TSM Recordings, released 26/01/2009.

Although this is the third album from the New-York-via-Dallas, bombastic space rockers, it’s the first without one of their founding members.  This in itself is not unusual, but new guitarist Phil Karnats has replaced old guitarist Benjamin Curtis, who is the brother of Brandon Curtis, bass player and vocalist in New-York-via-Dallas, bombastic space rockers, Secret Machines.  Presumably Christmas will not be easy.

Although departing brother Ben has confessed to being bored with rock (and has now helped set up the electronic and harmony heavy School of Seven Bells), it’s quite clear that his old band mates have no such problems.  This album should really be called, “We Are Secret Machines And We Don’t Care”.  They are as booming and unashamedly reliant on slow building, echo-laden epics as before, building each monster piece on the most solid foundation in modern rock, the drumming of Josh 'the new Bonham' Garza.  They also continue to create music that is extremely gripping and all consuming when it really takes flight, the kind of stuff that feels so important when you indulge in taking it all a bit too seriously.  Prog spirit without prog conventions.

Admittedly it never quite reaches the anthemic status of previous tracks like 'Nowhere Again' or 'Lightning Blue Eyes', preferring instead a slightly more meandering path that may be a bit tough for the uninitiated.  Thankfully they don’t get lost up their own structures, instead simply preferring a more circuitous route to the thundering pay off, with 'Last Believer, Drop Dead' in particular demonstrating that the patience is worth it. 


If this album could talk it would say, 'there’s nothing wrong with rock music, it’s been around a bit but it works and it’s even better if you believe in it and if you don’t like it then you can jolly well just bugger off'.  In the most part, I’m not disagreeing.

Posted In Album Reviews, Jan 28 2009. Words - Martin