Trampled by Turtles have built a reputation and a fan base playing punk-tempo bluegrass, but on their latest album, Stars and Satellites, they ease back on the throttle and take a more contemplative approach to making music.
The move is welcome: It puts a finer point on Dave Simonett’s vivid songwriting and greatly expands the band’s emotional range. The keening fiddles, burbling banjo and mandolin, and lonesome harmonies ought to play well on the open roads of summer.
