Angelo De Augustine: Tomb (Asthmatic Kitty) Review

Angelo De Augustine

Tomb

Asthmatic Kitty

Feb 11, 2019 Web Exclusive By Michael James Hall

The third album by Thousand Oaks, CA-based singer/songwriter Angelo De Augustine is a minor key miracle. While comparisons to Sufjan Stevens, early Bon Iver, and of course Elliott Smith are not only lazy but acutely accurate, De Augustine’s sound is created and performed with such a subtle, delicate, and intimate touch that the comparisons soon fall away as the listener is enveloped in his high, sweet, sad whisper and simple, chiming guitar sounds.

The very quietness of Tomb seems to demand attention—as beautiful as a dropped pin in a silent room, songs like the title track and “Wanderer” have a searching, enchanting nature that’s teased to full fruition by producer/collaborator Doveman (aka Thomas Bartlett), whose input raises this record above the standard of De Augustine’s previous DIY recordings.

On standout song “Kaitlin,” De Augustine’s voice drops a register, lyrics coming into clearer view with lines like “Mother left you in the night/Father left you in the same light/Now we’re both trying to find someone”—its simple one word chorus a cry for relief while in a whirlwind of love lost we can all relate to.

This is a remarkable, quietly powerful, and astoundingly beautiful album from an artist who now deserves to take his place among his influences. (www.angelodeaugustine.com)

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