The Satellite Year – Mission: Polarlights

The first two tracks are really one song split into two. That’s cheating. …And We Will Dance To Your Heartbeat (We Are The Mission) works as an intro to Because This Ain’t Vegas and together they make a very enjoyable package. The Satellite Year know their way around a synthesiser and they work hard to make it blend in with jingly guitars and harmonious voices without sounding artificial. That said, The Satellite Year do not struggle to be original, each song sounds fresh and different but with a touch of familiarity.

The album’s sound, as a whole, is very bouncy and acts as a foil to the weighty, emotional lyrics that are present throughout. Citizens. Districts. Telescopes. is a perfect song for summer; it’s fun and melodious, catchy and dynamic. The little riffs in this song are particularly pleasing to the ear and make it a highlight of the album. The song Jelly, Jelly, How To Survive Such A Trip has wonderfully uproarious lyrics and a satisfying sound that is sure to get people moving.

The album takes a strange turn into international relations with Il Y A Que La Vérité Qui Blessé (Which, I think, roughly translates to There Is The Truth That Wounds); an evidently French titled song that consists of a lady delivering a monologue in a Slavic language that I can’t identify, on the album of a German band. The Europhile within me loves it on this basis alone and it sounds fantastic, the lady has a lovely voice and I would love to know what she is saying, if any readers feel up to the challenge). The band does a fabulous job of providing a backing track to the monologue, they get the sound just right and it all works rather well together.

Yeah, The Ocean! is another song that stands out; it has a well crafted hook and a tempo that is capable of relaxing or exciting, depending on what you’re looking for. It is gentle, uplifting and powerful, I would hesitate to use the word moving but it is quite passionate and such emotion makes it easy to enjoy.

Mission: Polarlights is definitely an album worth your time; it’s diverse, exhilarating and charming and doesn’t put a foot wrong. It’s a pleasure to listen to and whether you’re planning a party or some relaxation, make sure to check it out.

For Fans Of:

You Me At Six, The Postal Service

4 out of 5!

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From Germany comes with fury this group post-pop-core …

Ok, pardon the rhyme dictated by the heat but with the opening words we have already framed the whole. Quickie intro that makes me notice right away the synthetic keyboard sounds that persist well into the track two, which offers a pop-core in some ways very similar to Jimmy Eat World, then with spades of melody and memorable chorus: guitars sound full and harmonious that are the master giving us a nice bridge where the various tools duet between them and the voices weave together to bring the rate melodic Anora higher. Not a bad start …

“Girls go movie” only serves to renew the proceedings on the work of the six Teutonic, with a predisposition to the changes of rhythm, and vocal melodies to bridge more than enviable (and here peeps also a piano sound ). The song number 4 slips a bit ‘dangerous business in the swamp with the arpeggiated keyboards and the angelic falsetto voice: may increase blood glucose levels to watch even the most seasoned listeners of pop melodies, although I must say that then the song resume from mid on, and will seamlessly to..

“Citizens, districts, telescopes” that is not all bad and that produces very choral parts (almost treble voices). “Jelly Jelly …” is a nice piece but too infested with keyboards that do not add and not detract from the overall economy of the resulting sound a bit ‘annoying in my opinion and going to get worse a song that could really be a hit in my summer. Interlude with a language spoken in Eastern Europe, I would say (but I forgive that cpaito …) and continues with

“You are fiction – I am actor,” an interlude with “electronic” as a bridge between the two parts of this cool song with a melody never too piaciona intrinsic. Already, followed by “Yeah, the ocean,” begins to emerge a little ‘of the monotony of repetitive structures of the songs, despite their good melodic voice and very good test interpretation (the instruments do their part without any particular distorted) but here comes the next track I immediately denies trying to focus on higher speeds and more bad timbre. The tenth song begins as a semi-modern ballad, the kind of heart in hand, then accelerate and bring up the cello in a final blaze of sound in a modern college.

“C is for competition” is too brief for my taste and the female voice does not earn points. The last piece I liked, and probably among the best places by virtue of the melodies and because, apart from the final piano outro, says all she had to say in less than 3 minutes.

http://www.ondalternativa.it/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop

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THE SATELLITE YEAR – Mission:Polar Lights CD
What a self-effacing set of blokes this band are. Looking at the gatefold sleeve, we get to find their names, but yet have no idea who plays what instruments, who sings, who writes what, etc. We know the lyrics coz they’re all here and the thanks that the band pour out are legion. But still their exact roles remain a mystery. This is even more head-scratching when you take into account the fact that this is one awesome album, something to be proud of having done, proud of owning and proud of listening to it on a regular basis.

Essentially, it’s emo mixed with pop-punk – now, before you go “ohhhh – here we go – heard it all before”, let me say, well, yes you have – but you’ve never heard 6 people doing it before – and this is the difference. This ain’t no normal biting emo band – this lot have depth, texture and more layers than a royal wedding cake, through which are fired a number of different guns, all blazing a guitar trail, all with that typically anguished, hurt and heartfelt style of emo-pop-punk vocals, yet all delivered with consummate feeling, well sung throughout, and arranged, played and produced to sound so familiar yet avoid all the usual cliches – and how do they do this?

By wanting to create songs that are not just a series of disposable verses linked by catchy choruses, but songs where the actual hooks or choruses are few and far between, preferring to give us songs that have a real substance to them, songs that retain the sense of enjoyment every time you hear them and songs that, for all the familiarity of the genre, refuse to die. Most of them have real drive, flare and firepower, but melody is at the heart of it all, a river of serenity running through the tidal rush of rhythms and the ebb and flow of guitars. The songs generally take off, have huge amounts of depth and presence, attack without menace and give you something that makes you want to wave your fists in the air at the same time as wanting to sit there and let the emotions rush in and out of your very heart and soul. The sound of emo at its most mature, emo as serious listening and one album that simply doesn’t put one foot out of place from stunning start to glorious finish.

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The inquisitive listener selects the first track from The Satellite Year’s debut album, ‘Mission: Polar Lights’. Pressing play on the music player, the creature nestles into their musical habitat of choice. Silence rings around the surroundings. Every stir can be heard. Slowly, very gradually, the atmosphere changes. a build up in energy echoes into the ears of the expectant listener. a joyous electro introduction clashing against percussion crashes, gradually swelling into a mighty wave of sound, flows straight into ‘Because This Ain’t Vegas’. What a wonderful, happy scene we are witnessing.

Enough of that. The Satellite Year genuinely do kick off their album in a terrific way. Infectiously happy and danceable with great vocals reflected throughout, particularly in ‘Girls Go Movie’, if I hadn’t known this was the band’s debut, I’d be astonished. For a first album release, this is a corker. They produce a very solid sound for an band clearly confident with the music they create. The Satellite Year are not your typical pop punk band, encapsulating essences of pop, electronic and alternative styles, ‘Mission: Polar Lights’ is mish mash of genres and it sounds wonderful.

The album flows seamlessly from one song to another, yet you are never left thinking ‘that sounds the same as the others’. ‘Citizens. Districts. Telescopes’ is a fantastic demonstration of the vocal talent possessed within the band. A lovely ethereal vocal backing gives a post rock feel to the album. I feel this shows a more carefully considered sound by spanning so many styles. The contrast between ‘Girls Go Movie’ and the outrageously catchy ‘Yeah, The Ocean!’ reflects the bands ability to bring the tempo down and capture a new mood within each song.

Trudging through thick layers of snow get ‘Il Y A Que La Vérité Qui Blesse’ off to a very frosty start. Little touches like this are what make ‘Mission: Polar Lights’ such a great album. Straight after this chilly sounding track, the band launch straight into a track full of rockier tones and electronic embellishments, ‘You Are Fiction/ I Am Actor’.

”C’ is for Competition’ is a particularly aurally pleasing track, showing how brilliantly The Satellite Year handle the electronic side of their music. This is a perfect example of how they create something different to the norm, allowing them to cross genres. Personally, my only qualm is the female vocalist for no other reason than I don’t think she adds anything to the track and the effects on her voice just made me wince ever so slightly.

The Satellite Year have matured very quickly and confidently into their sound and all in all, this is a very good, solid debut album. The styles they have adopted allows their music to be more accessible to many. I truly hope this band go far and I am eagerly anticipating their follow up to Mission: Polar Lights just to see how much further they can push their already impressive sound.

4 out of 5

http://www.dawnofthedeaf.co.uk/the-satellite-year-mission

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Post-hardcore you say? Metalcore? Melodic Hardcore? Hmm. I liked the sound of this ‘post-hardcore’ thing, it’s about time we got to the ‘post’ part of hardcore, enough is enough. Maybe, I thought, I was about to discover the green-shoots of recovery in the Dead Place. The landscape melted by My Good Chemical Teenage Vampire Charlotte, or something like that. The first signs of life in the wasteland after the Emo Apocalypse and the Hardcore Armageddon.
Mission: Polar Lights, is almost there.
I can imagine hardcore turns a lot of you on, ahem. That must be why they keep making it.
I’m going to lay my cards on the table, I’ll even light a single black candle and speak softly to you, in this, the long purple twilight of our love, baby cakes – or however it is the kids communicate in the scene with this sort of music at its core. I’m not into it. But there’s something to be said for this album.
So this is me engaging with a hardcore band. Doing something with my brain and this music that doesn’t involve an off button or a brick. I am afraid.
It’s a technically masterful album. There’s clear and original technique, no unintelligible noise and throat rending emotional explosions that have come to typify the genre in sight – there are spaces between the mawkishness, in other words. It’s well produced, there are some really cool harmonies and the album is nicely paced as a whole.
The mawkishly titled ‘…And We Will Dance To Your Heartbeat,’ bothered me before I pressed play. Any song with a title that begins with an ellipsis and ends in the word ‘Heartbeat’ should be approached with caution, if indeed it should be approached at all. But it surprised me – it’s a decent track. Full of cool effects, 8-bit video game tones, melody and concordant gee-tars. Is this post-hardcore?
There’s something very Jimmy Eat World about this album. Remember Bleed American? Yeah you do. It’s like that, but less brooding. You can’t brood at the pitches these guys are singing at. They’re so not broody to the extent that I’ve heard that if they were to look Trent Reznor square in the eye, he would melt into the base materials that make up a Trent Reznor. Trufax.
It’s an achievement, this album. If you like hardcore, you’ll love it – No doubt about that. The Satellite Year are working in a transitional genre. They’re somewhere in between movements.
Hardcore music doesn’t do it for me, in the end. It’s the kids that give the scene a bad name. When I got up to the song, ‘Yeah, The Ocean!’ all I could see in my mind’s eye was teenage waifs wearing eyeliner, singing with their eyes closed and heads tilted back, pressing the palms of their hands to their chests emblazoned with pink skull logos on shirts that are two sizes too small for them and, in all likelihood, are their sister’s. Unfortunately, I can’t un-know these people, so certain shadows are cast over my experience of the music.
Still, if you like Jimmy Eat World, 30 Seconds to Mars and that band what ‘im from Blink 182 was in that wasn’t Blink 182, then you’ll love this album.
Mission: Polar Lights is new territory, fresh and welcome.
Buy it and embrace the mawkishness – just this once.
Review by Ryan Whittaker. GYRO.

http://getyourrockout.co.uk/wp/?page_id=1244

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“Mission: Polar Lights” is only the bands debut album, but it already sounds as if they’ve been playing for years! It’s a perfect production – in fact recorded in Italy – which shows that the band has a healthy dose of self-confidence and feel 100% sure that what they write will be high quality. Why else would you save a lot of money together in order to record their debut abroad?
The interesting thing about the CD is that it is as catchy as any overly hyped pop band, while at the same time original thanks to the colourful mix of different styles and their ability to accommodate diverse emotions in the songs. The music is suitable for radio, but is lively and varied enough to convince those who’d otherwise give radio music a wide berth. Only one track (13) breaks through the 4-minute mark and songs like “Go Girls Movie” are those nasty earwigs that get stuck in your mind. Once in the second half of the disc, it seems, the atmosphere of the pieces change noticeably. They are still catchy, but different. The singer is definitely highly talented and he can easily keep up on the international stage, he has a voice that would surely blow people away!
So take the challenge and give this CD a chance! If you already like bands like Last Days of April and Co may be, then listen to The Satellite Year. This really is a debut of high quality!

http://www.stalker.cd/print.php?lang=1&content=62&kat=cd&

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Crusading from Germany, The Satellite Year aim to take a generation by storm with their new album Mission: Polar Lights.

To simply sum up this album; evocative, powerful, utterly original. It’s not quite mainstream but instead spans the gaps between genres, successfully managing to make every song distinguishable entirely from the last. It does this while maintaining a musical coherence and balance that lulls you into a rhythm through its 44 minute length.

This album flows from track to track, assaulting you with rhythmic hooks, electro run-ins and a thoroughly energetic post punk sound, not entirely unlike Jimmy Eat World.

The vocals and melodramatic, emotive lyrics leave you in a mild state of nostalgia, and the music rides the vocals rather than vice versa. Tracks like ‘Girls Go Movie’ and ‘Citizens, Districts, and Telescopes’ are concert monsters, while slower offerings such as ‘C’ Is For Competition (We May Collide)’ are brilliant in composition and melody.

9/10. Record Label: Engineer Records.

http://ourzonemag.com/oz/the-satellite-year-mission-polar

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Hailing from the depths of Saarbruecken, Germany. The Satellite Year are tipped to be one of the worldwide conquerors of todays mainstream nature. With hooking melodies and a raw power to produce a live show of excitement that will win over any crowd. With raving reviews on their previous record, you can only expect the industry to snap up the forthcoming release with open arms and The Satellite Year will be a name you see left right and centre without a doubt!

There’s just one possibility to create something initial and unique in one and the same thing – it’s art. An expressive but as-well euphonic voice that tells you entirely about a generation, a nation or just one boy’s experience of what it means to grow up…Thereby the Sextet succeeds in accompanying the audience to highest euphoria. Meanwhile they bring you down to your knees to hold a melodramatic gun barrel to your head. Based on a mixture of playful sounds paired with the rough edges of life THE SATELLITE YEAR present emotionality and ambition.

For fans of The Juliana Theory, Anberlin, Jimmy Eat World, Acceptance.

http://www.dawnofthedeaf.co.uk/introducing-the-satellite-

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Mission: Polarlights is the debut full-length release from German outfit The Satellite Year. Although the Saarbrucken based sextet have taken a helping hand from some genre forbearers to meet their emo-rock brief, the end result is well worth a listen in its own right.

Citizens, Districts, Telescopes, and You are Fiction/I Am Actor both share major chorus similarities with Lost Prophets, while Girls Go Movie could easily be an early Taking Back Sunday track; the emotionally punchy chorus with its staggered, layered vocals very much replicating the style favoured by the influential New Yorkers. Each of the aforementioned songs are amongst the best on the album, although it must be said that at times they tread a fine line between appreciation and imitation.

The use of dual vocalists provides a further source for comparison with Taking Back Sunday, and although the band perhaps fail to consistently capitalise on such a setup, when they do, it works faultlessly. Lyrical oddity and album highlight, Yeah, The Ocean!, provides a perfect demonstration of the two vocalists’ complementary tones, and at the end of its very reasonable four-minute duration, still leaves the listener wanting to hear a further round of its excellent chorus.

Album opener Because This Ain’t Vegas and the dance-worthy Jelly, Jelly How To Survive Such A Trip? also take the dual vocals route, at the same time providing fantastic examples of the bands ability to provide a hook. In fact, The Satellite Year rarely fail to give their listeners something to grab onto with very few tracks lacking familiarity on subsequent listens, the forgettable Give Up, God!, and Actio Equals Reactio being in the minority.

On a few occasions the band take a more experimental approach that contrasts heavily with the rather familiar songwriting mentioned earlier on. While the contemplative Scene Scene Scenery (We Are So Far From Perfect) and slow starting A Campus: A Heart: A Star are a success however, the almost R&B style instrumentation and female vocal of ’C’ is For Competition (We May Collide) make that track a little too disparate to have really warranted inclusion. Il Y A Que La Vérité Qui Blesse – the Spanish spoken interlude placed halfway through the album – seems equally out of place, but despite the varying degrees of experimentation success, it does at least prove that the band would like to carve out a unique identity.

Final Verdict
If you’re a fan of melodies, Taking Back Sunday, Lost Prophets, or just emo-rock in general, chances are you’ll probably want to have a good listen to Mission: Polarlights. At times they seem to have borrowed perhaps too heavily from both the aforementioned artists, yet what ultimately saves The Satellite Year from being labelled purely imitators is the fact they are at their absolute best when demonstrating their own sound. Overall, this is a very satisfying and often memorable debut from a band with all the tools at their disposal to hit the big-time in their chosen genre. Score: 8/10

http://soundsenseonline.co.uk/2011/04/the-satellite-year-

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I like albums that start with an instrumental. It gets you involved before the lyrics take off, intrigues you to see what the album will bring. After stunning reviews from their debut feature ‘This is Voltaire’, The Satellite Year is back with their debut album ‘Mission: Polar Lights’.

‘…And We Will Dance to Your Heartbeat’ starts off the debut with said instrumental. Part punk, part electronica, its Fall Out Boy meets Sugarcult that blends perfectly into second track ‘Because This Ain’t Vegas’. Catchy and dance-worthy, the track is the perfect definition of futuristic punk for the next generation.

‘Girls Go Movie’ is a sweeping track, reminiscent of the musical landscapes found in songs like 30 Seconds to Mars ‘Closer to the Edge’ and Angels & Airwaves ‘The Adventure’. It is a mix of highs and lows, from the musical landscape to slow and somber.

Each track blends together seamlessly, and ‘Scene, Scene, Scenery (We Are So Far From Perfect)’ is no different. ‘Citizens. Districts. Telescopes’ continues the futuristic punk sound, but not to the same promising degree as ‘…And We Will Dance to Your Heartbeat’ and ‘Because This Ain’t Vegas’, which is a bit disappointing.

Middle track, ‘Il Y A Que La Vérité Qui Blesse’, breaks up the album with a short French monologue to soft piano chords and light drumbeat. It bridges the album beautifully.

This is truly an album that achieves exactly what it sets out to – punk with an epic, futuristic twist. 8/10

http://www.pushtofire.com/musicreviews.html#article491

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