(Self-released, vinyl, digital)
For anyone late to the party, Astral Underground are one of the best and most interesting bands in Vermont these days. That’s a strong statement but not solely my opinion. I know metalheads, hip-hop purists, jazz scholars and rock snobs who have all been converted by the experience of seeing this band live.
The Enosburg Falls trio of Margaux Simmons (flute), Ben Maddox (keys, guitars) and John Notaro (drums) delivers a strikingly modern take on jazz, with earth-shaking bass, levitating drum pockets, heavy-duty live effects processing and fearless improv. The constraints of the trio format keep things from getting overly self-indulgent or produced. On the musicians’ third album, Star Struck Gutz, they once again manage to bottle that lightning.
The first three tracks make a clear statement: This is a band determined to push the envelope and take sharp, convincing genre turns that expand its sound. “The Hardest Hidden Caravan Ever” is a hypnotic dose of desert exotica and synth improv — so hypnotic, in fact, that the breezy jazz fusion of “City University” is jarring by comparison. This second track is a lovely workout over clever chord charts, and it’s catchy, too.
The third turn of this magic act is “Doug and Molly,” hands down the most beautiful cut on a very pretty album. Simmons’ explorations are haunting and downright operatic, and Maddox busts out some choice lap steel licks that creep in slowly before dominating the second half.
On an album full of impressive arrangements, “Saba” takes gold with a three-part journey that flows like water. It also spotlights the fluidity of the Maddox/Notaro tag team: They don’t have to rock out to get your head nodding. Even at a whisper, they sell the groove.
Things come to a ketamine-flavored stop on the title track, the album’s most ambient cut (by parsecs!), which passes like a dream. It’s like a Simmons solo slowed down by 400 percent. The dirge tempo reveals the depth of her rhythmic and harmonic creativity. Hers is a truly exceptional voice.
An LP full of flute solos is not an easy sell for me, but Astral Underground have accomplished that feat thrice in a row. That’s because, despite being the clear lead instrumentalist, Simmons is never fully center stage, always cocreating. The band delivers albums with real variety. This one is prog-jazz-rock with the retro bent of the Weather Report and Pink Floyd era — when the drugs were still real and everything sounded amazing.
Star Struck Gutz is a finely polished gem. Give it a full spin at astralunderground.bandcamp.com.
This article appears in The Media Issue • 2026.
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