SERPENTINA SATELITE (Mecanica Celeste) LP/CD
It is good to see that Peru's space rockers SERPENTINA SATELITE are still alive. I first heard about the band, when I received their second album 'Nothing To Say' in 2008 and was immediately excited about their trippy jaunts into outer space. Meanwhile, SERPENTINA SATELITE has landed at the excellent English label Rocket Recordings, which released their third record 'Mecanica Celeste' in 2010. Even if Hawkwind still play an important role in the band's universe, there is no question that SERPENTINA SATELITE have built their own majestic spaceship. 'Mecanica Celeste' consists of five tracks, and a few of them are interlinked which make it easier to lose themselves during the voyage.
The opening track, 'Fobos' is a good test of whether you are or are not going to like this band, because they make use of stylistic tools such as repetitive sound patterns in combination with minimalistically arranged songs. Some people will find it boring, but for me personally, the repeated themes are the key features of hypnotic space rock. Most of the tracks are enriched with amazing sound effects, ranging from child's voices to swirling drones. 'Mecanica Celeste' is dense, fuzzy and dripping in an ominously psychedelic reverb. Once again, vocals are playing only a minor role and are only another pulsating effect in SERPENTINA SATELITE's mesmerising, lysergic sonic brew.
'Al Apaec' is a beautiful combination of spaced out wah solos and vocals which are deeply buried in the mix whereas the last track 'Sendero' surprises with unusually doomy metal riffs. The song is introduced with shamanist female vocals, but very soon the moods change while they unveil a threatening facet of their music. Nevertheless, the music remains trippy as hell. 'Mecanica Celeste' is subtly captivating and becomes more and more addictive with each new spin. At first listen it didn't seem as instantly accessible, but it grows with repeated listens. This is a very good record that is recommended to psych-heads, spaceheads and drop-outs.
(KK)