With eight full-length releases to their credit, Germanys psyche-pop Satelliters have been at the reverb-soaked, 60s revival game since long before the current crop of like styled acts (Scandinavian and otherwise) first squeezed into a set of matching stovepipe trousers. Rather than retooling garage rock for todays masses, though, the Satelliters stay on the unabashed and unapologetically derivative course, seemingly more than content to have listeners mistake them for some original article from four decades back. Loads of organ, fuzzed-out guitar, thumping bass and wailing harmonica mix and mingle on track after well-arranged track here, along with some classic revving-motorcycle sound effects, vinyl hiss and other apropos studio shenanigans. Indeed, there are plenty of bands doing the time machine shuffle these days, but few are executing the throwback routine with such effectiveness and aplomb. In keeping with authentic 60s tradition, the band include a few dandy covers, as well, the best of which is a muscular rendition of the Small Faces "Wham Bam Thank You Mam sung en francaise.
(Dionysus)Satelliters
Hashish
BY Chuck MolgatPublished May 1, 2005