The last time Joe Satriani released an album with a cover without a picture of himself, it was in 2000 for "Engines Of Creation". This opus, which was not well liked because it was too far ahead of its time, marked a turning point in the American's way of composing. 22 years later, seeing the clever cover of the guitarist's nineteenth album, it is impossible not to make the parallel and to say to oneself that "The Elephants Of Mars" will mark a new turning point in the plethoric work of the guitarist, who has never left anything to chance in his rich career. And indeed, Satch delivers here the most eclectic, complex and conceptual album of his discography. And also one of the most beautiful.
If the pandemic will leave indelible traces in the musical approach of many artists, for Joe, it was a way to throw himself into the expression of his creativity. Between the release of the comic book "Crystal Planet" inspired by the album of the same name, the opening of his painting exhibition and the composition of "The Elephants Of Mars", Joe Satriani did everything to fill the void left by his forced departure from the scene. This episode, although painful for an artist, was in his case salutary, as this new album is of an impressive richness.
Composed entirely from a distance with bassist Bryan Beller, drummer Kenny Aronoff, keyboardist Rai Thistlethwayte and the indispensable Eric Caudieux on sound design, "The Elephants Of Mars" pushes the limits of Joe's conceptual approach to the composition of a guitar-centered instrumental work. Because even if the opening track 'Sahara' makes the link with "Shapeshifting", it is to a new musical experience that the Master invites us here, so that his proximity with the listener has never been so obvious. Listening to "The Elephants Of Mars" on headphones is an emotion of every moment thanks notably to an outstanding production that allows to feel the unequalled expressiveness of the guitarist, whose every inflection, every nuance, every pick stroke can be heard, as if he was talking directly into our ears.
With "The Elephants Of Mars", Joe Satriani literally reinvents his music by leaving much more room for keyboards and by going to look for inspiration in the New York jazz-rock of the 70's, in particular Miles Davis and Weather Report ('E 104th St NYC 1973', 'Tension And Release'), in the funk ('Pumpin') and even in the disco ('Night Scene'). None of the tracks on the album sound the same, but Joe still manages the feat of coherence while navigating in totally opposite universes, like pop ('22 Memory Lane'), blues ('Blue Foot Groovy') or oriental music ('Doors Of Perception').
But what dominates most this extraordinary album is the emotion. An emotion that overwhelms us with the most melancholic tracks (the magnificent 'Faceless' and 'Desolation') dominated by the unique touch of the guitarist, and an emotion that devastates us by the evocative power of some tracks like the brilliant 'Sailing The Seas Of Ganymede', which marries in a sublime way the groove impelled by the rhythm section and the aerial leads of the guitars, or even the very dark 'Through A Mother's Day Darkly' and its tortured floydian atmosphere.
In 30 years, Joe Satriani has never stopped simplifying his playing to reach an expressiveness that he is the only one to master at this point, as much in his melodic approach as in his mastery of sound and the refinement of his phrasing. Today, at 65 years old, he clearly takes an artistic direction much closer to that of a Jeff Beck (in much more rock) than to a Steve Vai and his inhuman technique. "The Elephants Of Mars" is one more step in the career of this unique artist who has definitely not finished surprising us. Don't let yourself be influenced by all those who will tell you that Satch always does the same thing, they simply won't have listened to this fantastic album.