UK and on other MTV Europe networks.
GIAA consider each of their albums to be a sonic "photograph or snapshot of who we are in that moment of time". In mid 2006 a licensing deal with U.K. label Rocket Girl saw both an EP, called A Moment of Stillness, and their second album "All Is Violent, All Is Bright" being re-released. The single "Fragile" from the album received plays on MTV2 UK's 120 minute show and MTV's show The Comedown.
Their third album, Far from Refuge, was released in April 2007 on Revive Records and as a download via their website. Their fourth, self-titled album God Is an Astronaut was released 7 November 2008 on Revive Records. On 12 February 2010, a single was released on their website titled In The Distance Fading, the second song from their fifth album, called Age of the Fifth Sun, released on 17 May 2010. That year the band became a quartet with keyboardist/guitarist Jamie Dean joining the band.