Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4.5 Stars... Great Album But Even Better In Concert, October 22, 2004
Album: 4 stars; Live: 5 stars
The Secret Machines have been making some waves with the catchy single "Nowhere Again" on alternative radio. I liked the song, but I wasn't really compelled to buy this album until I saw the band in concert recently twicein a matter of weeks, once headlining a small club gig, and then opening for Interpol. I was blown away, it's just that plain simple.
"Now Here Is Nowhere" (9 tracks; 50 min.) is bookended by two epic 9 min. tracks. The opener "First Wave Intact" is the best track of the album, with the baddest drum playing in a long time (when the band played this in concert, I thought of the drummer "this is John Bonham incarnate!"). The closer is the title track, starting off very sweetly but then exploding into another heavy drum-driven rocker, just great. In between are some other gems, in particular "Light's On" and "Pharaoh's Daughter".
Musically, the Secret Machines are indebted to many different influences, including Led Zep, U2, heck even Flaming Lips and let's throw in Radiohead for good measure. But the trio creates a sound of their own, with great result. One of the better albums of 2004. And in case you hadn't gotten the message yet, check these guys out live, you will be rocked!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tapping into unconsciousness, July 21, 2004
In a short interview in Blender magazine The Secret Machines indicated they believe that they don't so much create music as tap into some stream of exquisite solar inspiration. When the results sound as charged, adrenalized, exciting, powerful and dynamic as "Now Here is Nowhere," it's hard to argue with whatever the band is doing.
The Pink Floyd/Spiritualized axis has been mentioned to death, so let's just say that, sure, TSM do have their proggy moments and their saccharine bouts of heartbreak, but the ambition and heft displayed here is too much, too often to be described so simply.
Opener 'First Wave Intact' stretches for nine of the shortest minutes of your life, ranging from strutting instrumental in the beginning before gaining speed through the middle and finally rocketing to a death defying finish. How three guys can make this much noise is as mind blowing as the climax of this song that deftly combines spacy rock strut with background atmospherics and pounding drums.
'Sad and Lonely' continues in the same vein as 'First Wave' before 'The Leaves are Gone' slows things down to a heartbeat and voice, and that's one thing that sets this album, and this band, apart from much music that is out there: the vocals, instead of being voiced over the music, meld with and enhance with their surroundings, becoming more of a complementary instrument rather than an unworthy combatant.
'Nowhere Again' and 'The Road Leads Where it's Led' are unforgettable, both lyrically and musically, and too short at about four minutes each (you'll wish that TSM had extended 'Road's tightly wound, driving pace for at least another five minutes). 'Pharoah's Daughter' overcomes its crawling pace with perfectly placed piano and cosmic wind background effect as it slowly builds over its duration, while 'You Are Chains,' starting like a mid-era Pink Floyd song, builds and then bests anything the Flaming Lips have done in the last five years.
After 'The Light's On' races past the title track starts off nearly inaudible and slowly segues into a slow-burning ethereal romp that is part solar wind, part proggy reprise of the entire album, another nine minute masterpiece that closes out one the most incredible albums of the year.
An album this diverse and forward thinking is something that can immediately appeal to any fan of provocative musicainship, and it has the potential to win over anyone who gives it a chance. Though the indie 'underground' and NYC scenesters who feel they own the band may feel betrayed by The Secret Machines rising stock, they had better get over it because, with an album this spectacular, this band is not going to be a secret for much longer.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Floyd, but excellent., June 10, 2004
Let me get this out of the way first: I do not think this album sounds particularly like Pink Floyd, and I certainly do not find their drummer to be a classic rock throwback as I have read a lot of places. Yes, there are certain tracks, especially track 3 (which has very Floyd-esque guitars) and track 6 (which has an overall Floyd "sound", whatever that means really) that will make you think of Floyd, but their overall sound is very, very different. More than anything, they just really know how to create a sonic landscape, which is something I think a lot of people associate with Pink Floyd, and therefore find these two bands comparable. I don't really see it. The guitars are not like Pink Floyd at all. Likewise the lyrics. And the singer's voice... totally different. The drums are way too heavy to be Floyd. So, there, thats out of the way.If I had to compare them to some other bands, I would say they are more Ok Computer and Airbag/How am I Driving-era Radiohead than anything else. They also remind me of Lake Trout, who have a definite Floyd/Radiohead thing going on. More recently they sound very much to me like the new Muse cd. I suppose they sound more like that than anything else I can think of right now. And thats a good thing. Muse's new cd, Absolution, is far and away my favorite new cd of the year. The more I listen to Now here is Nowhere, the higher it gets on my list, but I think Muse is more solid all the way through. Their album is more cohesive. I think thats another reason why I don't get the Floyd reference with Secret Machines, because as different as Pink Floyd albums are, most of them, at least the great ones (Wish you were Here, the Wall, Dark Side, Animals...) do at least sustain the same sound throughout the album. Even the later ones without Waters manage to do that. This album, on the other hand, sounds extremely different from track to track. I'm not saying thats a bad thing, but I am saying that it doesn't remind me of Floyd. So here's the deal then. This is an excellent album. I doubt there will be too many cds out this year that are better. But when you listen to it the first time, don't expect to hear Pink Floyd 2. You might be disappointed. I was, and I shouldn't have been, because this is a great cd, and the bands first full-length album as well. I also really think anyone that likes this should pick up Muse, Absolution. And probably give Ok Computer another listen as well, if you've written it off for whatever reason (believe it or not, not everyone likes it). That album is much more Floyd-inspired than I think most people realize. Stand-out tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6
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