Satellite - Nostalgia


Year of Release: 2009
Label: Metal Mind
Catalog Number: MMP CD 0658
Format: CD
Total Time: 57:39:00

When Polish prog group Collage ended, it split apart into several separate groups, or parts - sort of a collage in reverse, as it were. One of those parts was Satellite, who in 2003 released their debut, A Street Between Sunrise And Sunset, in 2004 followed that up with Evening Games, and released two additional CDs that we'll examine in a review of Into The Night (2007) and here in a review of Nostalgia (2009). We also examine another branch, which is actually a sub-branch, as Strawberry Fields could be viewed as a side project, the pivot point being drummer Wojtek Szadkowski (although we'll find other Satellite members in the line up). The other branch off Collage comes with Mirek Gil, who was a member of Satellite for the first album, but went off to form first Mr. Gil and then Believe, a band that a also included Przemas Zawadzki, former bassist with Satellite; we reviewed two their works - Hope To See Another Day (2006) and Yesterday Is A Friend (2008) (they also released This Bread Is Mine in 2009)

If you think you have Satellite pegged down, based on their albums to date, then this release will have you snapping that peg in two, because this album sounds so very different from the past; bit more rock than prog rock. Oh, it's still good, and the heavier direction that could be heard on Into The Night is still there in places, but only now? well, a track like "Am I Losing Touch" is much more angular, jazzier, RIO-ish in a way. Oddly, I was editing for reposting a past King Crimson article (a primer Clayton wrote some years back, for the curious), and that's what this sounded like to me. King Crimson. Well, KC given a jazzy, disco twist (another KC does not come to mind, however). Perhaps it's that "disco" effect to the guitar, oh so 70s? I think it's the guitar... whatever created that "disco sound" (sort of a clipped "cha-cha-cha"*) ? How different are the band? I actually had to double-think whether I put the right CD in during one "listening session." And overall, really, this is a much lighter Satellite.

"Every Desert Got Its Ocean," opens the album. Overall, it's a much poppier piece than I'd associate with Satellite. And yet, at other moments, if you put early Genesis in your mind, but not too early - I'd say? Wind And Wuthering or Lamb? period, give it 2009 production values (not that the mid-70s values were bad, but equipment has improved, as it should) and you have a sense of what Satellite are doing here. It is strictly feel, atmosphere, as you won't necessarily say "oh, that sounds like" and pluck some Genesis classic (or non-classic) out of that era. Mainly because the symphonic sound here draws from other wells, giving it a much richer, orchestrated feel than Genesis had (well, that era, later Genesis did a bit; but not so much later as Invisible Touch). The keys are a bit poppier than Genesis, which made me think of a non-prog band Sniff 'N' The Tears who hit it big once with "Driver's Seat" (heard most recently in the US in car maker Lincoln's commercials).

It's hard to say whether it was deliberate, given the title, or the title just nudges the thought along to find the influences, to find what they're nostalgic about; I thought the second track in "Repaint The Sky" sound a bit like Pendragon, especially in the vocals, during one passage. I think an argument could also be made for a bit of The Flower Kings in this track, too. Not only; Sarhan Kubiesi's guitar tone is a bit higher than Nick Barrett's and bit harsher than Roine Stolt's, but an overall look at the layer of elements suggests Flower Kings to me.

The percussion/rhythm of "Over Horizon" recalls Genesis' "Mama" and Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers" (the latter one of my fave Gabriel tracks, along with "Salisbury Hill," "Red Rain" and "In Your Eyes," but I digress). It manages to hew closer to the intensity of the latter ("GWF") without the interesting at first but trying after awhile element of the former ("Mama"). I feel I should also say, there a touch of Fish in this track, too. That is, until the chorus begins, and it veers into the pop-prog territory, that recalls the 90125/Big Generator/Open Your Eyes/The Ladder period of Yes. Robert Amirian doesn't sing like Anderson, so it's not exactly like Yes in that regard, but in overall feel, at that point, and especially with the lyric "Step out of the dark / Step out of the dark / Step out of the dark / Yes, dive on, dive on / into the river of light" (which, interestingly enough, even includes the word "yes," but I think that's coincidence). I'd also say this is Nostalgia's "sing-along" track - yes, live I can hear the audience singing along with this chorus. This is one of my favorites.

I'm going to dip back to "Am I Losing Touch" to add that the song begins very dark, very languid. While nothing over, there's a bit of something dark at the edges. And it's during this section that mid-period Porcupine Tree come mind. But that after that, we get the angular feel I mentioned above. It's darker, harsher than the moody beginning, and we get an interesting drums/bass duet as the instrumental bridge; a rapid pulse, racing in a clear, straight-arrow direction. Ah, then we're at the disco, before slipping into another bit of Yes (earlier period) with some Steve Howe-inspired acoustic guitar arpeggios.

The album closes with "Is It Over," which harkens back to "classic" Satellite - silky arrangements, soaring guitar, atmospheric keys, mid-tempo percussion - without sounding like a rehash from a past album.

So, with all the "changes" to their sound - which is by no means a bad thing - what remains, as with Into The Night, is the mesmerizingly good guitar playing of Kubiesi; in "Afraid Of What We Say" the guitar and the keyboards create a nice duo, even if they're not dueting until the very end when we get piano-like keys and acoustic guitar. Before that, they're compliments, each showing some dexterous soundplay. And the band is still very fluid; arrangements flow smoothly and develop organically. Nothing seems forced. What remains is some excellent drum work - dynamic and never static, from Wojtek Szadkowski; and warm vocals - most of the time - from Amirian. The keyboards this time out seem mostly handled by Szadkowski with additional contributions from Krzysiek Palczewski. The closing guitar solo and some additional additional keyboards on "Is It Over" come from Amarok (whom tszirmay identifies as Michal Wojtas in his review at ProgArchives)

While Satellite have never been inaccessible, Nostalgia, by design, is more accessible. And yet, like earlier works, and certainly Into The Night create something imminently listenable and necessitating repeat listenings. It will never wear it out its welcome as there so many layers to explore.

[The digipack version (MMP CD 0659 DG) includes two bonus tracks: "The Color Of Rain," and "Relaxed" -ed.]

* as of this writing I've added the track to our MySpace playlist, which can be found here.


Tracklisting:
Every Desert Got Its Ocean (9:13) / Repaint The Sky (6:56) / Afraid Of What We Say (8:47) / I Want You To Know (7:20) / Over Horizon (8:04) / Am I Losing Touch? (9:45) / Is It Over? (7:30)

Musicians:
Robert Amirian - vocals
Saharan Kubeisi - guitar, acoustic guitar
Jarek Michalski - bass guitar
Wojtek Szadkowski - keyboards, acoustic guitar, drums

Guests:

Krzysiek Palczewski - additional keyboards
Amarok - additional keyboards, last guitar solo (7)

Discography:
A Street Between Sunrise And Sunset (2003)
Evening Games (2004)
Into The Night (2007)
Nostalgia (2009)

Evening Dreams (DVD) (2005)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin PL

Added: August 24th 2010
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.myspace.com/satellitepoland
Hits: 2698
Language: english

  

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