Here we are for Joe Satriani's eighteenth studio album, two years after Shapeshifting, which I really appreciated. For this brand new The Elephant Of Mars, Joe was able to focus on his own activities in the studio due to the forced stoppage of live shows due to the pandemic. This album is also the first published for earMusic.
I find this album a little more atmospherical (and experimental) than usual. The first single (and opener) Sahara, sets really well the mood of the album. Definitely not the only good track on the album as I loved the title track The Elephants Of Mars (you can see a mix between elephants and guitars on the cover, above, a good way to represent the title), the ballad Faceless and Doors of perception, very oriental. Very peculiar are also Sailing The Seas Of Ganymede and Dance of the spores, very cinematic. We have something not entirely instrumental but with some spoken words with the very interesting and technical, and again, cinematic, Through A Mother’s Day Darkly.
As I say in (almost) every single review, the album could have been a little shorter as 66 minutes are a little too much, in my opinion, especially for an instrumental album. But, on the other hand, you know already that it's Joe Satriani and we are talking about quality music, this time even more open to different atmospheres.
Rating 68/100
Top tracks: The Elephants Of Mars, Faceless, Dance Of The Spores.
Tracklist:
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
Desolation
Tracklist:
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
Desolation