Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere

Secret Machines
Now Here Is Nowhere
Reprise Records
Grade: A-

If you are searching for epic rock soundscapes then you should look no further then Now Here Is Nowhere from NYC-based the Secret Machines. With a ton of pre-release press, promotion and audio streams of the record, I was really surprised when this nine track, fifty-minute album delivered on the goods. With the opening "First Wave Intact," a spacey, drawn out, yet sweetly catching nine-minute affair, you may begin to wonder how a band could dream up such sounds on the streets of NYC. That's because the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Ben Curtis, his brother bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Brandon Curtis and drummer Josh Garza hail from the big D - Dallas. All three rocked out in numerous Dallas bands in the nineties, including Tripping Daisy. Around 2000, they got together to do their own thing and in their own place. After a quick trip to Chicago to record some material, they settled into the position of struggling artists in NYC. Perseverance, dreams and some good luck helped establish the Secret Machines as a chose live band in the city. This plus an EP on Ace Fu Records in 2002 from the Chicago recordings, opened doors for the band leading them to sign to Reprise in late 2002. Scoring the creative powers of producer Jeff Blenkinsopp, Secret Machines recorded Now Here Is Nowhere at Stratosphere Sound in New York. That studio's name is one of the most apropos things I've heard given the band's sound on the record. What is uniquely refreshing is that the Secret Machines sound so totally un-NYC's sound right now. It is safe to say that the Secret Machines want to take on a mind-trip with a resurgence of spacey, psychedelic, wistful music that echoes Eno's endeavors and Pink Floyd to name a few. Though "First Wave Intact" is the longest song here, only one falls beneath four minutes ("Light's On") and you should skip that one anyway. "Sad and Lonely" continues with a similar feel but with more sunshine rock than space. The Secret Machines actually turn things down on the ambient, softly song "Leaves Are Gone." "Nowhere Again" is one of the more standard rock tracks that will likely get picked up on the radio. In case you were missing Depeche Mode, the Secret Machines give such constructs some love on the guitar-bolstered "Road Leads Where It's Led." Do yourself a favor and skip "Pharaoh's Daughter" to get to the piano-creeping "You Are Chains." "You Are Chains" also picks up a modern rock theme after making an attempt to usurp the instrumental band title. The record closes on the nearly nine-minute title track, which features alternating singing by the Curtis brothers. The song continues and tries to crescendo with a wave of instruments but never truly reaches its peak. Now Here Is Nowhere is not an album for quick hitting listening pleasure. Rather, it is something to put in and enjoy on a recliner.