New Secret Machines

i hear the floyd reference, but not too much.
but, the slow songs draaaaaag.

I just saw them open up for Interpol yesterday, and the differences between the band couldn't have been much starker. Secret Machines were pretty no nonsense (you have to be, as an opener) but also pretty uncompromising. No banter. No space between songs. It also showed how nuanced the album is, since hearing them live you'd never guess there were melodies. All in all pretty cool, and the crowd seemed to dig it. At least, they were standing there paying attention, since there was little space in the music to cheer. One guy was giving the permanent thumbs down, though.

Interpol ... boy. I like them a a lot, even if I never listen to them. I had to leave their set early (read: wanted to, 'cause I was getting a headache), but it's been a while since I saw so many in the audience going nuts. Not as in "let's hit each other" nuts, but pulling each other up on one another's shoulders to shout the lyrics back at the band while pumping their fist nuts. You'd think if someone took the time to memorize Interpol lyrics they'd realize they suck, and certainly aren't worth shouting back at the band, but these dudes (mostly) were every bit as intent and intense at the crowd at Morrissey a couple of days earlier. Go figure.

Did you just revive this thread to try and cheer me up?

I'm going to see their Marfa film on Saturday. I'm quite excited.

x-post FFS get one clue

I liked their cover of "de luxe" by harmonia. they should do a whole album of big streamlined rock versions of krautrock classics!

Track 6 ... Faded Lines? That's one of my favourite songs on the album, I love the "Uh-huh, uh-huh" vocal riff that runs through it, it reminds me of Polara.

Has anyone else heard the "funky" alternate mix of "Daddy's In The Doldrums"? I think it turned up as a b-side. That's utterly amazing kraut-jam spacerock epic.

I always think I don't like the song AJ&S, because the beginning of it is a bit... meh. But then I forget that it explodes into this psychedelic epic with these amazing bendy guitar bits whipping around my head in stereo. And that's great.

xpost

Funky alternative DITD? I'm intrigued...it had better keep that climactic riff though.

And how did I manage to get through this thread without once mentioning my giant clit-on for Benjamin's guitar pedals? Strange times.

Is anyone else going to see their Marfa film at the Tate this weekend or next?

Tickets on sale here:

http://www.tate.org.uk/tickets/default.htm?performancelist.asp?ShowID=2331&Source=web

I'm going to the one on the 5th August. tempted to go to the other one, as well, if it's not sold out yet.

not a good follow up to the first album...
better luck next time.

The rest of the songs are ok, but I wish they stuck with the breakup theme of the first 3 songs.

Saturday night in Chelsea was the first show post-Benjamin (ok, second show-- they did a barely-announced thing Thursday night).

One hesitates to make judgements when the band have obviously had so little time to find their legs. But it was pretty ramshackle. Replacing Benjamin on guitar were two new guys, one on keys/gtr, one on gtr only. I recognized neither (but then, I wouldn't would I?) Benjamin's grandiose, detailed atmospheroics were replaced with a kind of generic post-cure noisepop guitar. Again, I have no idea if these guys are permanent members and if so, how much time they've had to work out parts.

I did, however, have a great time because god damn Josh Garza is a monster on the drums. I could listen to him do his Motorik Bonham thing all night long, and with the guitar element sort of wing-lamed the drumming became the focus. I laughed out loud at the start of four or five songs just at the RIDICULOUS mass of his playing. Was actually hoping this would just be him and the singer/keyboardist guy as a duo. Still think they should consider that.

Several new songs, one of which was real heavy, like Sabbath-1st-song-1st-album heavy (but with purty quiet little chorus).

Benjamin's grandiose, detailed atmospheroics were replaced with a kind of generic post-cure noisepop guitar

this sounds great. but, yeah, the drummer is the whole band for me. when i saw them live, i could feel the kick drum floating past me. it was amazing.

i dunno if we're allowed to talk about this on nu-ilx...?

why wouldn't we be?

i saw these dudes play an hour and 15 min set outside in 90 degree heat and i almost became homicidal

aw wtf man i love these dudes

deezdudes

I really like the first two records and the first ep... but I heard this "atomic heels" song from the new record and it is pretty terrible. I might buy the new record out of loyalty but it really needs to not sound like that song.

anyone hear the school of seven bells album alpinisms (by one of the secret machine's guitarists)? it's much better than anything secret machines ever did (from what I remember).

I've just heard one song... good, interesting, need to hear more before I can form a real opinion though.

huh didn't even know there was a new one

atomic heels is after a couple of listens by far the tritest, most disposable thing on the record, although the second song spends about 3 minutes ripping off the "first wave intact" beat (like daddy's in the doldrums before it) before developing a mind of its own

but after that there are some cool surprises. they don't QUITE stick the landing; the 11-minute closer is certainly uh epic and uh noisy but doesn't have quite enough grace to go with the pyrotechnics IMO. it's still groovy, but no NHIN, and no 1000 Seconds (which I have unashamed love for). the three songs before it (and "have you run out") are all good-level SM fare.

that said i am now listening to "the fire is waiting" (the aforementioned 11-minute closer) and it's actually a lot better than it was the first coupla times, maybe it just loves being cranked LOUD

I'm really hoping it's a grower, because my first listen was just... um.

They still have one of the most amazing rhtyhm sections I've ever heard (Josh Garza - ROCK STEADY) but I just don't like the new guitarist. he seems to play in a way that is really... safe. It didn't excite me like the previous 3 albums.

School of Seven Bells are just... OMG OMG ZOMG everything I've heard by them just seems to have been *made* for Kates. The electronics, the female harmonies, the noises etc.

But I really don't want to compare the two, they're very different things. It's hardly a Spectrum vs. Spiritualized type rivalry.

OK, after a few listens, this is actually very good indeed, better than Ten Silver Drops and probably one First Wave Intact short of being (quite a bit) better than NHIN

One caveat is that although this has revealed itself to be rewarding, it also took quite a few listens to "work". A lot of subtle production tricks this time around, and in fact subtler all-round songwriting (opening and closing tracks aside), placed over a fairly stripped-down, smooth psych framework. Expect some decidedly dicey reviews declaiming the album as mediocre and pointless. Whatever, it works for me. A lot more going on than meets the eye. Much of this comes from the squealing, feedbacking, choppy guitar of the "new bloke", who adds a far more schizophrenic edge to the SM sound (Brandon's now-more-unpredictable keyboard FX have adapted accordingly). It suits them, dare I say it. But it doesn't really work unless you "learn" the songs. Elsewise they sound disjointed, fraudulent and a little forgettable.

But give it some patience. The delicate feedback storm at the end of "Last Believer, Drop Dead" emerges as the gorgeous counterpoint that gives the entire song meaning and thrust. In "Now You're Gone", all sorts of studio wizardry gently massages an otherwise smooth, faceless ballad into a thing of tortured, emotional beauty. "I Never Thought To Ask" has about 8 drumbeats total and they're all perfectly deployed (as well as some awesomely tingly ambient-shoegaze guitar). "The Fire Is Waiting" gets better every time, mostly thanks to all that subtle sound-manipulation going on in the outro. "The Walls Are Starting To Crack" is flat-out awesome, but again it takes a few listens for the weird midsection to click. The three tracks I haven't mentioned are also great, albeit that two of them are somewhat fluffy pop pleasures which I won't make a song and dance about. This leaves "Have I Run Out" which grooves like a motherfucker, in its own idiosyncratic way. I hope I make myself clear. This is going to be dismissed as both incoherent and derivative, both plain and pokey, but its derivations are, I stress, superficial, and its magic lies in its subtle and attainable coherence. Plain grooves mesh with jiggery-pokery, repeat for greatest enjoyment.

N.B. This is nowhere near being either a) my album of the year or b) a jaw-dropping breakthrough in recorded sound. It's a very good, solid record. 8.5/10.

I opened for these guys in 2004, thought they were really nice. Small crowd, because Radiohead was also in town that same night.

New one hits the spot.

It's a pleasant little album with some lovely, wistful tunes, but it doesn't have even a vestige of the ambition or the prog heroics that they brought before, which were a big part of why I liked them (obviously). I guess it serves its function nicely though and it's good to have them back; obviously they've been through some shit.

Yeah, I'm just glad to have new music that is not bad.

At least this way their s/t album really will be the ignored, underrated ugly duckling of their discography (while also having some really great stuff on it)

It's a pleasant little album with some lovely, wistful tunes, but it doesn't have even a vestige of the ambition or the prog heroics that they brought before, which were a big part of why I liked them (obviously). I guess it serves its function nicely though and it's good to have them back; obviously they've been through some shit.

― imago, Monday, August 24, 2020 bookmarkflaglink

Sums up my reaction. First track had some real promise--sort of reminded me of more recent Ride (which is not a bad thing imo). Subsequent few tracks were good, not great, and nowhere near now here is nowhere. (say that last part five times fast) I didn't have a chance to hear the last few tracks yet.

I think it will take some time, and some more attention (while my attention is, at the moment, definitely elsewhere) because I was very underwhelmed by the S/T when I first listened, but in time grew to love its subtleties. So I am definitely expecting this one to grow on me, too.

A few weeks later, I can totally confirm that this album is very definitely a grower and is revealing more and more, each time I listen.

...aaaand back on tour - which I'll inevitably skip as all the dates are openers for Metric.

i love ten silver drops so much

― princess of hell (BradNelson), Tuesday, September 11, 2018 6:39 AM (one month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― princess of hell (BradNelson), Saturday, October 13, 2018 12:11 PM (four years ago) bookmarkflaglink

Huh, they had a new one out earlier this year, completely missed that.

Reading now that it was apparently the results of what was originally shelved back in 2010.

Much like a frantic movie about “unfinished business” or “the one that got away,” Secret Machines spent the past few years finally putting the finishing touches on what should have been their fourth LP. Long regarded as a lost album, The Moth, The Lizard and the Secret Machines was actually put on pause in 2010 and massaged in the aftermath of 2020’s return-to-form record Awake in the Brain Chamber.

This essentially makes it the missing link between that effort’s brash pop songs and 2008’s sorely overlooked self-titled LP. (The latter receives a long overdue digital reissue this fall — one that features a far more fitting tracklisting and robust final master from Slowdive drummer/like-minded solo musician Simon Scott).

never spent much time with the s/t and it's incredible???? obv there are posts in this thread recognizing how incredible it is

have been waiting for you to say this

'last believer, drop dead' such a sick deep cut from their catalogue. and that closer!