Satellite Train – James Dean 

Satellite Train bursts into this week’s ’Riffs and Roads’ playlist like a scene out of a movie. The song has such a powerful and consuming cinematic atmosphere. It tells the story of a protagonist who wants to taste fame, a fame like James Dean’s. Hence the name. They want their name to spread like a wildfire, become a cult favorite who is memorable in a way that makes other people want their lives. That stardown is created so spectacularly in the soundscape, with lofty instrumentals, flashing musical frames, and a vocal delivery that has you soaring to the peak of it all. Warm riffs layered over vivid, theatrical pop vocals, both of it spinning into each other dramatically to make a retro-flavored pop rock masterpiece.