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But while the Strokes have kind of fizzled and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have morphed into a totally different beast, the Machines have proved to be the most diverse out of that collection and perhaps the most capable of still making interesting music a decade from now.
The band's debut was filled with long, dramatic songs that reminded many people of Pink Floyd and the Flaming Lips, and rightfully so. Songs took awhile to build, and once their crescendos reached a climax, it was easy to get caught up in what the Machines were doing.
Their new album "Ten Silver Drops" is a bit of a departure. The songs are a bit less experimental and not quite as exploratory. But while they've decided to embark on shorter musical journeys, the sights along the way are just as exciting.
Drummer Josh Garza is the backbone of the band, and his playing is the foundation for the entire album. While the rest of the band - vocalist/bassist Brandon Curtis and guitarist Ben Curtis - pulls back without compromising the sound, Garza not only paces the journey but takes the wheel and pushes the record into overdrive.
The album opens with the nearly seven-minute "Alone, Jealous and Stoned" that, while it might be a bit longer than it needs to be, still is packed with emotion and someone whose actions have cost him love. "Sitting at home, what am I doing?/Boy waiting by the phone," Brandon sings. In fact, the idea of waiting for something is kind of the theme of the song.
Finding love and losing it, and feeling that special spark for the first time, are important themes. While the first single "Lightning Blue Eyes" may seem a bit silly on first listen, there's no denying the feeling behind lines such as, "I remember watching as your electric blue eyes reflected sunlight."
"Faded Lines" is as close as the band ever has come to arena rock, with Brandon urging his subject, "Make up your mind/It's only love, that's all." Amazing record closer, the stunning ballad "1,000 Seconds," is a post-breakup reminder of why good things sometimes end. Brandon's breathy, raspy delivery is at its best when he recounts a relationship falling apart with lines such as, "I was wrong/That don't mean you were right" and "I need love/That don't mean I need you."
"I Hate Pretending" has the Machines sounding legitimately angry, though thankfully not angst-ridden. It's a nice new side of the band that, as long as it only pops up now and again, will provide a nice break from form. The eight-minute "Daddy's in the Doldrums" is a slow-driving, bass-heavy blues rocker that might make Led Zeppelin's remaining members sit up and take notice.
The Secret Machines may never make a major dent in pop culture nor spark any popular movements, but there's a good chance they'll continue to twist and turn as they continue to defy musical boundaries.
Recommended if you like: U2, Pink Floyd, the Flaming Lips (Brian Krasman)
Moneen, "The Red Tree" (Vagrant) 4 stars - Moneen's third studio album gets off to a rousing start with the weirdly titled "Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do" (which references the hit show Lost" in name only) that refreshingly mixes hardcore and emo-style guitars with clean vocals that don't even hint at a scream.
The band's penchant for mathematically challenging musical compositions and emotional delivery don't make them incredibly different from many of the other bands that dot their genre, but they just happen to do it better than most.
"The Day No One Needed to Know" is pumped with paranoia with lines such as, "Everything's alright/Nothing's OK/We've been lied to" before it slows down and asks us to "Sing for love/sing for laughter/sing for everyone."
"This Is All Bigger Than Me" rips corporate greed, with vocalist Kenny Bridges warning, "I hope it dies/I can't wait to be there to see it burn," and "The Politics in Living and the Shame in Dying" isn't too hard to decipher with "It's our (expletive) right to live/and not our choice to die."
RIYL: Jimmy Eat World, Circa Survive, Armor for Sleep (BK)
The Coup, "Pick a Bigger Weapon" (Anti/Epitaph) 3 and a half stars - Two things can be expected from a record by The Coup: politics and funk.
The group's fifth album again combines DJ Pam "the Funktress" and rapper Boots Riley on a collection that's catchy, funny, danceable and just a bit too long.
From the opening moments, Riley admits "I'm a walking contradiction" before launching into tirades against the U.S. government's alleged orchestration of the 1980s Iran/Iraq war ("Bush and Hussein together in bed ... Billions made and millions dead"); the downtrodden's need to take action against oppression on "Shoyoass" and "The Stand"; and questions about the motives behind war on "Captain Sterling's Little Problem," which features Tom Morello's blazing guitar work.
The Roots' Black Thought and Talib Kweli pop up on disc highlight "My Favorite Mutiny," and "Brickhouse" soundalike "We Are the Ones" has Riley feigning a British accent as he says, "We're the have-nots/But we're also the don't-gets."
RIYL: Blackalicious, the Roots, Outkast (BK)
Jesus Wept, "Show's Over" (Strike First) 3 stars - Just because a band professes its love for Jesus over and over on its record doesn't mean they can't be tough.
Whereas bands such as Stryper and Jars of Clay offered up their faith on a platter at their shows and to their fans, they were kind of wimpy. No, they were totally wimpy.
Because of that, people who didn't accept their messages likely detested the bands' music because there really wasn't much substance beyond the group's missions. But a group such as Jesus Wept not only have something to say about their faith, but they deliver it in a full-on, punch-filled assault that should please any hardcore or metal fan.
The fact that the band plans to rock your face off hits early with the short, speedy title track that leads right into the early Metallica-influenced "Blackout."
"Broken Crown" is built on a Pantera-style guitar riff, and "Against the Grain" sounds a bit like early Anthrax, before Joey Belladonna was booted.
There also are songs that remain true to hardcore's community values ethos, including "Dedicated," which vocalist Dan Quiggle sends out to his "brothers and sisters" in the scene, and disc closer "Dear Brothers" is much in the same vein, with Quiggle shouting, "We fought so hard through pain and anger."
RIYL: Dead to Fall, Converge, Hatebreed (BK)
Various artists, "Invaders" (Kemado) 4 stars - For those of us who remember the early days of American thrash metal and a time when Metallica was the most daring band in the country, the cover of Kemado's new compilation "Invaders" is likely to spark memories.
It sure looks like the legendary "Metal Massacre" that featured Metallica's first official released piece of music. While "Invaders" may not contain a track from a band that's destined to go on to sell millions of records, it is chock full of exciting artists that should appeal to those who like their guitars muddy and fuzzy, their vocals echoed and their theme about dungeons and dragons.
The 18-track record is full of stoner rock, psychedelic dreams and doom metal that should appeal to Josh Homme's recently expanded audience.
None of the songs are unapproachable, unless of course a particular listener doesn't take to the sound that makes up the collection.
There are a handful of bands that have dotted the indie circuit the past few years and likely have more than a handful of fans. High on Fire's radio edit for "Devilution" is here, and even trimmed some, remains awesome. Australian import and current media darling Wolfmother is represented with "Love Train," Black Mountain's previously unreleased "Behind the Fall" is present, and the sWord's "Under the Boughs" turns the Black Sabbath worship up a few notches.
There's also a few strong instrumental offerings such as Dungen's flute-happy "Christopher," the (Expletive) Champs' "The Loge" and Pelican's dramatic "Ran Amber."
There also are plenty of bands who haven't gotten a lot of ink yet but likely will after this compilation circulates for a few months. Saviours' "Circle of Servants Bodies" kicks off the collection with their straight-ahead sludge and shrieky vocals, Big Business offer more of a hardcore style with "Behind the Fall," and Night After Night even tip their caps to early Iron Maiden with "Backseat Astronaut."
RIYL: Black Sabbath, Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss (BK)
