It's like looking through a window into a person's soul and seeing something amazing, something you've never seen before.

10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Emo, ELECTRONIC: Ambient

Show all album songs: Solutions Songs


Details:
âYour sunshine breaks the clouds tonight, just like stars and satellitesâ¦â

Contagious? No doubt about it. Robert Johnsonâs brand of acoustic / electronic rock will certainly capture your imagination. He wears his heart on his sleeve and holds his soul in his hands, and it definitely shows. Once recording under the name âMaleficarum,â Robert now showcases his tunes under the tag âStars and Satellites.â

âThe change of name reflected a new musical direction. The title âMaleficarumâ never really represented the music I created anyway. I wanted my appeal to be one of hope and new beginnings, hence the title âStars and Satellitesââ

As the album artwork of Fred Johnson reveals, the music of Stars and Satellites âis like looking through a window into someoneâs soul, and seeing something amazing, something youâve never seen before.â

October 9 2007 marks the date of the first Stars and Satellites commercially available release. âSolutionsâ is a compilation of material Robert recorded over a five year period â 2002 to 2007. Lyrically, Robert tells stories spanning triumph to loss and happiness to regret, yet ultimately focuses on the positive results of all the particular experiences.

âI intended for every song on this disc to focus on the positives. Through your highest highs, and your lowest lows, there will always be hope. Itâs oneâs personal decision to reach that point. The theme? Never give up. Absolutely never give up.â

Robert appears a bit secretive about the meaning of the songs. He insists the songs are intentionally written to facilitate personal interpretation. Yet, a personal story is told.

âIf you were to listen to this CD just as you would read a book, you would listen to âEvery Night, Goodbyeâ first, âLustâ second, âShineâ third, âSolutionsâ fourth, and âAll Over Againâ last. All the other songs fit somewhere in-between. These, however, are the âbig chapters.ââ

Musically, the disc is quite unique. While some songs are almost entirely electronic, others are simply acoustic. In fact, itâs hard to believe that âSolutions Part IIâ came from the same artist that wrote âShine.â While âShineâ is an acoustic love song, âSolutions Part IIâ is a bit edgier, as the sound steps away from the rest of the album and back to Robertâs dark wave roots.

ââSolutions Part IIâ is definitely a bit removed from the rest of the album. I listen to a lot of âgothicâ music â the Sisters of Mercy, the Cure, Clan of Xymox â and as this song came together, it followed in the same vein.â

The title track, âSolutions,â is an upbeat composition with a catchy piano hook. âSolutionsâ represents the âminimalistâ approach to recording. Compared to other songs on this disc, like the aforementioned âSolutions Part II,â this song is broken down to the basic components, and it works quite nicely.

The single, âShine,â beautifully layers over 10 different acoustic guitar tracks to create a lush, atmospheric sound. Through the use of electronic orchestral sounds and ambient synthesizer, the guitar driven four-note loop progression builds and breaks seamlessly. However, itâs the lead guitar (contributed by Brad Johnson of Neurepublik) and the emotional, rhythmic hook of the vocal track that makes this song the perfect radio candidate.

âShineâ and âSolutionsâ are excellent examples of the signature sound of this disc -- the layered acoustic guitars, ambient synthesizer sounds, and driving piano sequences. Itâs as though the music of the Cure and the Postal Service mated, and raised the child on a strict diet of Jimmy Eat World.

âWhen you listen to this disc, you become witness to my musical growth.â


For more information on the music of Stars and Satellites, visit:
http://www.starsandsatellites.com and http://www.myspace.com/starsandsat