Şatellites Israel

"Not as good as their debut album, largely because I'm not as big of a fan of their new vocalist. She's more energetic, but not as delicate nor ethereal, and while she's even seemingly more fluent in Turkish, she just can't hit those high notes that her predecessor was able to reach. The high points of the album, namely the final two tracks (a single song broken into two parts), are outstanding, and the album's engineering is slightly improved (a DR of a whopping 10 in this style of music is rare and to be cherished), even if even if its production is less trippy and atmospheric. Itamar Kluger, the baglama player, while exceptionally skilled as always, takes a bit more of a back seat this time around, allowing the other musicians to shine, which is okay, but what is a little disappointing here is that he changed the tone of his baglama, and its effects seem milder this time, with most of the psychedelia coming from the synth players, firmly marking this as a neo-psychedelia release. I would give anything to hear a studio album from Kluger in which he uses the effects that he did during Satellites' KEXP live performance on Youtube. That's 10/10 musicianship from him, and one of my favorites recordings of all time.

It feels unfair that this whole review was essentially a comparison to their first album. Of course their sound will change with a lineup change; if Satellites' eponymous album took a late 60s/early 70s approach to psychedelic funk, then Aylar apparently took a late 70s/early 80s approach to the same style. Aylar is less "far-out," and more grounded and synthy. While their eponymous is more comparable to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Aylar is more comparable to Altin Gun. On its own, this is still a great album, but it's definitely a grower, and had the band not released the absolute masterclass opus that was their debut, Aylar may not have held my attention and begged for a second listen. I definitely like it more per each play, but despite the slight engineering improvements, I don't think I'll ever hold it as highly as their debut, and that's okay because again, this is still an excellent, if potentially even still a GOATed, piece of neo-psychedelia!"

"Probably my overall favorite album of 2022 - it's a perfect balance of accessibility, psychedelia, and exoticism and brilliant fusion of funk and rock, with great vibes that combines the best aspects of modern music with the best aspects of retro music. Very trippy, but in a good kind of way, with a lively, laid-back atmosphere. While comparisons can be made to King Gizzard's Microtonal trilogy, I think Şatellites beat them at their own game - this one can keep my interest all the way through, although it is a bit short, considering how good it is. Not a single weak point on the album, although the I wish the live rendition of Zuhtu were replaced with a studio recording, as it interferes with the flow of the album a bit. Absolutely recommend this one."