The Satellite Program - Adoration In Retreat

Adoration In Retreat, the debut full-length from Seattle band The Satellite Program, weds potent songwriting to a crisp distillation of 3-minute power pop, Americana atmospherics, and soulful guitar arrangements;Singer/songwriter Mark Malone is literate and intelligent, writing poetic and honest observations without a clichÃ© in the bunch. I liked the clever Beatles allusions in ŒInside Man.Â¹ I like the yearning and the sympathetic observations and just the fact that Malone writes exactly what he feels without falling into the smarmy or pseudo-intellectual traps that a lot of otherwise-smart songwriters fall into. I like the raw feel. Most of the album was recorded in a small basement with lots of packing blankets and other makeshift studio gear, and it sounds like it in the best possible way. ThereÂ¹s a very rebellious indie spirit in this music that I really connect with. It feels like a small, out-of-the-way Seattle bar on a rainy day. We get smooth minor chords and some ballads that are very vintage Bowie. Another plus is MaloneÂ¹s singing Â he has a quirky, cool voice that fits this style. The picture that comes together is of jangly alt rock/pop, very melodic, with solid guitar work by Chris Ferreira and an earnest approach to songwritingŠÂ² -- Indie-music.com.

These 13 songs track a closely observed journey with wry bemusement and unadorned longing. Behind the deceptively cheery melodicism of cuts like Â³Keep Me AroundÂ² and Â³Inside ManÂ² lay a worldly reserve that turns explicit in Â³Western ElectricÂ² and Â³Protection.Â² The mood swings from the misty Â³Rollaway,Â² riding a Northern railway that fades to a dark, lonely horizon, to the boisterous Americana bliss of Â³Coin-Op Proxy.Â² The production, unabashedly guitar-happy throughout, ranges from the arena-struck Â³Red Roses In the SnowÂ² to the intimate living room weeper Â³Unlisted.Â² Very Highly Recommended!

Laugh When You Tell Me - mp3

Inside Man - mp3

Wipeout By Decree - mp3

Red Roses In The Snow - mp3

Keep Me Around - mp3