Now Here Is Nowhere

As with some other albums, I heard a random track from Secret Machines' Now Here Is Nowhere while buying something else in a CD store. I also seemed to remember seeing them play live on TV and being reasonably impressed. I didn't buy the album straight away, but felt compelled to do so a few days later. So, was it worth buying this album after hearing only one or two tracks?

The first thing I noticed during the opening track First Wave Intact was the huge, John Bonham style drumming. Very nice - these guys have (or at least the drummer has) listened to quite a bit of Led Zeppelin, who are a band I like a lot. I find this track good and, although I know it is supposed to be an epic, I think at 9 minutes it wears out its welcome a little. Still, not bad. This is followed by another big song Sad And Lonely. This time there's something that sounds like a Who-style ARP synthesiser and it works well.

The third track The Leaves Are Gone is a mellow, almost haunting Pink Floyd style ballad, although the vocals have a more American sound, possibly like REM. In fact, a lot of the vocals have that Michael Stipe sound to them. Interestingly, this also track reminds me of songs by Danish band Kashmir - I'd be surprised if these guys have heard of Kashmir, so I'm probably missing some common influences, not having listened to a lot of new music in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Nowhere Again is a lot more upbeat and alternative sounding - there's something like a Brian Eno influence in here. Again I can hear similarities with Kashmir, so I might be missing a Brian Eno thing in their music too! I'm surprised this was a single - I find it one of the less impressive songs on the album, especially since I've never been an Eno fan... although this track does seem to be growing on me.

The Road Leads Where It's Led opens with industrial noise, and then turns into a multi-guitar, Led-Zeppelin-meets-U2-meets-alternative-rock song that drives along at a decent pace. I like this one a lot - I think this is my favourite song on the album.

Pharoah's Daughter is excellent. It opens with mellow Pink Floyd style instrumentation and continues in a style very reminiscent of something from Floyd's Wish You Were Here... this is very Welcome To The Machine. You Are Chains has a mellow electric piano opening, which continues the feeling of the previous song. Yet again, the vocal style is very REM and the track builds into something that sounds like a weird combination of Led Zeppelin (due to the drumming), U2 (guitar playing) and REM. Yet again, it works quite well. Light's On is in the same vein as Nowhere Again - not bad, but I don't love it.

The title track closes the album and is another 9 minute epic. OK, the opening suggests that these guys are Yes fans as well - that should have been obvious! This song covers a fair bit of ground, pulling themes from various songs on the album. It is a fitting finale to the album.

This is classic progressive rock with some psychedelic and more recent alternative and mainstream influences. I like it, but don't love it. I guess I've never been very into the cleverer progressive rock bands like Yes. I like my music a bit simpler, partly so that, when I want to, I can listen to it in the background while doing other things, without feeling like I have to be thinking about it. I don't regret buying this album - it really is quite good - but I don't think I'd buy another Secret Machines album without listening to more of it before handing over my money... You see, I kind of like what these guys are doing, but I'm not too sure what that is, and I have no idea where they're likely to go from here! I'd like to check that I'd be getting more of what I like about this album rather than less...