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High in energy, melody and at times a Marc Bolan-like vocal, Philadelphia-based Satellite Hearts unleash their brand of rock & roll with their second effort, Desire Forces The Flow.  It’s as if you took The Sweet and revved them up to 100 miles per hour – that’s what the sound of Satellite Hearts reminds me of.  Radio-friendly and hook-laden pop/rock galore.

The first two tracks, “Carry Them Bones” and “Smoke And Mirrors” come on hard and fast, dragging you behind in their wake, filled with riffs, stops and interesting little nuances; “Meet The Greens” has a wonderfully weird familiarity that I can’t quite place – some very clever harmonies, rhythms and a fuzz-drenched wipe-out solo.  “Whisper On The Breeze” is another curiosity, with its twisted Gershwin-esque piano beginning and building up to a tastefully textured ballad; “Peacock Blue” has a Posies-like quality about it – beefy drums, taut guitar and a fine structure and “In Twilight” ends the album in a satisfying manner with some whimsically reverbed guitar and an Alex Chilton-ness in the vocal.

All in all, a fine effort.  This band has a good grasp of their own musical roots, which are obviously plentiful and well-drawn upon.  And more power to them.  We need more bands that have this kind of skill.

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Desire Forces The Flow will be available Tuesday, July 21st

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About the Author

Rob Ross

Rob Ross has been, for good, bad or indifferent, involved in the music industry for over 30 years - first as guitarist/singer/songwriter with The Punch Line, then as freelance journalist, producer and manager to working for independent and major record labels. He resides in Staten Island, New York with his wife and cats; he works out a lot, reads voraciously, loves Big Star and his orange Gretsch. Doesn't that make him neat?

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