When Joe Satriani broke out in the late 1980s with Surfing With The Alien, he set the tone and pace for other guitar-based instrumental albums that came tumbling out from a wide variety of players. Each had their virtues, though most were novelties, heavily reliant on clever gimmicks, lighting speed and sleight-of-hand techniques. Satriani is no slouch when it comes to all of the above, except he excavates depths where others dare not tread. That approach remains in place in 2022 on The Elephants Of Mars, Satriani’s 19th studio release.
Recorded during and after the pandemic, Satriani has pulled together a work of magnificent scale and breadth, far exceeding your garden-variety shredder’s expectations of what a guitar-based instrumental album should be. The Elephants Of Mars forages the imagination with a fusion of stylistic espionage and sonic nuance — and it deserves far more than a run-through on your computer’s tinny speakers or Airpods. If the minor vamp that drives the opening “Sahara” doesn’t have you squirming for more insurgency outside the midrange, it’s time to get your ears lavaged and recalibrated.
Going forward, Satriani’s guitar pivots and pirouettes around any number of sequences and melodies —be it the highland march of the title track or the subdued trajectory of “Tension And Release,” Elsewhere, the guitarist spins out a flurry of angular, fiery notes within the mythological framework of “Sailing The Seeds Of Ganymede.” At the turn of each movement, there’s an uptick of bright intensity before giving way to the opening refrain.
The Mediterranean breeze of “Doors Of Perception” is a gateway to the sci-fi, cinematic feel of “Dance Of The Spores” and “Through A Mother’s Day Darkly, which features a scattering of dark spoken-word passages from Ned Evett, an animated filmmaker and renowned fretless glass-necked guitarist. All serve as mortal indications of Satriani’s compositional skills and ability to write real songs instead of baseless palettes for his guitar antics.
The jazzy landscape of “E 104th St NYC” and funky edge of “Pumpin’” both give the guitarist ample room to stretch out and apply his handiwork. Aesthetically, “11 Memory Lane” and “Desolation” bring the album to a mild, satisfying close. As the world sheltered for safety, Satriani brought in drummer Kenny Aronoff, bassist Bryan Beller, and keyboardists Rai Thistlethwayte and Eric Caudieux (who also served as producer and engineer) to help shape and mold The Elephants Of Mars. Considering the fallout and ramifications of the last couple years, it’s probably one of the better examples of how time and space under stressful conditions often perpetuates the creative process to a whole other level.
~ Shawn Perry
