A STREET BETWEEN SUNRISE AND SUNSET

Very lush melodies and soaring instrumentals, soft production and pretty close to the ves is a good way to descirbe Satellite's music. Don't get me wrong, I like both Satellite discs and the two Collage discs that I have; however, it may be bands like this that turn people away from neo progressive music as they don't take chances like neo pioneers Marillion or IQ.

The disc starts off with the 9 minute "Evening Wind" that sets the tone for the rest of the disc. Very nice production with some exquisite keyboard work towards the middle and end. Extremely nice to the ears, but somewhat tame. Drummer and main creative force, Wojtek Szadkowski, pulls off some good drum patterns as the song comes to a close. Maybe not as fluid as other drummers, but still very good.

As the disc progresses, it still maintains this same formula. It does work for me because I love melody and good music, which Satellite does very well. Case in point is the beginning of "On The Run", which blends nice orchestration in to give it a soft but pleasing sound. In keeping with the spirit of prog, however, I like to hear this band venture off into odd time signatures and change it up a bit. Good stuff, but nothing too challenging.

"Midnight Snow" takes on a soft ballad feel, complete with drum loops and fragile vocals. It's simply one of those songs that may not be taken seriously by the progressive community as a whole. It sounds a bit like smooth jazz, complete with the acoustic guitar solo; although, the electric guitar solo simply screams and adds a bit of teeth to this otherwise soft song.

"No Disgrace" starts off in an almost Asia like fashion, which electric guitar and orchestrated synths introducing to a more prog oriented song (I know some will view an Asia comparison to prog as an oxymoron, but work with me). Actually one of my favorites from this disc. Synth heavy with a nice chorus and sensitive guitar solo meticulously plotted out. Satellite need to include more songs to the mix.

Where "No Disgrace" too us on a progressive journey, "Not Afraid" takes us back a step with a very pop sound that sounds like something you'd have on the stereo while snuggling with your significant other. A song that could've been left off.

If you like the sound of Tangerine Dream, then you may like "Now", which has that same feel. Again, nothing too challenging with this piece. They do mix it up with a stern chorus and lush instrumentals; again, however, the drums feel a bit clumsy and out of place in spots. Seems Szadkowski is willing to sacrifice genuine musicality to overplayed fills.

I don't want to be redundant and say the same thing for "Fight" that I've already said; so, I'll go straight to the title (and strongest) song from this disc. This is Satellite's attempt at a progressive like song, but still falls a bit short. No real direction and nothing different from what we've already heard. The disc ends with "Children", which is a pleasant surprise. Nothing too prog about it, but a nice percussive backdrop and good lyrics.

I recall when I first got this disc at how much much I really enjoyed it. Now that I've branched out and discovered new bands, Satellite lacks a backbone (for lack of a better word) that the world of progressive music needs. I listen and I can make a list of suggestions that I would like to see this band accomplish. One of which is look for a singer who doesn't have a breathy, sugary tone to it that Robert Amirian possesses. Good singer, but just not confident it's suitable for prog. Maybe experiment with different synth sounds, as it seems to be repeated throughout the disc. Needles to say, I'm less enamoured with this disc now than when I first got it. This band is capable of so much more.