The Secret Machines- Ten Silver Drops

Two years after Now Here is Nowhere made little to no impact on the music scene, The Secret Machines are back again. The Secret Machines are, if anything, a thinking band. The theme of the album seems to be reflective isolation. After spending over a year on tour, they booked a studio in upstate New York and hid out there for three weeks writing and producing their own album. That must have attributed to the title of the first track, “Alone, Jealous and Stoned.” They have progressed, showing much more coherency and direction with this album than their previous effort. But what they’ve gained in direction they’ve lost in definition. The songs flow from one to another, connecting but not giving any sign that you’ve really moved on to a different song, mostly ending in Sgt. Pepper-esque noisy crescendos that almost blend seamlessly into the next intro. And whereas that works for say, Pink Floyd, they don’t seem to have a plan with it. It's just collection of songs that happen to sound all alike. Of course there are a few standouts here. One of the only fast-paced (and I use this term loosely) tunes “Lightning Blue Eyes” perfectly showcases this band at their best: crashing drums, soft harmonies, hopeful and open chords and solos piercing through catchy choruses. It’s the perfect song to dance around your living room alone to. But that’s back to the key point. This is not a social album. This is an album you put on when you come home half stoned from a party at 1am and listen to while you ponder the universe in a slight depression and drift to sleep. At its best it’s sneakily enjoyable, at its worst it’s somnolent, and all around it’s vague. Hopefully the next time around these self-produced boys will get some outside perspective, stop with the seclusion, and let everyone else in on the secret.