Daemon Ex Machina

Solution Science Systems | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 1, 2003)
• Original Release Date: September 30, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Smiley Jones Records
• ASIN: B0000APNGL
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,248,212 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

The members of Solution Science Systems claim that they are not a rock band. The band insists that, in fact, it is a group of scientists under the employ of a corporation called Solution Science Systems to do phonotonic research. And even under a great deal of scrutiny, their Web Site attests to these claims. Listening to their music (which they call "phonoton byproducts of Bioelectric Aural Research Development (BARD) technologies") reveals them to be canny practitioners of an exciting post-punk, post-post-modern mutation of classic progressive rock. A modern update of the power trio format, Solution Science Systems offers up all the complexities of Math rock, but with hooks, melodies, feelings, variety and wit. The SciRock sound is shockingly accessible, and even hum-able, delivering the visceral excitement of great rock and roll, as well as layers of intricate rhythms and arrangements, not to mention understated humor. The band’s live performances have been compared to a mixture of Logan’s Run, the Theater of the Absurd, and a high school production of "R.U.R." The group’s not-so-secret weapon is the powerful yet flexible rhythm section of Andy Tegethoff (of The Taybacks), who doubles on keyboards, and Kelly Shane (former member of Kenny Howes and the Yeah!), the man behind the propulsive percussion on all of Howes’releases. Guitarist Rob MacGrogan, also of the Taybacks, adds his own unique textural timbre to the musical maelstrom.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prog Rock with an Updated Sound and Real Songwriting, August 5, 2003

By 

D. Read "Maximumdread" (GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daemon Ex Machina (Audio CD)

Are you a fan of any or all of the following albums? "Relayer" or "Close to the Edge" by Yes? "USA" or "Starless and Bible Black" or "Discipline" by King Crimson? "Permanent Waves" or "2112" by Rush? "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" by Genesis? If you spend more than a little time, all these years after their release, listening to these records, then "Daemon Ex Machina" by Solution Science Systems (S3) will warm your heart when you hear it.

The members of this band have obviously put in their time with this music, and much other, more obscure, prog rock besides. S3 incorporates the best from all of this music, in sound and in spirit. The long, multi-part songs; the complex arrangements; the instrumental prowess; the effects; the noise; the drama. These guys are not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeve. In fact, they flaunt them.

Yet this is no mere retro-fest. Besides the 70's prog roots, "Daemon Ex Machina" displays a full knowledge of so much more that came before, after, and in parallel to classic prog. There are moments as beautiful as the melodies on "Abbey Road." There are sludge riffs that echo of Sabbath's "Masters of Reality." There are hints of 80's pop music. There are lyrics that remind me of Steely Dan. The lead guitar breaks might evoke J. Mascis when they're not evoking Steve Howe or Alex Lifeson.

Prog rock revival is not a new idea. Metal has been incorporating prog since about 1987. (Tool and Mastodon are doing the metal-prog thing better than anyone else right now.) We now even have an alt-rock prog mix with The Mars Volta.

But not enough people have stepped up to fill in the pent-up demand of the rabid fans of the prog albums mentioned at the beginning of this review. The few that have tried to fill this demand so often fail miserably at it. On the one hand, you have people who are inspired by the drama and fantasy that infused a lot of British prog, but don't have the skills to pull off the technical aspects of the music. On the other hand, you have chops geeks who replicate the technical wizardry of prog but lose track of the soul of the music.

Even if you take the best from both of these camps, you still are left without the songwriting, melodies, hooks, and arrangements that make the best prog what it is. The vast majority of would be prog revivalists are either unaware of this essential ingredient, or don't have the skills/talent to produce it. Solution Science Systems, on the other hand, succeeds wildly in this area. No matter how much of a prog feast this album is, the songwriting and arrangements come first. Every song has a hook or a theme that will keep you singing or humming it after the fact. To the rock fan who would not know Wakeman from Moraz, this makes "Daemon Ex Machina," like "Permanent Waves" before it, so much more than a prog rock album.

In the end, though, what gives me shivers when I hear S3 is that these guys have the chops, taste, and maturity to do what the prog greats did twenty-five, thirty years ago. They go out on the edge, taking huge musical risks, and then make it look easy. Imagine a band good enough to write and perform something in a class with, for instance, Yes's "The Gates of Delerium." This is that band. I've heard it on this record, and I've seen them do it live. It's that good.

And did I mention that "Daemon Ex Machina" is a concept album? This is what you've been waiting for.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best bands you've never heard of!, December 28, 2004

By 

g0)z111a (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daemon Ex Machina (Audio CD)

Albums like this continue to support my conviction that there are a whole bunch of bands out there no one has heard of that can bring the jams better than most of the bands you HAVE heard of. This album's got it all -- hook, intelligence, variety, crunch, spacemilk, and more. As an earlier review hinted, some of the conceptual aspects of the album may be obscure to most folks, but that should be no barrier to anyone's enjoyment of the record. In fact, it will probably encourage repeated listenings and deepening enjoyment over time.

There's a definite prog influence on this record, and all the aforementioned bands (Rush, Crimson, Yes) are definitely in the mix. But I think there are elements of the more raw post-punk bands like early Flaming Lips, Dinosaur Jr and perhaps even the Pixies which give dynamism to the compostions and prevents them from degenerating into masturbatory noodling. Take "Hey Butterfly" as a prime example. Despite the chops these guys possess, they never sacrifice composition for prowess which is why the record hangs together so well.

Bottom line -- This is a fantastic record with style, energy and more tongue-in-cheek references than you can imagine. Buy it. If there were any justice in the world, these guys would be playing Madison Square Garden right now.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars intelligent music for intelligent people, November 13, 2003

By 

Matthew Farrell (Tempe, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daemon Ex Machina (Audio CD)

This is a bizarre album that admittedly is not for everyone; but the *right* people will not only "get it" but actually ENJOY it to boot.

This is apparently phase one of a fairly complex concept album that is surprisingly original: grossly oversimplified, a scientist discovers an actual Maxwell's Demon inside one of his inventions and attempts to communicate with it. If Thomas Pynchon or Robert Anton Wilson were to write an album, it would probably be something like this. The lyrics abound with diverse, often obscure references--hell, how many out there actually know what a "Maxell's Demon" is?!? Personally, I like stuff like that. SSS know their sources; they obviously spend as much time reading books as they do practicing their music.

Convoluted plot aside, the album is able to stand on the music. They shift styles fluidly, often in mid-song. There are overtones of Genesis, Rush, and Pink Floyd mixed throughout. However, rather than rehashing 70s prog-rock, they manage to make it sound fresh, or at least less pretentious. Intricacies abound, and I got the impression that this isn't complexity for the sake of complexity: this is what they actually *want* to play. Because of that seeming sincerity, it works. Quite well, too; I've caught myself humming "Electrotrombonomophone" a couple of times out of the blue.

Overall, this is a good, solid effort. If you like plodding three-chord rock with inane lyrics, this album will confuse you and be inaccessible musically or plot-wise. If you like textured, complex music with intelligent content, this is well worth a listen.