The Rembrandts Via Satellite

Let's get this out of the way first: The Rembrandts the pop-rock duo of multi-instrumentalists and songwriters Phil Solem and Danny Wilde co-wrote and performed the effervescent Friends theme song, "I'll Be There For You." That song, with its inimitable handclaps and jangly guitar riffs, spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and continues to find new audiences thanks to Friends reruns. However, for Solem and Wilde, that song is just one small chapter in a friendship and creative relationship spanning four decades, two bands, five studio albums, two greatest hits records, a handful of U.S. radio hits, and two U.S. Top 40 singles. "Via Satellite" is the first Rembrandts studio album in 18 years. The meticulous, guitar-driven songs explore every nook and cranny of the pop continuum. "How Far Would You Go" is jangly rock singed lightly with '60s psychedelic atmosphere; "Broken Toy" hews toward dizzying power-pop with hollering vocals awash in emotional grit; and "Come to Californ-i-ya"" is electrified roadhouse blues-rock burnished by glam-soul detailing. Anchoring these songs are Solem and Wilde's harmonies, which are imploring and tender on the twangy "Count On You"; Beatles-esque on the jaunty "Me And Fate"; and graceful spirals on the chiming mid-tempo ballad "Now."