Guitarist Joe Satriani has a new single out in the title track just-released album The Elephants Of Mars.
A stomping thrust of electronica wherein a wail of guitars begin whizzing about, like flies buzzing round an elephant quite frankly, it then moves towards more classically toned themes and then on only reaching the halfway point slows down a slow dance Fred Astaire could’ve charmed you with, before moving earnestly into guitar hero whammy bar fusion.
You can check out the video for ‘Elephants Of Mars’ here at RAMzine.
The Elephants Of Mars marks Satriani’s 19th studio album in his 35+ year career in music. The album also marks his moving into a new label partnership with earMUSIC, the international rock label of entertainment group Edel.
Satriani had a productive workingman’s holiday, with pandemic forced time away from the road, that ultimately gave him and his touring band (All recording remotely in separate areas of the world during lockdown), the ability to deliver an album length journey that is said to briskly travel through stylistic roads that feel “freshly updated, viewed through new eyes”.
The guitarist challenged himself to create a “new standard” for instrumental guitar albums to be measured against, one which would work from “a new platform of his own design,” as he terms it. “I want to show people that an instrumental guitar album can contain far more creative and entertaining elements than I think people are using right now.”
We are promised gripping, sci-fi madness in ‘Through A Mother’s Day Darkly’, the feeling of isolation in a decaying urban landscape with ‘Sahara’, and general endorphin levels peaking as the elephants finally roar in the title track, ‘The Elephants Of Mars’.
“We did everything. We tried the craziest ideas. And we entertained every notion we had about turning something backwards, upside down, seeing what could happen,” said Satriani.
Max Vaccaro, general manager at earMUSIC, remarked, “Some years ago, we were lucky to be the label chosen by Joe Satriani for the extremely fortunate Chickenfoot project. It was impossible not to notice and admire the dedication, the work ethic, and the monstrous talent in the recording studio and on stage. We knew, though, that he had the same “home” for his solo music for decades and that for him, being signed to a record company meant loyalty and belonging.
“It is with great joy and sense of responsibility that now, some years later, we welcome Joe for his first solo work with earMUSIC. We thank him for having written and recorded very special music that will make a lot of fans happy, and we like to think this will be the first of many great albums to come.”
Tracks featured on the album are ‘Sahara’, ‘The Elephants Of Mars’, ‘Faceless’, ‘Blue Foot Groovy’, ‘Tension and Release’, ‘Sailing The Seas Of Ganymede’, ‘Doors of Perception’, ‘E 104th St NYC’, ‘Pumpin’’, ‘Dance Of The Spores’, ‘Night Scene’, ‘Through A Mother’s Day Darkly’, ‘22 Memory Lane’ and ‘Desolation’.
Prior to the title track, Satriani has previewed several other tracks as singles. Most recently there was ‘Pumpin’ that showcases the band’s funky fusion party side with Satriani describing it as “a high energy, funky celebration about the visceral side of being alive. Heart pumpin’, living large, moving fast, and feelin’ good!”
You can stream the single here and watch the official visualiser, come video, here at RAMzine.
Previous to that, the single ‘Faceless’ shows a melodic and poignant side of the new album. Satriani describes it as a composition that deals with loneliness. “It’s about when the person you want to see you for who you really are, doesn’t seem to recognise you.”
The guitarist continued, “It’s also a comment on a society where people are truly knowing each other less and less, being separated by their differences rather than being united for their shared hopes and dreams. The solo section represents one’s true self finally breaking free.”
The single is available to stream here and you can check out the visualiser video for it here at RAMzine, alongside the official video for the first single from the album, ‘Sahara’.
The video for ‘Sahara’ featured here at RAMzine was directed by ZZ Satriani.
Pre-orders are available now and include a special limited digi-pack CD release featuring seven double sided cards of original artwork by Satriani representing each song from the album. In addition, several coloured vinyl options will be available as well to pre-order including an orange, pink (D2C only) and purple version.
Joe Satriani will tour the UK in 2023. Tour dates are listed below.
