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The sad truth is that no matter how well this album is received, Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment will be Bad Astronaut's last album. Vocalist Joey Cape (Lagwagon/Me First & the Gimme Gimmes) had to complete the album in the aftermath of the suicide of drummer Derrick Plourde, and he's made it clear there is no Bad Astronaut without Plourde. That's a shame, because the band had clearly found a unique sound within its Punk/Pop context, adding in flecks of Crimson-y prog and Bowie-esque glam with an unrelenting Indie Punk energy. Twelve Small Steps narrows the focus slightly after BA's last wildly diverse album, 2002's Houston, We Have a Drinking Problem, while still offering plenty of range, from the R.E.M./Frank Black acoustics-and-swelling-strings of "One Giant Disappointment" and "Minus" to the Emo-Bowie groove of "Beat" to the Pearl Jam-stripped-bare Rock of "Best Western." The finality of Twelve Small Steps casts a slight pallor over the album's potential, but there's always the hope that Cape will see the wisdom and beauty of keeping this hyper-talented unit together as a tribute to Plourde rather than dissolving it in his tragic absence. (Brian Baker) Grade: B+ Shake It Records - Click here to listen