The Prize Fighter Inferno - My Brother's Blood Machine

The Prize Fighter Inferno
My Brother’s Blood Machine
Equal Vision Records
Grade: A-

Do you have the energy to continue the Coheed and Cambria story? Can/did you figure it out to begin with? To add further confusion and bafflement, Claudio Sanchez has released My Brother’s Blood Machine, under the moniker the Prize Fighter Inferno, which is a prequel to the CC trilogy. These songs consist of Inferno (aka, Jesse, Coheed’s brother) telling the story of the Blood Machine on present-day Earth (where Inferno is, naturally, resurrected after dying). (More than likely I didn’t get this story entirely correct, as I’ve been told before I haven’t nailed previous stories). Anyway, for the casual listener of My Brother’s Blood Machine the music is what’s immediately attractive and the story is of secondary importance. The eleven songs (plus a ‘hidden’ song) all align with electronic indie pop and/or acoustic folksy CC. Or, as one might say, the songs are either like Postal Service or acoustic CC. Part of the comparison is unavoidably due to Sanchez’s unique vocals. Apparently, this electronic, acoustic mashing was the original plan of Sanchez and Co. to tell the story of CC. Far from the bombastic, epic guitar opuses of CC, Blood Machine is considerably more accessible for the ordinary listener. And among those that draw such listeners in are the blip electronic opener “The Going Price For Home” along with like-sounding and excellent “A Death in the Family,” the amazing “Who Watches the Watchmen?,” and “The Margretville Dance.” The stellar acoustic, folksy numbers include “Our Darling Daughter You Are, Little Cecillia Marie,” “Run, Gunner Recall, Run! The Town Wants You Dead!,” and the high-pitched vocals on “Easter.” As an extra reason and bonus for picking up Blood Machine, the packaging is phenomenal; the type that should get some recognition from the Grammy category on packaging – who decides that anyway? The highlight: a set of tarot cards as the linear notes. Awesome!