Published on Mar 23, 2000
It really must suck to be Joe Satriani. Think about it: you’ve
proven without a doubt over the course of the last 15 years that
you are one of, if not
the, leading guitarists on the planet. You’ve spawned dozens
of wanna-be guitarists, but have rarely been duplicated.
Tough life, isn’t it? But Satriani had to be bored with the
whole guitar-god routine. Why else would he all but abandon the
mold he’s followed since the beginning and move into the world of
electronic music on his latest disc
Engines Of Creation? It’s a risky move, but in the end, it’s
a disappointing move for Satriani.
It would be too easy to listen to this disc once and damn it —
but that’s not being fair. Some of Satriani’s work has turned out
to be his most lasting once I’ve had some time to live with the
album a bit. But in the case of
Engines Of Creation, multiple listens weren’t doing anything
more than showing how the guitar was worked into the background
noise.
Take the opening track “Devil’s Slide”. With the lack of
Satriani’s guitar prowess until the middle of the track, you’re
left to deal with a sound that almost is like Satriani is trying to
be KMFDM or Nitzer Ebb this time around. One word: blah.
It’s not that Satriani hasn’t dipped his toes into different
waters over the years.
Flying In A Blue Dream was more experimental than some
people might have expected — and it was not an album I appreciated
on first listen. But making adjustments to your sound is one thing;
switching formats is a whole different ball of wax. It’s so radical
that when Satriani does venture into a “normal” track on “Until We
Say Goodbye,” it sounds as out of place as David Duke at a Nation
of Islam rally.
Granted, there are times that the sonic experiment works. “Borg
Sex” is a shining example of this, a track that would be a perfect
single for this album. Satriani works his guitar into the mix so
well that the overall sound is almost natural. Unfortunately for
Satriani, these moments are few and far between.
Engines Of Creation comes off sounding drab and stiff on
tracks like “Flavor Crystal 7” and “Clouds Race Across The Sky” —
something I never thought I’d say about Satriani or his playing.
It’s almost as if he purposely took the influence off of his guitar
pyrotechnics and redirected it towards the techno beats he lays
down.
Big mistake — that’s like saying you read
Hustler for the insightful political coverage.
There is just enough on
Engines Of Creation to remind you who you’re listening to,
but there’s just not enough to make this album one you have to run
out and buy. Then again, this disc might win Satriani some fans
from the techno world — though one wonders what they’d say when
they dipped into his back catalogue. I’m guessing they’d say the
same thing I’m thinking after dissecting
Engines Of Creation: What was Satriani
thinking?