iTunes Music Review - Now Here Is Nowhere (5 out of 5)

  • Now Here Is Nowhere

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    • The Secret Machines' inaugural album, Now Here is Nowhere is both old and new in its sonic assault. The trio's surprisingly big sound evokes Pink Floyd (without ever sounding like any Pink Floyd song), the Violent Femmes, Jellyfish, The Beatles, and even band member Ben Curtis's former project, Tripping Daisy, but it all somehow comes out sounding fresh and original.

      "First Wave Intact" is the album's opener, a driving and intent song that grabbed me the first time I heard it. The same can be said for "Nowhere Again" (and the continuation title track, "Now Here is Nowhere"), though it has a much more prominent vocal component (There's a woman in the mirror in a fiery state/ She motions to me, I start pulling away/Lifting her dress up, all the way up). Still, it's the simple, repetitive guitar line that moves the song forward, and makes me want to hear it again and again.

      "Sad and Lonely" is one of the most heavily Classic Rock-influenced songs on the album. It has a big guitar and a John Bonham drum vibe, but it is married to a Jellyfish-like lead vocal that lends the song a lilting and airy feel. A more straight-ahead vocal line would have burdened the song into mediocrity.

      I don't want to review each song, but suffice it to say that many different sides of the band are represented, along with a variety of sounds. While not a concept album, Now Here is Nowhere is best listened to from start to finish, and it's one of my favorite work and poker soundtracks.

      Favorite Songs: First Wave Intact, Sad and Lonely, Nowhere Again, Pharoah's Daughter, Light's On

      - Bryan Chaffin

     

    Bryan Chaffin has been a musician all his life, and enjoys both playing and listening to a variety of music. His interest in the iPod grew from covering Apple for The Mac Observer, but it's iPodObserver.com that will allow him to marry his passion for technology to his love for music.

     

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