Satellite Ravens are taking the Rohde less travelled by with soaring new album, The Equinox

‘If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself’ is the exact mentality multi-instrumentalist and creator of Satellite Ravens, Carson Rohde, has applied to debut album, The Equinox. Birthed in Arizona but finding their wings in California, Satellite Ravens are a new twist on the one-man band by combining the sound of the past and present to create something never heard before. The Equinox is a melding of genres from jazz to funk, from 80s rock to 90s underground psych – an album to be explored through each layer of magnificence.

Apart from the unusual combination of sounds that causes the album to stand out from what’s currently in the charts, The Equinox puts Carson’s booming bass guitar skills at the forefront creating a chill/lost in space like vibe. Layered in weird and wonderful modified synths and sounds, The Equinox is a new world of colourful characters and vast landscapes of uncharted territory with each track claiming more and more of this territory as its own. Lead track, ‘Changes,’ is a psychedelic funk fusion introducing you to the unique sound of Satellite Ravens that spends five minutes taking you on a journey you might find yourself not wanting to come back from. The mood alterations throughout ‘Changes’ are notable but subtle, giving you classic hippy vibes mixed with intoxicating electric guitar solos before leaving you stranded with an abrupt end that has you desperately searching for more.

Watch the music video for ‘Changes’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj8YEUKgcKA

But fear not for The Equinox will not leave you lost for long before delivering you to the robotic rock ‘Suffocated,’ a song that doesn’t begin how you think it will end and just keeps you guessing for what is to come next from the album. ‘Suffocated’ contains drawn out vocals and nothing short of awesome guitar playing that softens out towards the fade out end to put you in the mood for the chilled funk of ‘AfterThoughts.’ The shortest of the tracks on The Equinox, ‘Encircled’ is a pseudo-mystical song that walks you through a dream in the same way Fleetwood Mac would if they teamed up with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Whilst every track on The Equinox has a hypnotising rhythm that is guaranteed to have you hooked, ‘Equinox Ashes’ is a space rock track that fades in and out of beauty whilst continuously managing to be captivating.

The Equinox is by no means an album that will appeal to everyone, but it has a charm and allure built into each track that will appeal to those open to musical experimentation and creation. The array of different styles and intriguing lyrics are playful but also speak of some serious musical talent akin to bands like the Flaming Lips. The Equinox is in orbit now and I encourage you to give it a listen before things completely blow up.

Links:

Website: https://satelliteravens.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/satellite.ravens/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/satelliteravens
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJAay056LCLnCks9ua9Duw?view_as=subscriber
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/satellite_ravens
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4DWM8jTdcf2wyyWt3a7SzV
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/satellite.ravens/

 

Review by Skye W. Winwood