Saturnia- "The Glitter Odd"(Cranium Music NZD34.50, 2001, CD)
Saturnia returns with their second CD of Portuguese psych/prog blended with modern rave and drums-and-bass music. The band is still a duo led by multi-instrumentalist Luis Simoes. This time around, keyboardist Francisco Rebelo joins him.For a duo, the band really creates a pretty full sound. The group makes music that sounds like some DJ took a few old Syd-era Pink Floyd albums and made dance remixes of them! The sitar is there. The gong is there. The Theremin is there. The cheesy organ is there. This is definitely head music, but with a dance twist. Most of the songs have Iyrics, but you wouldn't necessarily realize it. I actually didn't notice any Iyrics until the second listen through! The vocals are either too soft, too processed, or so much else is happening that they blend seamlessly into the sonic backdrop of the rest of the piece. Sound effects and atmospheric noises make up a large part of the audjo palette and are effectively employed. The high-resonance Moog sounds, filter sweeps, wind noises and waterfall sounds alI blend in interestingly with the dance beats, sitar, and synth bass. Songs like "Chrysalis" and "Borealis" show off the best of this band. Saturnia proves that spacey psych music can be successfully blended together with modern club sounds without seeming overly repetitive or boring. "The Glitter Odd" is an interesting and enjoyable listen.
Expose magazine #23 12/2001- Mike Grimes
