By: David Schultz

While far from a diligent or scientific survey of the multitude of Best of the Decade lists, The Secret Machines’ Now Here Is Nowhere seemed criminally underrepresented in the culling of the oughts’ finest. A mixture of strident unrelenting modern rock, wispy pastorals and droning ambience, the freshness and excitement of The Secret Machines’ 2004 debut more than made up for its somewhat uneven pacing. Drummer Josh Garza’s monstrous drumbeats are barely contained by the studio and the Morse code bass lines of Brandon Curtis propel songs like “Nowhere Again” and “The Road Leads Where Its Led” forward with an unparalleled intensity. The propulsive infectiousness of “First Wave Intact,” the nine minute explosion of a mission statement that opens the album, is such a perfect song it can send shivers down your spine. You had the feeling that you were listening to the next great band, the droll affectless counterpoint to Arcade Fire.

Unfortunately, the departure of Ben Curtis from the band in 2007 to concentrate on School Of Seven Bells with Alejandra and Claudia Deheza seemed to sap the rush out of the Machines. Their last studio effort with Phil Karnats rounding out the trio flashed glimpses of past wonder but too often Secret Machines plodded forth with a joyless mechanical march. They remain compelling, even if they’ve yet to get back in step with where they were at the middle of the last decade. Around Christmas time, Curtis and Garza played a Secret Machines show as duo when a snow storm stranded Karnats outside the City limits. Village Voice profilee nyctaper caught the show and wherever he goes, high-quality recordings follow.

LOOKING AHEAD, INSTEAD OF BACKWARDS: When the weather gets warmer, The National will be releasing their follow-up to Boxer and take to the road. They’ll play the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN, where guitarist Bryce Dessner will co-curate, hit up parts of Europe and both American coasts, including a hometown June 16 show at Radio City Music Hall. On the west coast, Menomena’s Brent Knopf’s side project, Ramona Falls, will open.

In support of Scratch My Back, his album of cover songs that will be released in the US on March 2, Peter Gabriel will embark on The New Blood Tour. Leaving guitars and drums at home, Gabriel will be accompanied solely by an orchestra he’s named the Scratch My Back Experience. The tour will bring Gabriel back to America for the first time in close to seven years with shows announced for Radio City Music Hall in New York City (May 2, May 3) and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Earl Greyhound will release their sophomore album Suspicious Package on April 13, marking their return after an abnormally long absence. Has anything changed during that time? From the promo photo, Ricc Sheridan may have toned down his penchant for awesomely colorful shirts (doubtful), Kamara Thomas looks to have shortened one of the greatest hairstyles in rock and roll (self evident) and Matt Whyte seems to gone stone cold hippie or developed a serious William Hurt fetish(Whoa!).

Labels: Earl Greyhound, Peter Gabriel, The National, The Secret Machines

By: David Schultz

In March of 2007, right on the heels of a tour in support of Ten Silver Drops, The Secret Machines’ wonderful follow up to Now Here Is Nowhere, guitarist Ben Curtis quietly departed to concentrate on his own band, School Of Seven Bells. After fulfilling a couple remaining obligations, including a slot in the inaugural David Bowie curated High Line Festival, Brandon Curtis and Josh Garza didn’t exactly go into hibernation but they surely took their time plotting their next step. Bringing guitarist Phil Karnats into the fold to round out the trio, the retooled version of The Secret Machines have come out of the shop a slightly different band.

Their recently released third album, inventively called Secret Machines, is their heaviest album to date and bears the hallmarks of a carefully plotting and thought behind its creation. Never a frivolous band to begin with, Secret Machines has a ponderous heft and frightfully serious mien that makes the two prior efforts seem almost glib. The two songs that open the album, “Atomic Heels” and “Last Believer, Drop Dead,” come the closest to the Machines’ efforts with Curtis in the fold. The rest of the album bears more of an influence of Pink Floyd’s more deliberate material and Peter Gabriel’s explorations of progressive mechanical rock with the deliberate power chords and softly contrasting near-acoustic breaks of “The Walls Are Starting To Crack” and “Fire Is Waiting” bearing a distinctly Floydian flavor. Changes of directions aside, it is the Secret Machines most complete and coherent album to date.

With a new album comes the customary tour and in that vein, The Secret Machines 2.0 headlined an early evening show this past Saturday night at New York City’s Webster Hall. Playing under a post-modern Sukkoh made of white ribbons, Garza, Curtis and Karnats cranked out a variety of industrial beats, masterfully locking into a rhythm and using the freedom of the live setting to work wonders with the repetition. Playing with sticks the size of pool cues, Garza brings to mind the old school baseball players who swung bats the size of tree trunks while he wails away on the drums with a precision and efficiency that remains startling. One of the most authoritative drummers, Garza is a show unto himself and plays with such power that it’s quite possible he doesn’t need to mike his drum kit. On record and on stage, his interaction with Curtis is the lifeblood of the Machines. Curtis’ keys provide the soaring highs with and oftentimes give the Machines a cool little 80s vibe. On bass, he synchs up with Garza and plays a churning bass that sounds almost mechanical. Never a grand singer, Curtis usually delivers his vocals in a dispassionate yet compelling manner. At the beginning of “Nowhere Again” he sounded bored but on “Atomic Heels” and “Lightning Blue Eyes” he hit the perfect blend of sardonic commentary and fiery emotion.

The Webster Hall show, among the first with Karnats as an official member of the band, captured the heft and drama of Secret Machines but lacked the spark and bounce that customarily fuel the Machines’ live shows. In no small part, the subtle difference flows from the simple fact that Karnats is not Ben Curtis, not only is his style different from the younger Curtis, the role he’s filling is also not the same. Ever the nontraditional power trio, the Machines now frame their songs around Garza’s elephantine drums and Curtis’ bass, primarily relegating Karnats guitar work to providing atmosphere. Although unfair to expect the Machines and their new guitarist to immediately regain the form of the in-the-round performances that followed the release of Ten Silver Drops, the Webster Hall performance raises some doubts as to whether that will even be a concern of the band. The Machines dedicated the middle portion of the show to an aimless and dreary “Leaves Are Gone,” a sludgy and interminable version of “Fire Is Waiting” and a trippy though slow moving “The Walls Are Starting To Crack.” The entire stretch never seemed to find its true heart and at times came across as pretty boring, a rarity for The Machines.

At last year’s residency at The Annex, the Machines hewed their sets towards breaking and trying out the material that would appear on Secret Machines. On “Alone, Jealous & Stoned,” “Lightning Blue Eyes” and “First Wave Intact,” - the “encore” portion of the show (due to Webster Hall’s unfortunate early curfew, there wasn’t time to do the pro forma walk off and wait a couple minutes) – the absence of Curtis is most noticeable. Accentuating the heavy clanging bass and Garza’s enormous drum beats, Karnats has room to find his own voice among the Machines’ most well known hits, rather than imitate Curtis. Karnats’ most notable assertion occurred during a solid rendering of “Sad And Lonely” when he bent the strings and sustained the notes in the same manner as Warren Haynes during his closing solo to the song. While Karnats works his way into the Machines’ back catalog, the songs aren’t suffering but those unable to grow with the band will surely mourn Ben’s absence.

Labels: The Secret Machines

Labels: Live Reviews, The Secret Machines

Earvolution's Pawnshop Roses will play the Dogfish Head in Rehobeth Beach tonight and then head north to Boston on Saturday for a homecoming show for guitarist Kevin Bentley at the Middle East. The Boston show is with Taxpayer, The Every Day Visuals and Polarbaron. Next weekend the boys swing south to hit Spartanburg, South Carolina (Wild Wing Cafe) on Friday and then Nashville on Saturday for another Earvolution Nashville Jam (more to come on rest of bill next week) at the French Quarter Cafe.

Speaking of Boston, Razorlight will kick off their fall North American tour in Beantown on November 7th at the Middle East as well. Frontman Johnny Borell says the band is looking forward to hitting the U.S.: “We’ve spent most of this year trying to find time to tour in the States, so we’re really looking forward to finally getting to play these shows. We felt we made a real connection with the US fans when we were over in the Spring, so we want to build on that.” The band will be debuting some new material they've been working on for their next record. You can get all the Razorlight dates on their MySpace page.

Earvolution friend Rich Casella tells Schultz he will be debuting his most recent material with his new band this Friday night, September 7th, in New York City. "We sound a little like Cream or the Who but the music is a result of my travels over the past 5 years," says Casella. The early evening show kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at New York City's Lions Den, 214 Sullivan Street (between Bleeker and West 3rd). If you want to get a sense of the musicianship involved, check out a bit of Casella's guitar work here.

The Secret Machines (Earvolution interview here) will headline "Ludfest" in Brooklyn this coming Sunday, September 9th. I know, you're thinking what is Ludfest? Well let me tell you...Ludfest is "a fundraiser for the 7th Precinct Community Council, with proceeds going toward charitable functions, such as giving toys out to needy members of our community, as well as funding for the Explorers Program, which gives teens activities to keep them off the streets. If you've never seen the Secret Machines live, I suggest you head on out. There will be several other bands and lots of other stuff to check out.

Mp3 Offerings:
Ravens & Chimes (Brooklyn bounce pop): January
The Real Tuesday Weld (not the fake one!): Last Words
Wooden Shjips (not Wooden Ships): We Ask You To Ride
Aesop Rock (ok, I give): Big Wiz MegaMix
The Coathangers (Atlanta pottymouth pop punk): Shut The Fuck Up
Herbie Hancock w/Norah Jones (Joni Mitchell cover): Court & Spark
Eulogies (debut out 9/11, mixed by John Goodmanson [Sleater-Kinney, Blonde Redhead]): One Man

Appleseed Recordings, celebrated it's 10th anniversary this Tuesday by releasing Sowing the Seeds - The 10th Anniversary. The 2-CD, 37-track good deeds opus includes a collaboration between Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen, as well as exclusive new songs from Ani DiFranco, Donovan, Wyclef Jean, Roger McGuinn, Jackson Browne, David Bromberg and more. "In celebrating Appleseed's tenth anniversary, we want to pay tribute to the politically active artists here - and to non-musical activists as well - who are unafraid to fight the good fight for social justice and positive change," explains Musselman. "Many of the musicians on this compilation were on the front lines of the major social movements of the last 50 years. We salute all who have challenged our skewed domestic and foreign policies and have championed peace, environmental preservation, civil rights, the women's movement and other vital issues." Word.

Labels: Mp3s, Pawnshop Roses, Razorlight, The Secret Machines

By: David Schultz

A few months ago, The Secret Machines quietly announced that guitarist Ben Curtis would be leaving the band he founded with his brother Brandon and drummer Josh Garza. For a trio that works so well together, Curtis' departure might have sounded a death knell for The Machines, right on the verge of their emergence as one of the freshest and most exciting new groups of the new century. Rather then spiral aimlessly in the face of loss, Brandon Curtis and Garza quickly regrouped and began working on new material focusing on the matter at hand and not what might have been. Having already attracted the ardor of David Bowie upon the release of last year's Ten Silver Drops, the Thin White Duke tabbed The Machines to reveal their new lineup and sound as the closing act of his High Line Festival at the newly opened Highline Ballroom. Technically, the Highline show was The Machines' second in as many nights: Curtis and Garza weren't leaving everything to chance, they played a late-night warm up show with substantially the same setlist the night before at The Annex on the Lower East Side.

In Ben's absence, Garza and Curtis brought on two different guitarists, who also contributed some additional keyboards while Brandon played bass. Neither contributed significantly to the much heavier sound they've adopted. Without Ben's incising guitar work, the Machines now focus on Brandon's sonorous keyboards and Garza's bombastic drums. Instead of building on the crisp modern rock found on No Here Is Nowhere and Ten Silver Drops, Garza and Curtis are moving into the sludgy heaviness akin to "Daddy's In The Doldrums." Unlike past Machines shows, the crowd seemed less enthralled by the new material, which lacked the tight hooks and grooves that fueled their success. The differences between the new material was most pronounced during "Lightning Blue Eyes" and the encore of "Sad And Lonely" and "Nowhere Again," which seemed to possess a more energized spirit. The Highline show may indicate a drastic change in musical direction for The Secret Machines; then again, it may be too early to make such a pronouncement.

Labels: High Line Ballroom, High Line Festival, Live Reviews, The Secret Machines

The Secret Machines' Brandon Curtis announced that his guitarist brother Ben has left the band. Ben will start a new project called School of Seven Bells. Meanwhile, the remaining Machines will hit the studio in May to begin work on their follow up to Ten Silver Drops.

Mp3s:
Ela: Checks Getting Cashed
Nicole Adkins: The Way It Is
Swati: 2 O' Clock in the A.M. and Blackjack
Astrid Swan: Good Girl
Haley Bonar: Captain Captain
Cynthia Mason: Like a Lifer Out for Good

The latest news in the Van Halen saga is a report that the band will not perform at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction. Velvet Revolver is rumored to be doing a tribute to Van Halen. I have no doubt that David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar will both contemplate jumping on stage with Slash and crew. If they do, I'd love to see the look on Eddie's face.

Reuters is reporting that the payola probes have benefited indie music. With big labels left with less ability to blatantly bribe radio stations to play certain songs consumers are reportedly getting more variety and the playing field is seen as somewhat more level for smaller indie acts and labels. The story also reports that "Clear Channel Communications Inc., CBS Radio, Entercom Communications Corp. and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. have agreed to a consent decree that includes a $12.5 million payment to settle payola allegations raised by the [FCC]." It would be nice to get more variety from radio - but if they won't give it I guess that's why mp3 blogs were invented!

Labels: Mp3s, Nicole Adkins, The Secret Machines, Van Halen

"My Generation," The Who's 1965 classic in which Roger Daltrey sang that he hoped he die before he got old, was named the most popular teenage anthem of all time in a survey of 2,000 British adults. Cyndi Lauper's defining Eighties track "Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun" placed second and Alice Cooper's "School's Out" was third. The polling for youthful anthems was done to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first use of the term "teenager."

You would have to imagine a Stateside version of the same list would have to include Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run," Skynyrd's "Free Bird" and The Secret Machines' "Alone, Jealous & Stoned." Well, maybe someday for the Machines.

Labels: The Secret Machines, The Who

All At Once (Its Not Important)


Tour dates here.

Related:

Secret Machines Interview.

Review: Ten Silver Drops

Live Review: Secret Machines at Hiro Ballroom

Labels: The Secret Machines

I was down at the Philadelphia waterfront this past Sunday for "Jam on the River" and in addition to getting to meet the lovely and amazing Grace Potter, and catching a set by the always fun Dirty Dozen Brass Band, I got to sit down for a chat with the guys from the Secret Machines.



On a hot day with a large number of attractive girls roaming around, it was quickly apparent that the last thing these guys wanted to do was sit through yet another interview. The Machines are one of those bands who say they are in this just for the music and don't think about "commercial success." They seem to mean it, so I've decided not to type up our interview. These guys are right - their music will find its audience all on its on.

The band has a deserved reputation for putting on a terrific live show and are touring in support of their self-produced Ten Silver Drops, their second full length record, that hit stores about a month or so ago. Additionally, the band recently collaborated with Bono, who had heard and liked the group's music early on, for a song from the upcoming film Across the Universe (co-starring Evan Rachel Wood) that is due out later this year.

After a brief US stint ending with a killer set at the Jam on the River, the band is now in Europe - a place they feel quite comfortable. Drummer Josh Garza, one of those affable guys you who strikes you as instantly friendly, talked about a gig they did with Sonic Youth in Greece. The gig was on the side of a mountain not far from the Aegean Sea. Josh says the scenery was so beautiful and the food was so great they had such a good time that it didn't matter how many people in the audience knew who they were. The guys also note how live music is more "integrated into the culture" in England and Europe. The people consistently come out for large and small live shows, and the "event" gigs at places like Wembley are near commonplace. It's no wonder the band has performed there so much.

In addition to being first rate musicians, the guys seemed genuinely genuine. Not an easy task when you're a band that has already played stadium gigs with U2 (by U2's request!) in Mexico and counts David Bowie among its early fans. What I like about these guys is their quiet confidence. Rock and roll bravado is fun, but only in small doses. The Secret Machines get it that longevity only comes from good songs. I think longevity is certainly in the cards for these guys who may be the only American bred band to eventually garner a Radiohead-like respect among the world wide musician community. They are already well on their way.

The Secret Machines play the Abart Music Club tonight in Zurich, and along with several gigs across Europe, hit the Download Festival in Donnington on June 10th. Stateside, the band plays the legendary 9:30 Club in DC on July 21st and will play Lollapalooza in August before doing their own tour this fall.

Labels: The Secret Machines

By: David Schultz

To celebrate the release of Ten Silver Drops, their second full-length album, The Secret Machines played a special in-the-round show for their adopted New York City hometown fans at the lavish Hiro Ballroom. With its paper lanterns, wooden columns and tiered risers, the Hiro Ballroom looks like it would make a better setting for a Quentin Tarantino fight scene than a locale for one of modern rock's freshest and exciting new bands. While fascinating in appearance, the in-the-round stage took up the majority of the floor space of the triple digit capacity ballroom. The layout gave everyone an opportunity to get nice and close to the band but it also provided for cramped conditions in certain congested areas. Fortunately, once the atmospheric, spacey background music the trio uses to preface their appearance began to channel through the PA, everyone seemed to lose their desire to wander around the room. Even moreso, once The Secret Machines hit the stage, people stood transfixed.

For those who have yet to become acquainted with The Secret Machines, they are lead singer/keyboardist Brandon Curtis, guitarist Ben Curtis and drummer Josh Garza. The Machines didn't really make the best use of the centered stage as the Curtises and Garza all faced inward towards the middle, rarely turning towards the crowd amassed at their feet. On the flip side, by facing each other instead of an audience, the instrumental sections of each song gained fervor as the three delightedly fed off each other's energy, shooting grins and excited looks back and forth while they played.

Clad entirely in black and playing heavy modern rock with uber-intensity, the Machines are surprisingly loose, relaxed and limber on stage. For a band that kicked off the show and led off their new album with a song entitled "Alone Jealous & Stoned," they are far from morose. Once he loosened up, Ben Curtis even danced a little loosy-goosy jig by his mike before finally feeling comfortable enough to turn and play to the crowd. More fit for packed arenas than a tiny ballroom, up tempo songs like "Faded Lines" and "Road Leads Where It's Lead" completely overwhelmed the delighted crowd. Heavier songs like "Daddy's In The Doldrums" and "I Hate Pretending" got an added boost in the tiny setting as the feel of the bass lines shuddering through your body raised the tense, edgy vibe.

Even though the Hiro Ballroom show was designed to celebrate the release of Ten Silver Drops, the set list mixed in a healthy dose of the Machines' older material. Now Here Is Nowhere's "Pharaoh's Daughter" segued nicely into "Daddy's In The Doldrums" and "Lightning Blue Eyes" zipped along with the same pacing as the set closer "Nowhere Again." "Harmonia," with its far eastern rhythm and trancelike melody, had the crowd swaying hypnotically in time with the band.

While the Curtises remained relatively stationary throughout the show, Josh Garza played up a furious storm. Looking every bit the wild drummer, Garza moved animatedly behind the kit with his long black hair flying askew and beaming an enraptured grin. If Garza were chained to the drums with a neck collar, covered in pink hair and spoke monosyllabically, he'd possibly resemble Animal from Electric Mayhem. (As an aside, amongst fictional bands comprised of puppets, Electric Mayhem plays The Rolling Stones to the Banana Splits' Beatles.) In driving the Machines' songs forward, Garza seems like he's trying to burst his kit, hitting the drums and cymbals harder than your average drummer. The force Garza's playing with becomes pronounced when he holds the cymbal steady for four beats, releases it and than bashes the absolute holy hell out of it for the next four. He also looks like he's having a blast, singing along with Brandon and the crowd during "First Wave Intact."

Technical difficulties, possibly relating to the filming of the event, delayed the encore for approximately ten minutes. The announcement of which puzzlingly caused some to head for the exits. The Secret Machines returned for their encore refreshed, promptly diving into "Sad And Lonely" and a rafter-shaking, or more properly for the Hiro Ballroom chochin-shaking, rendition of "First Wave Intact" that had the true believers that remained shaking their heads with awestruck delight. The Machines knew they'd hit the mark as well, sharing smiles and hugs before retreating backstage.

The Machines followed up their hypertensive Hiro Ballroom show the next afternoon with an in-store acoustic set at Union Square's Virgin Megastore. From there, they embark on a world tour to support Ten Silver Drops, going where the road will lead them. They will revive the in-the-round setup in Los Angeles on May 4 at the El Rey Theatre and then return to the customary theater setting. Anyone prophesying doom upon the future of modern rock needs to get to an arena and see The Secret Machines. It wouldn't do to heap the burden of bringing rock and roll into the next century upon this trio's young shoulders. That being said, The Secret Machines can be counted upon to give people a lot to be very excited about.

Labels: The Secret Machines

By: David Schultz

The Secret Machines are going to have a hard time living up to their name. Turning heads at the 2005 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, The Machines stood out from the pack breaking through with an incendiary set after having spent close to two years on the road mastering their live show. They recently sat down to be interviewed by David Bowie, one of their most ardent fans, and recently collaborated with Bono on a cover of "I Am The Walrus." Even though their latest and second full-length album, Ten Silver Drops, has been available for download for weeks, The Secret Machines will be celebrating its official release and surely generating even more favorable buzz, kicking off their summer world tour, with in-the-round concerts on each coast.

The Secret Machines formed in Dallas, TX when lead singer/bassist/keyboardist Brandon Curtis and his brother, guitarist Ben Curtis, hooked up with drummer Josh Garza. Honing a style centered on Curtis' throaty vocals and atmospheric synth, his brother's pulsing hypnotic guitar and Garza's crashing, frenzied drums, The Secret Machines winningly combine an industrial crunch with a David Lynchian moody airiness. On their 2004 debut album, Now Here Is Nowhere, they captured the essence of a restless generation, possessing an untapped and unfocused reserve of energy, ready to explode unless productively channeled. The trio followed their debut with their second EP The Road Leads Where It's Led (2002's September 000 being their first) containing the electrifying title song as well as a droning but captivating cover of Bob Dylan's "Girl From The North Country" and a gloriously electrified romp through Van Morrison's meditative "Astral Weeks."

To get an idea of where The Secret Machines are coming from, take a listen to "First Wave Intact," the nine-minute opus that opens Now Here Is Nowhere. If that song doesn't scratch you where you itch, then The Secret Machines may not be the band for you. In fact, if "First Wave Intact" doesn't grab you by your musical cojones, maybe modern rock isn't the thing for you either.

The high octane industrial crunch of the thunderous Now Here Is Nowhere has been restrained on Ten Silver Drops into a more refined pulsing throb. Most notably, Josh Garza's drumming, which can echo John Bonham or Keith Moon at their most hedonistic, has been reined into the realm of controlled fury. The change is not accidental. "Last time we were interested in creating edges in places people don’t normally create edges, like in the low-end frequencies," Garza explains of the difference. "It ended up making the songs kind of two-dimensional and flat. This time we tried to preserve some of the depth and let other things, like melodies, float to the surface."

The songs on Ten Silver Drops derive from the spiritual isolation experienced by the Machines after months of constant touring. Drops' opening track, "Alone, Jealous And Stoned" succinctly embodies that emptiness. Generating pathos tinged with mounting anger, the Machines create a soundtrack for all three states of mind. Consider yourself fortunate if the song's plaintive wail of chorus doesn’t strike a chord somewhere in the dark recesses of your soul. Ten Silver Drops, which only contains eight songs, may be more melancholy than their full length debut but it is no less powerful. The brooding atmosphere of "Daddy's In The Doldrums" contains a more controlled version of the pseudo-early eighties alternative rock that could be their trademark. "Faded Lines," "I Hate Pretending" and "Lightning Blue Eyes" have been well rehearsed during The Machines' endless tour and the locomotive pace of those songs, as well as "All At Once (It's Not Important)" could easily have fit in on Now Here Is Nowhere. "I Want To Know If It's Still Possible" and "1000 Seconds" close the album on a surprisingly dreary note. Both songs sound like outtakes from early Peter Gabriel albums, which while having their place, mismatch with the rest of the album.

The Secret Machines are soon to have one of the most oxymoronic names in modern rock. While their music storms along with an industrial stomp, there's nothing unemotional or mechanical about them. Most importantly, once Ten Silver Drops works its way into the public consciousness, these Machines aren't going to be a secret much longer.

Labels: The Secret Machines

New York City-based Secret Machines' second album Ten Silver Drops will hit stores April 25th. The Machines - bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Brandon Curtis, his brother guitarist/vocalist Ben Curtis, and drummer Josh Garza - are no longer a secret as they toured relentlessy in support of their debut for more than 18 months and have created some big sounds for the new record.

The band produced the record themselves, an experience about which Brandon says:

"Producing ourselves, we came away with the essential nature of preserving the sanctity of the vibe of a recording studio. A producer can dictate the terms, set the schedule, and create a sensory feeling in the room by lighting it or making it smell a certain way. When you're doing it yourself, you have to be responsible for dictating the feeling you want."

"Alone, Jealous and Stoned" stands out as the first single and you can listen to the entire cd here to see how the boys fared taking their turn as both musicians and producers.

Labels: The Secret Machines