Among the many tributes commemorating the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo moon landing, Darren Hayman's whimsical pop song cycle 12 Astronauts stands out as a true curiosity. During his prolific career, the English songwriter has applied his imagination to a range of eccentric subjects, dedicating full albums to Anglocentric concepts like Britain's open-air swimming pools (Lido), Thankful Villages (Volumes 1-3), and the 17th century Essex Witch Trials (The Violence). While the gaping frontier of space travel might seem like a significantly broader theme by Hayman's usual standards, he manages to zoom in on the finer points of interest concerning the 12 men who have stood on the moon, devoting a single song of historical fiction to each of them. It seems the gentle-voiced indie pop auteur who loves trains, English history, and will paint a watercolor portrait of your dog for a reasonable commission is also a lifelong space aficionado.
Meticulously researched and brimming with melody and color, 12 Astronauts sees Hayman stepping away from the bucolic folk tone of his last few outings to create one of his most engaging releases in years. Through his unique lens, one of humankind's greatest achievements is refracted to instead focus on human elements like Neil Armstrong's reluctant celebrity ("Spaceman No More"), Buzz Aldrin's alcoholism and rocky marriage ("Low Orbit"), and Pete Conrad's preflight anxieties back in the NASA enclave where most of the astronauts' families lived ("Timber Cove"). From its detailed production to its unusual narratives on a familiar subject, 12 Astronauts is a creative triumph for Hayman and a deeply listenable set that honors the men, flaws and all, who risked their lives in the advancement of science and human capability.
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