Now Here is Nowhere

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

Hmmm...sounds like an army at times.

A disciplined and focused army.

Good record.

Very good record.

I'm 53 and I live for music like this...it's why I still listen for new sounds and new approaches.

Yeah, there are still new approaches to be discovered.

You may not think this is anything new, but I do, and that's why I like it.

One of the reasons.

It rocks, it soothes, and it affects.

Give it a shot...let it rock, soothe, and perhaps affect you.

That's what new music's all about.