“Your sunshine breaks the clouds tonight, just like stars and satellites…” Contagious? No doubt about it. Robert Johnson’s brand of acoustic / electronic rock will certainly capture your imagination. He wears his heart on his sleeve and holds his soul in his hands, and it definitely shows. Once recording under the name “Maleficarum,” Robert now showcases his tunes under the tag “Stars and Satellites.” “The change of name reflected a new musical direction. The title ‘Maleficarum’ never really represented the music I created anyway. I wanted my appeal to be one of hope and new beginnings, hence the title ‘Stars and Satellites’” As the album artwork of Fred Johnson reveals, the music of Stars and Satellites “is like looking through a window into someone’s soul, and seeing something amazing, something you’ve never seen before.” October 9 2007 marks the date of the first Stars and Satellites commercially available release. “Solutions” is a compilation of material Robert recorded over a five year period – 2002 to 2007. Lyrically, Robert tells stories spanning triumph to loss and happiness to regret, yet ultimately focuses on the positive results of all the particular experiences. “I intended for every song on this disc to focus on the positives. Through your highest highs, and your lowest lows, there will always be hope. It’s one’s personal decision to reach that point. The theme? Never give up. Absolutely never give up.” Robert appears a bit secretive about the meaning of the songs. He insists the songs are intentionally written to facilitate personal interpretation. Yet, a personal story is told. “If you were to listen to this CD just as you would read a book, you would listen to ‘Every Night, Goodbye’ first, ‘Lust’ second, ‘Shine’ third, ‘Solutions’ fourth, and ‘All Over Again’ last. All the other songs fit somewhere in-between. These, however, are the ‘big chapters.’” Musically, the disc is quite unique. While some songs are almost entirely electronic, others are simply acoustic. In fact, it’s hard to believe that “Solutions Part II” came from the same artist that wrote “Shine.” While “Shine” is an acoustic love song, “Solutions Part II” is a bit edgier, as the sound steps away from the rest of the album and back to Robert’s dark wave roots. “‘Solutions Part II’ is definitely a bit removed from the rest of the album. I listen to a lot of ‘gothic’ music – the Sisters of Mercy, the Cure, Clan of Xymox – and as this song came together, it followed in the same vein.” The title track, “Solutions,” is an upbeat composition with a catchy piano hook. “Solutions” represents the “minimalist” approach to recording. Compared to other songs on this disc, like the aforementioned “Solutions Part II,” this song is broken down to the basic components, and it works quite nicely. The single, “Shine,” beautifully layers over 10 different acoustic guitar tracks to create a lush, atmospheric sound. Through the use of electronic orchestral sounds and ambient synthesizer, the guitar driven four-note loop progression builds and breaks seamlessly. However, it’s the lead guitar (contributed by Brad Johnson of Neurepublik) and the emotional, rhythmic hook of the vocal track that makes this song the perfect radio candidate. “Shine” and “Solutions” are excellent examples of the signature sound of this disc -- the layered acoustic guitars, ambient synthesizer sounds, and driving piano sequences. It’s as though the music of the Cure and the Postal Service mated, and raised the child on a strict diet of Jimmy Eat World. “When you listen to this disc, you become witness to my musical growth.” For more information on the music of Stars and Satellites, visit: http://www.starsandsatellites.com and http://www.myspace.com/starsandsat