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Review:
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Satellite is like a great restaurant, they keep feeding
the clientele with great cuisine, the kitchen staff never
changes but the menu always contains some new marvels. Some
have begun to find the rather easy road to criticize Wojtek
Szadkowski (the chef!) for repeating the same music since
the sparkling debut but I beg to differ! Each subsequent
album has offered different recipes with "Evening Games"
introducing a harsher climate and the previous "Into the
Night" even daring to be futuristic (the stellar "Forgiven
& Forgotten").***
On this new album , there are unending alterations
(check out the incredible Santana bliss -out solo on "Afraid
of What We Say") to their classic sound, while singer Robert
Amirian has never sounded better as one of the best prog
vocalists anywhere, Szadkowski is arguably one of the finest
drummers in music period, the keyboards are even more luxuriant
than ever before , a new solid bassist keeps it all grounded
and now guitarist Sarhan Kubeisi has definitely grown into
a masterful six-stringer even though the sound is clearly
more "nostalgic"! What are we bitching about, hmmmm? Is
it too commercial? Well, the debut was pretty ear-friendly
and its one of the "neo" jewels, almost universally applauded
by the prog illuminati, so I see no point to complain (the
disease of our times, everyone's a Lance Ito judge it seems!)
about quality music like this! So let's get the CSI lab
in here and analyze this sucker, will we? Under the microscope,
the record starts off with a long and languid piece.
"Every Desert has Its Ocean"- that has all the usual
suspects: the choppy orchestral concussions, the marshalling
beat pounding forward propelling the melody, Robert singing
with conviction especially when he gets soft and sweet and
then explode into raging passion, the guitar is now razor
sharp, slicing majestically through the maze with unabridged
decorum, searching out a new oasis of expressed pleasure
(that first solo is breathless!) and elevating the piece
to neo-classic status (ooops!) . Again, this is far from
wimpy wanderings, so wake up and smell the heady nostalgia!
Amazing track, OK! Next up, a slithering synthesizer motif,
a synthetic almost trippy drum beat and a "oh so cool" Amirian
vocal , this is another breezy affair that induces genuine
admiration and the massive orchestrations are exalting,
the bass beep-beeping like the Roadrunner, squealing guitar
howls from Sarhan "Slowhand" Kubeisi , a strychnine-infused
very chill solo and more sweet synths. Oh, I love this,
one of my faves, close to previously lauded "Forgiven".***
The third track is the stunner here, the mega classic
"Afraid of What We Say", probably one of the best sonic
asteroids this band has ever recorded, pure perfection from
the achingly poetic beginning with its pop-blues intonations
to the lights-out "Every Step of the Way, Carlos baby" guitar
that just takes over the rule like a mad dictatorial junta
while Szadkowski does his best "Michael Shrieve in Woodstock
fury" imitation. Una maravilla! Hilariously good, I laughed
giddily in awe while listening to this the very first time.
"I Want You to Know" reverts to the more conventional formula,
a guitar-led piece of melancholia that gracefully keeps
things simple, as if discussing a simpler, gentler time
(the essence of Nostalgia) and gives Amirian that platform
to shine, modulating his voice to fit the urgency as the
synth dances eagerly in the back ground. Sarhan then tosses
in a "classic" prog-guitar solo but the bass is really the
prime motivator as it pushes the mood relentlessly forward.
The piano takes a predominant role here and that is another
new twist on the orbital menu, so much for the stagnation
claims!***
A very pleasant ride, indeed ("songs that I wrote, they
always meant so much to me", now that is really not pretentious!).
"Over the Horizon" is the HAHA "pop song" here (all 8 minutes
of it), twirling synth patter locked in with minimalist
drum beats, gloomy moods and drenched atmospheres that suddenly
metamorphose into a classic neo delight (yeah, love is the
theme, yawn?), with a friendly chorus that does stray very
far from the complex experimental sonics some adore (still
better than recent Genesis though!). Sombre tones, mournful
intonations, crying guitars and sweaty symphonics are the
hallmarks of the splendid almost cinematographic "Am I Losing
Touch", whispered eloquently by the drunken/drugged vocals
that suddenly but not unexpectedly get angry and bitter!
The venom gets intense and this again is no wimpy stuff
as the lads swerve into bleeding fast runs that showcase
their skills, the manic drumming in particular is quite
impressive. This is another fantastic piece where Michalski
fretless bass really sticks out and the cello patches swoon
with the depressed piano lines. Yummy in my tummy!***
The Satellite crew like to finish off their craft with
some placid balladry and there is no omission here, "Is
it Over" becomes a bluesy guitar adieu featuring Amarok
(Michal Wojtas), who made his name as a deft Mark Knopfler/Mike
Oldfield/David Gilmour fan/virtuoso and he gives a nice
performance with Sarhan . Pfff! I am a sucker for these
long melancholic, painfully teary-eyed bluesy rants and
this is no exception. Amazing! The two bonus tracks are
worthwhile especially "Relaxed", a cool instrumental track
that shows why these guys are so good: it sounds so natural,
so er..relaxed! Our Easy Livin is correct in his appreciation
that this is one hell of a talented crew, so they have a
good restaurant going with lots of famished diners, featuring
a great ever-evolving menus, fantastic service, great spirits
and a sumptuous décor. Why close the kitchen?
5 orbital reminiscences
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