Easy this one, I was instantly attracted by the appearance of an SH101 synth on the front cover and a band called Mankind Liberation Front. On the downside the dreadlocks and acoustic guitar were of slight concern. Checking out the track titles swung the positive feeling back, with Jackie Is Joining The Navy indicating mundane absurdity and Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers promising b-movie chic.
Around & Around opens the album with a pseudo-robotic voice and then thumps in nicely with the opening line "a knock at the door, I start to remember a padded cell I tried to forget...". That's not a bad start.
The sticker on the front of the album suggested that Warm. Strong. Numb was a "hit single", I'm not sure about that, but it certainly is a punchy track. It is followed by the calm, dreamy Safe From The Sun and then the catchy Jackie Is Joining The Navy which sounds terrific with inclusion of grinding guitar.
Sitting somewhere between a light Depeche Mode (or a Martin L. Gore solo project) and Bis, the album rolls along well. The main backbone of the album combines dry lead vocals with a refined synth-pop production and, at times, some well-placed guitar provides extra drive and twang. A good example of this is the thunderous instrumental Surrounded Isolated Pt 2. There are also some warmer moments like the Californian sunshine glow of Take A Number and the "I hate science fiction" humour of Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers.
Apart from a superfluous remix of Warm. Strong. Numb at the very end, the album finishes with a long, mangled soundscape - it doesn't really add anything of value or interest, but a little weirdness is always a welcome thing.
Automind is one of those albums where there may not be a jaw-dropping, stand-out track but you find that you enjoy pretty much every track and each listen can offer a new favourite.
Top Tracks: Warm. Strong. Numb, Jackie Is Joining The Navy, Keep Ahead.
Verdict: Pass - always trust in the SH101.
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