Crushed Stars

Multi-instrumentalist and producer Todd Gautreau records under the name Crushed Stars, crafting understated yet literate pop that draws from a wide range of sources stretching from Burt Bacharach through the Sea and Cake. Earlier in his career Gautreau concentrated on electronica shaped by the approaches of Brian Eno and Steve Reich, issuing material as both Sonogram and Tear Ceremony. Toward the close of the 1990s, however, he concluded that understated, tuneful music offered a necessary counterbalance to the prevailing loud and abrasive climate. The first Crushed Stars full-length, Self Navigation, appeared in 2001. Following a deal with Arena Rock Recording Company, Gautreau delivered the project’s sophomore effort, Obsolescence, in 2006. Subsequent releases Gossamer Days in 2007 and Convalescing in Braille in 2010 came out on Simulacra Records. Farewell Young Lovers, issued in 2014, marked an expansion of the palette through the addition of a permanent drummer, while the 2017 album Displaced Sleepers included performances by Jeff Ryan (War on Drugs, St. Vincent), Matt Pence (Shearwater, Midlake), and Stuart Sikes (Cat Power, Modest Mouse).