2008 sees the third chapter of a musical journey that began in 2007 as a concept mired in disintegration, and emerges triumphantly as a band whose towering new record, the self-released “Secret Machines”, remains undiminished in impact or influence. <br /><br />Just as the trio were about to start recording their third album and follow-up to Now Here Is Nowhere (2004) and Ten Silver Drops (2006), guitarist and co-founder Ben Curtis parted ways to focus on his new band School of Seven Bells. As a way of surviving this tension, core members Brandon Curtis (frontman/bassist/keyboardist) and drummer Josh Garza began to piece together "the record they've always wanted to make", according to Garza. <br /><br />Old school fans of the psychedelic prog rockers’ signature brooding atmospherics will not be disappointed by the addition of ex-Tripping Daisy guitarist and longtime collaborator Phil Karnats, whose full-bodied, monster chording perfectly bridges the balance between Curtis’ melodic and Garza’s rhythmic counterpoints. <br /><br />“I love it when melody and the textures of the music mix, and you can’t tell where the song begins and the environment ends,” explains Curtis with the imbued confidence of a man who has risen from the void left by his brother’s departure, finding solace through compelling verse and stylized vocals which now carry an emotional edge. The evocative stunner “Now You’re Gone” finds Curtis romanticizing amidst a swirl of multi-layered choral delays and backwards echo harbouring hidden longings and self-doubt “I was holding on to nothing staring into the light, would it be alright?”<br /><br />Yet for all the sonic mastery on display this is the band’s most commercially accessible record to date, a rock album that grooves, packed with infectious hooks and punchy, addictive melodies, starting with the seductive self-indulgent opener “Atomic Heels” followed by the racing and vividly lyrical “Underneath the Concrete”, which depicts a New York subway attack on one of Curtis’ close friends, who was forced to seek refuge on the pavement. <br /><br />Curtis’ penchant for sumptuous narratives and obscure references to imagery are ever present on the upbeat “Last Believer, Drop Dead”, with Garza's mechanical timekeeping and Karnats' schizophrenic guitar redefining the psych-pop soundscapes the band are known for.<br /><br />This record stays true to The Secret Machines' classic deconstruction heritage, but unlike previous guitar-driven albums, this time around it's Josh Garza’s menacing, primal drumming which adds hefty dimension to the quiet contrasts of fragmented grandeur on trademark Floydian power tracks “The Walls are Starting to Crack” as well as the cataclysmic closing finale “The Fire is Waiting”. <br /><br />Garza’s thunderous style is both the beating heart of the Machines as well as its anchor, underpinning the ominous aural turmoil that Curtis is vying desperately to release. The overall effect is a darker and more nuanced progression between abstraction and structure, setting the stage for the Secret Machines’ forward-moving trajectory and presaging more experimentation on the wide open sonic road ahead. <br /><br />“We like songs and structure, but we also love space,” Curtis makes clear, “Having this new situation where we do not answer to a label, where we can go into the studio and do whatever we want to do, who knows? We may go further out on the next one.” http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines Delta 0 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Secret Machines Revolution Playlist http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/playlist/ayMcS-dO/revolution-playlist-music-playlist/ Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:55:48 -0000 Zd7tQqA9HU Secret Machines http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/video/ZlIVu3Uo/tsm-recordings-atomic-heels-making-of-clip-movies-video/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:15:46 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/video/ZlIVu3Uo/tsm-recordings-atomic-heels-making-of-clip-movies-video/"><img width="100" height="75" border="0" src="http://srv0204-07.sjc3.imeem.com/g/v/21ebc15138c1eadb9eb33eff786fab75_00010.jpg" title="Click to play this video"/></a></div> Ef4PMh6b_S The Secret Machines, who are on the road to support their latest album, the self-titled “Secret Machines”, will be wrapping up their North American tour next month playing in front of a hometown crowd at the Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn on Nov 18th , after which they will be joining Oasis as special guests on their upcoming concerts in Mexico. The Secret Machines are renown for creating atmospheric stage shows featuring massive soundscapes that deliver blistering drum-and-bass epics of seismic proportion alongside hypnotic riffs that evoke and transcend the realms of indie prog psychedelia.<br><br>The last time the Dallas via New York trio shared a stage with the British rockers was in 2005 in Spain, Germany and the Milton Keynes Bowl in the UK. This will mark the Secret Machines’ second visit to Mexico, following their 2006 performances as the opening band for the Mexican leg of U2’s Vertigo tour. <br><br>WED Nov 26 Mexico City @ Sports Palace<br>FRI Nov 28 Guadalajara @ Arena VFG<br>SAT Nov 29 Monterrey @ Arena Monterrey<a href="http://www.imeem.com/tag/mexico" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://www.imeem.com/tag/oasis" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://www.imeem.com/tag/secret" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://www.imeem.com/tag/machines" rel="tag"></a> Secret Machines contest http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/blogs/2008/11/14/dU4eDe1r/secret-machines-oasis-to-perform-together-in-mexico Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:39:46 -0000 zUNIg8IoHE Secret Machines http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/video/UVbjRtkY/the-secret-machines-atomic-heels-movies-video/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:39:20 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/video/UVbjRtkY/the-secret-machines-atomic-heels-movies-video/"><img width="100" height="75" border="0" src="http://srv0204-05.sjc3.imeem.com/g/v/b7168bb99f1e2857249be4034b4c461a_00010.jpg" title="Click to play this video"/></a></div> lZZjxgonRc The Secret Machines ATOMIC HEELS GarageBand remix contest winner is Itza Cu from Merida in Mexico.<br><br>All the entries were fantastic (except for the one really terrible dance mix), and Josh and Brandon gave a big shout out to Itza after the show at Neumo's in Seattle last Thursday. You can check it out on www.thesecretmachines.com. Itza gets a Product Red Nano Chromatic and the chance to have his remix featured on an upcoming digital EP.<br><br><br><a href="http://www.imeem.com/tag/remix" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://www.imeem.com/tag/garageband" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://www.imeem.com/tag/contest" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://www.imeem.com/tag/heels" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://www.imeem.com/tag/atomic" rel="tag"></a> Secret Machines contest http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/blogs/2008/11/14/fNwMpQdo/atomic-heels-garageband-remix-winner-announced Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:21:52 -0000 F15GSc7Nhn Secret Machines http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/video/Q8MyT-X3/tsm-recordings-brandon-curtis-and-josh-garza-announce-atomic/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:49:22 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/video/Q8MyT-X3/tsm-recordings-brandon-curtis-and-josh-garza-announce-atomic/"><img width="100" height="75" border="0" src="http://srv0204-03.sjc3.imeem.com/g/v/fdffa5d66e7a9cc90ad6e008b5e1f9e7_00010.jpg" title="Click to play this video"/></a></div> ciJq2Veybb Secret Machines http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/music/ax0qAf0Z/the-secret-machines-the-walls-are-starting-to-crack/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:29:16 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/music/ax0qAf0Z/the-secret-machines-the-walls-are-starting-to-crack/"><img border="0" src="http://icons-p2.imeem.com/ax0qAf0Z.jpg" title="Click to play this song"/></a></div> Q_LZpwSQBV Secret Machines http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/music/WMWcmq9U/the-secret-machines-i-never-thought-to-ask/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:27:09 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/music/WMWcmq9U/the-secret-machines-i-never-thought-to-ask/"><img border="0" src="http://icons-p2.imeem.com/WMWcmq9U.jpg" title="Click to play this song"/></a></div> __JRar5LY3 Secret Machines http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/music/GtBBs2zM/the-secret-machines-the-fire-is-waiting/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:26:07 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/music/GtBBs2zM/the-secret-machines-the-fire-is-waiting/"><img border="0" src="http://icons-p1.imeem.com/GtBBs2zM.jpg" title="Click to play this song"/></a></div> NQLOJO62Ur Secret Machines The Secret Machines http://www.imeem.com/secretmachines/playlist/Uw1bQCtv/the-secret-machines-music-playlist/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:06:07 -0000 9DvQOPRCg_