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Elly Roberts reviews

No Machine: A Terrible Thing

Distributed by
Arion Records

January 2008

Rating: 6/10

Not such a terrible thing after all!

With Prog-Rock having made little impact, despite its recent efforts, No Machine may have some trouble making it big. Nevertheless there are some interesting things going on here. Comparisons with legends of the genre are not easily made. Somewhere along the line, possibly early Genesis and Marillion come to mind.

That said, No Machine sounds fresh combining somewhat over indulgent wanderings with pop/rock melodies and harmonies, so it’s an interesting fusion. A Pop/Prog Rock begins (Terrible Thing) with spacey keys followed by a crunchy rock blast and wiry guitar solos.

The lead singer’s vocals are powerful and assured. Peculiarly, it’s a Ska-like romp that ensues of the pacey I Get Down with lashings of organ and rustic riffs, making it quite a two song onslaught. In sharp contrast, they opt for a much mellower Tell Me, sounding, like, again, Marillion.

They chose Tell Me as their first single, whereas I Choose You would’ve been a better release, with its greater radio-friendly accessibility. The next three are rock ballads, with Elevator proving the best of the midway bunch. More Marillion/Genesis influences re-surface for the power loaded The Races: big keys and a whopping solo compound the Prog Rock drama.

Sunshine reverts to their pop subtlety, with rippling bass-lines and neat drum beats, supported by sunny vocal backups, and it’s a close as they come to another radio single, which is probably the only way they’re going to get mass exposure. Diamond Ring is heavy on the keys and Queen-like big harmony backups.

To date, No Machine haven’t found their own direction, but with time they might.

File under: promising.

Weblinks: nomachinemusic.com / myspace.com/nomachinemusic

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The full list of tracks included are :

1. A Terrible Thing 2. I Get Down 3. Tell Me 4. I Choose You 5. Divine 6. Elevator 7. Sha La La Lady 8. The Races 9. Sunshine (ain’t no friend of mine) 10. There Are Forces 11. Diamond Ring

Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.

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