Thanks to Pete reminding me, I urgently went and picked up Satch's new CD - Super Colossal. We already new the album art was a little different, but what would the music inside hold?
So what are my initial first listen thoughts? Here goes... (this is MHO, no flames please)
Firstly Joe put comments into the songs' backgrounds in the fold out, very cool!! (He forgot One Robot's Dream though)
The album opens up with the title track "Super Colossal", and immediatly '80s WARRANT comes to mind... I'm going WTF? It trancends out of it, with a heralding sound which is far better,but still, it just didn't sit well with me. Even after the 2nd listen now, it's certainly not among my top 5 from this album. This certainly wasn't a good start IMHO, my face gloomed...
The second tune "Just Like Lightnin' "opens up with a ZZtop esqe rythym thats kinda cool. His playing sounds somewhat "looser" on this one, somewhat a departure from him. Still, I'm a ZZ fan, so it was cool. It seems this album Joe is exploring allot of different styles...
The third was a reall poppy happy tune "It's So Good", and does this wonderfull funky chorus bit that I love! By this song, my head started to raise up with hope for the album!
The fourth tune, was very reminiscent of the Crystal Planet days " Redshift Riders". I loved that album, and this song brought it all back to me... Great tune! A magical carpet ride through the stars...excellent.
"Ten Words" is a beautifully sad tune...simple guitar lines, and very vocal like rythym, just puts things in simple perspective. I expected a little more from Satch on this, more thought into the solos. Still it comes off pretty well. If John Lennon was around, this is what I'd imagine he'd sound like...
"A Cool New Way" is one of my favorite tracks from the album. A keyboard bass line that reminds me of thematic moments you'd hear in the background of the matrix, but not in a techno way. Etherial arpegiated guitars fill the void, with lovely solo guitar... This tune, from a stylistic point of view, is a new direction for Joe, and I love it..
"One Robot's Dream" is very reminiscent of his Engines of Creation sound, with careful keys and etherial choatic guitar... It's certainly different, but a little non-concentric to me. I kept asking, where are you taking me Joe? The chorus is pretty sweet though!
Synth strings fill the air, with some smooth & flowing guitar on "The Meaning of Love". The guitars are fairly adventurous with many textures and layers, that sounded cool. Overall the song didn't speak to me as well as others.
Running from my past, away from the chaos behind me, is what comes to mind with "Made of Tears". The back rythym has a really cool feel, but the solo just didn't convince me. The chorus gives an uplifting to the hunt, a revalation, and then back to reality. Kinda cool tune, but not in my top...
His next tune made me think of entering a gaming world, with ascending lick from the mind of some strange AI, and the journey just blew my mind. I was left more scrambled than intact on this one. Where was I? I have no idea!
Time for a feeling of freedom & release with "Movin' On", and really gives a rockabily that recalled the sounds of "Bad Company". Another mediocre tune for the album YAY!
Satch sings his lullaby in "A Love Eternal", and is the type of feeling and heartfelt melodies I look to Satch for. Sappy stuff really moves me sometimes and this is no exception. My other favorite tune from this album Hey we can't rock all the time ya know!!
Satch wakes you up from the lullaby to throw some bar room chanting rock n' roll in yo' face! I actually really enjoyed this song... so loosy & heavy rockin' The chorus has this really movement backed up by some cool keys!! A fairly cool last tune IMHO.
Overal I feel this is a GOOD album, not FANTASTIC & MIND BLOWING, but a good, worth my $$ album. The tunes journey different sounds, landscapes, and styles. It's as if he combined his styles from recent albums and put it into one, which works! Don't buy this album expecting to find a "how he do dat?" licks, just a plithera of Joe's soundscapes!!
What started out somewhat dissappointing quickly turned around, and I'm glad to have it in my collection!!
So what are my initial first listen thoughts? Here goes... (this is MHO, no flames please)
Firstly Joe put comments into the songs' backgrounds in the fold out, very cool!! (He forgot One Robot's Dream though)
The album opens up with the title track "Super Colossal", and immediatly '80s WARRANT comes to mind... I'm going WTF? It trancends out of it, with a heralding sound which is far better,but still, it just didn't sit well with me. Even after the 2nd listen now, it's certainly not among my top 5 from this album. This certainly wasn't a good start IMHO, my face gloomed...
The second tune "Just Like Lightnin' "opens up with a ZZtop esqe rythym thats kinda cool. His playing sounds somewhat "looser" on this one, somewhat a departure from him. Still, I'm a ZZ fan, so it was cool. It seems this album Joe is exploring allot of different styles...
The third was a reall poppy happy tune "It's So Good", and does this wonderfull funky chorus bit that I love! By this song, my head started to raise up with hope for the album!
The fourth tune, was very reminiscent of the Crystal Planet days " Redshift Riders". I loved that album, and this song brought it all back to me... Great tune! A magical carpet ride through the stars...excellent.
"Ten Words" is a beautifully sad tune...simple guitar lines, and very vocal like rythym, just puts things in simple perspective. I expected a little more from Satch on this, more thought into the solos. Still it comes off pretty well. If John Lennon was around, this is what I'd imagine he'd sound like...
"A Cool New Way" is one of my favorite tracks from the album. A keyboard bass line that reminds me of thematic moments you'd hear in the background of the matrix, but not in a techno way. Etherial arpegiated guitars fill the void, with lovely solo guitar... This tune, from a stylistic point of view, is a new direction for Joe, and I love it..
"One Robot's Dream" is very reminiscent of his Engines of Creation sound, with careful keys and etherial choatic guitar... It's certainly different, but a little non-concentric to me. I kept asking, where are you taking me Joe? The chorus is pretty sweet though!
Synth strings fill the air, with some smooth & flowing guitar on "The Meaning of Love". The guitars are fairly adventurous with many textures and layers, that sounded cool. Overall the song didn't speak to me as well as others.
Running from my past, away from the chaos behind me, is what comes to mind with "Made of Tears". The back rythym has a really cool feel, but the solo just didn't convince me. The chorus gives an uplifting to the hunt, a revalation, and then back to reality. Kinda cool tune, but not in my top...
His next tune made me think of entering a gaming world, with ascending lick from the mind of some strange AI, and the journey just blew my mind. I was left more scrambled than intact on this one. Where was I? I have no idea!
Time for a feeling of freedom & release with "Movin' On", and really gives a rockabily that recalled the sounds of "Bad Company". Another mediocre tune for the album YAY!
Satch sings his lullaby in "A Love Eternal", and is the type of feeling and heartfelt melodies I look to Satch for. Sappy stuff really moves me sometimes and this is no exception. My other favorite tune from this album
Hey we can't rock all the time ya know!!Satch wakes you up from the lullaby to throw some bar room chanting rock n' roll in yo' face! I actually really enjoyed this song... so loosy & heavy rockin' The chorus has this really movement backed up by some cool keys!! A fairly cool last tune IMHO.
Overal I feel this is a GOOD album, not FANTASTIC & MIND BLOWING, but a good, worth my $$ album. The tunes journey different sounds, landscapes, and styles. It's as if he combined his styles from recent albums and put it into one, which works! Don't buy this album expecting to find a "how he do dat?" licks, just a plithera of Joe's soundscapes!!
What started out somewhat dissappointing quickly turned around, and I'm glad to have it in my collection!!
