Boom Boom Satellites
Boom Boom Satellites
Epic
You can take half of the tracks and stuff ‘em up your industrial ass. The other half rocks my groove more. The Satellites combine a mixture of electronica and big beats to create a sound that’s nothing new or groundbreaking, but shows some talent. This release’s popularity in Japan and abroad can be attributed to its catchy, semi-commercial sound.
I diss half the disk for its heavy rotation of guitar riffs and distorted vocals. I’m not a fan of mixing harsh guitars with electronica. Track one sounds like a ten year old industrial cut with Roxette (eeeiiiiYUK) and bits of spastic drum breaks and beats. Luckily the riffs-de-Roxette are absent from the rest of the disc.
The CD really picks up at “Intruder,” where the dub noise bleeds into a solid jazz drum solo. So smooth it’s hard to tell it is electronically produced, but it is. Then we catapult through the tunnel of echoes and wind up on track 6, “An Owl,” a beat heavy jazz and electronica fusion reminiscent of Ben Neil’s psychotic trumpet and jungle production, Goldbug (Antilles). Some of the cuts suffer from over-production, such as “On the Painted Desert” and its classical and electronica embarrassment.
Look, if you dig vocals and guitars that slant towards industrial, you’ll smile at this. If you’re interested in delving into the heavier side of beats, then this might be good for you too. If you are a beat enthusiast, or a seasoned player, skip it, ‘cause there is nothing new here. Overall, though, it’s a high level of production and you definitely hear some good sounds, but we’ll have to wait for the Satellites next revolution to know how deep the bass booms.
Epic, 550 Madison, 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10022-3211
