Saturnia - Stranded in the Green

 Sulatron Records (st 2102)

It's definitely no secret that I've been a big fan of Saturnia for the last 20 years. I think I have reviewed all the albums as well. I've also been in contact with Luis Simões since the beginning although we have never met in person. It was close once when I was visiting Portugal a few years ago and only later heard that he was recording a new album close by... Oh well, maybe one day. Our relationship got deeper when he recorded sitar, tabla, gong, tambourine and tampura for my instrumental Astral Magic track "Shining Ice" (his title, by the way) released on the brand-new CD The Chosen Ones. He made the track so much better... Anyway, Saturnia is definitely one of the best psychedelic acts I know and Stranded in the Green is the latest, eighth album by the multi-instrumentalist Simões and his first one on the great Sulatron Records.

 

Stranded in the Green, released on vinyl and CD, has seven new tracks.  The early albums also included elements of electronic music, but this is not the case anymore. The opener "Pan Arrives" is a a short occult intro into the hypnotic, groovy psych rock masterpiece "Keep It Long". Sitar and soft, cool vocals are some of the trademarks of Luis and that's what you get here as well. I really like the rhythms, synths effects and backwards guitar solo too, of course. Excellent! "Fibonacci Numbers" is a bit more chilled out, affair with some early 70s Pink Floyd vibe. "Smoking in the Sun" is even slower, very dreamy and wonderful piece that is simple but very effective and trippy. "When I'm High" starts off with some beautiful piano and the mellotron, nice vocals, psych effects and everything else makes it a really great song. "Supernatural" is the longest piece on the album at almost 14 minutes. It starts off as a pieceful folk song with acoustic guitar, bird-song and atmospheric vocals etc. Amazing! The song has three different parts all very mesmerising and up-lifting. I love the synths and keyboards on this one as well. After the eight-minute-marker the track speeds up and I'm getting some early 70s prog rock vibes, wonderful. This must be one of the best Saturnia tracks ever, it is just perfect! The album is finished with "Butterfly Collector" that sounds like a lost track from Obscured by the Clouds sessions (but maybe better...). What a magical way to end this marvellous album! It is only April but I can safely say that Stranded in the Green will be one of the best albums of 2021.

www.saturniamusic.com