"STARS": An Album Review

As of August 25th, 2023, Mellow/Lo-Fi signal writer Satosii has released the album “STARS” and it has rightfully received high praise from the Lo-fi community! If you have yet to listen to this album as a whole, please do so before reading further, as it is important for everyone to have their own first impression and interpretation.

Starting the album with “End of Beginnings” and continuing on to “Wishing on a Star”, the first five tracks perfectly introduce the overall concept of this part in the album; an atmospheric soundscape gradually moving toward a more personal and emotional space, and then gravitating back towards a blend of both, offering a very human and larger than life feel that connects one person to the rest of the universe. This can be seen in both the musical style and structure of the project. “End of Beginnings” sets the star-filled stage with ambient instruments and a wondrous tone, which then leads into “Signal Falls”, featuring a guitar riff and clear bass melody guiding us closer to humanity. “Corolla” then gives us a harmonic progression, melody, and beat that is reminiscent of an opening soundtrack from a show, ultimately conveying a more straightforward look at the human condition.

Originally set to be the album title, "Mira" grounds us in a position between Earth and the stars. The delicate background of cicadas and crickets giving us a personal perspective, looking up at the constellation Cetus, again mixing the connection between life and the expansive universe. "Mira" is followed by “Wishing on a Star”. This fifth song is an expression of concern for Satosii’s family as they were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and his feeling of loneliness. With ethereal guitar arpeggios and drifting, windy, and sparkling melodic content, we experience a melancholy and deeply contemplative atmosphere.

Next we are granted a familiar sound. Originally released in 2022 and remixed for this album, “[Neon] has a smooth beat sound that sketches the night view of Tokyo” (Satosii). While listening, it’s easy to imagine a night walking through a bustling urban Tokyo, driven by the momentum of the bass and percussion, while introspectively looking up at the skyline and stars above. “Nowhere Boy” follows and continues the movement into the next section of the album maintaining a bit more lively yet still pensive vibe. Again we get to feel the groove of the night life with “Into the Night”; funky guitar rhythms and synths reminiscent of the 80’s and 90’s, Satosii offers a glimpse into his memory and invites us to do the same with our own. A scene of recollection and gratitude… thankfulness for these memories.

After this brief reprieve, we are whisked away to another somber piece, “Vanishing”; an impressionistic capturing of Satosii’s emotional state while processing the tragic passing of former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe (安倍 晋三). “Danro (by fireplace with friend)” gently takes us forward producing a warm environment with soft piano tones and has become one of my personal favorites since the album has been released. Satosii’s implementation of modulation, tempo adjustments, and even a brief lull of almost silence builds a world where we can drift through the night with company, not concerned with time. “Stars” as the title track then creates a shimmering glimpse of the world beyond, once again returning to the outer reaches with bright continuous ambience and a soft melody surrounding us. There is a almost a sense of pain; similar to how tears may fall when witnessing something truly beautiful.

"...Coincidentally, both songs thinking about death. Vanishing was improvised when [Japan's] former Prime Minister was shot and killed... And [Wishing on a Star] out of loneliness and wishful thinking when all my family were affected by COVID-19..."

Upon exiting our journey through the stars, we're immediately taken back to a sentimental look at the past when “Pure Imagination” starts. Though this is more animated than the previous song, we merely shift our sense of fascination from the skies to our favorite childhood chocolate factory, perhaps pulling on the heartstrings of easier times. Collaborating with Rylei Nathaniel on guitar, “Lightning” brings the power of lightning and thunder to life; charged energy in the form of faster harmonic changes on the keys, driving 16th notes in the hi-hat, and guitar fading in and out. The song is briefly broken up by distorted audio chopping resembling a thunder clap, highlighting some of the technical innovation used to represent the ideas on this album. The penultimate song on this album “Nostalgia” gives Satosii’s listeners familiarity as this is the other remix on the album (originally released in 2021). Softening this piece while still preserving it’s original bright character, “Nostalgia” was crafted to fit into this album like a puzzle piece; one last jaunt before the ending.

A delightful inward-looking sendoff comes in the form of “Moonlight Waves”. This last song rocks us gently with layers of woodwind instruments, a warmhearted acoustic guitar, and hand played percussion. A lullaby as we close our eyes on the beach, ending with a humanistic air.

“STARS” is a prime example of art, not just an album. It’s clear to me that Satosii had an intimately emotional connection to each song, a strong intention for what to convey through his music and how to express it, and thought diligently about each aspect of each piece. Further, I really appreciate his attention to the project as a whole; the structure of the album as well as the transitional movement from song to song and section to section in order to create something bigger than a collection of music. This album deserves the praise it has received and if you haven’t given it a listen yet, please do!

Satosii’s music can be found through both his lit.link and songwhip but you can also use specific links below to go straight to his album “STARS”.

SPOTIFY

APPLE MUSIC

YOUTUBE

You can also check out his SoundCloud, support him through Bandcamp, and see what he's up to on Twitter @satosii_music.

“The songs on this album are filled with prayers and wishes. They are composed to represent a scene or a situation. However, the theme of this album is the two years from 2021-2023. I want you to feel the night sky with my melodies. このアルバムに入っている曲には祈りや願いが込められています。 曲は情景や状況の一場面ですが2021-2023までの色々な出来事があった二年間をテーマにしています。メロディで夜空を感じてください。” — Satosii