HOT ROD CIRCUIT - SORRY ABOUT TOMORROW (2001)

I must admit that I made a mistake when selecting this CD by Hot Rod Circuit for purchase. I thought the cover was a photo of someone sitting on the toilet but it turns out that they're sitting on the lip of a bath. Nevermind, it still fits within my "People Sitting" category. I also selected the album for some of the track titles, namely Radiation Suit and The Night They Blew Up The Moon.

Now for the music. The album kicks off with The Pharmacist, a reasonable cocktail of guitar power-pop, not quite Green Day, it actually reminded me of Busted or McFly. I have to admit that I don't really know how Busted or McFly sound as I've happily erased anything I might have accidentally heard by them from any memory, so I might be wrong. I suppose the solution is to say that it reminded me of McBusted. Move on.

Nature's Mercy carries on in very much the same vein, then so does Radiation Suit. Everything is fairly well done, I can't say it glows but it isn't bad enough to make your hair fall out. That's really how the rest of the album continues, an intermittently shouty male vocal with some guitars powering their way each song, not much variety and nothing to get excited about. Consumed By Laziness is a good example, I kind of liked it but it is just not very original.

The production is fine and it is all slickly done but to me it lacks personality and comes across like power-pop-by-numbers, strange for an act on the B-Unique label.

Top Tracks:  Now Or Never, Consumed By Laziness

Verdict: Fail - not atomic.
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A taster from YouTube

LOWFINGER - WHO'S GOT THE BISCUITS? (2000)

Here's yet another CD cover featuring a woman wading in water. I can only presume all the artists find it difficult to illustrate legs? Imagine the conversation "Great design but her legs don't quite look right. I know, show her standing in water and that will solve it!". It doesn't matter, I like the concept on this one as the woman appears to be part-robot with some serious laser-vision, oh, and a cowboy hat? I'll overlook any concerns I have about rust issues, not to mention the health and safety nightmare of allowing circuitry near water. An album called Who's Got The Biscuits? and track titles such as Go Go Me A Big Pop, Idiot Radar helped with my purchase decision, not sure about the obsession with fingers though (Superfinger, Airfinger, Pulling With The Fingers, Beach Finger). 

I have to admit something here. I'm not sure where I mis-educated myself but whilst browsing this album I'm sure I read somewhere that it was a heavy rock album. So, I had a lot of trepidation when I first put the CD on, I mean, you have to take a little extra breath before stepping into that zone, a bit like when visiting a relative. But to my surprise Superfinger started the album with some zany samples, beats and a groove, nothing like the hideous heavy rock I was expecting. There's even male and female crossover vocals and synths! 

Schoolroom Headrush cranks up the groove and throws in some great power guitar, retaining strong pop credentials despite some dubious lyrics like "my fingers want to get muddy around your flower bed" and "I want to do the scuba and dip in your fishpond". The mind boggles!

Idiot Racer bounces along nicely "metal rusted by chicken blood" (told ya!) but it is Airfinger which really lights up the dials, a great little rock out and there's even some vocoder in there to please me. The remainder of the album bubbles along nicely mixing beats with big choruses, always accompanied with wonderfully absurd words. Hooks aplenty! The airy Beachfinger is worth a special mention for the line "she always seemed so suitably international, she made me love my wooden leg"

Oh, as a final observation, there's a hidden "heavy rock" track at the beginning of the album, it almost seems to have been put there to mock me. Good job!

Favourite Tracks: Superfinger, Schoolroom Headrush, Airfinger, Go Go Me A Big Pop.

Verdict: Pass - nice! (that's a biscuit joke, in case you're a bit slow)

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Here are a few tasters from YouTube

AGE OF JETS - GO GO GADGET POP (2004)

I decided to have another pop at a CD with a robotic theme. Quite simple cover artwork but showing multiple robot devices (that's a tick in the robot box) by a band called Age Of Jets (tick in the box for retro) with the title Go Go Gadget Pop (tick in the techy title box). So almost a full house before I had even considered the track titles, they just added to the appeal.

Go Go Gadget Pop starts with the rockingly catchy lo-fi indie meets electro Beast With A Billion Eyes, a song which throws nearly every trick into the mix. It seems to last longer than its 3mins 36seconds, not in a bad way but in a maintains-the-interest good way. For The Love Of An Eskimo melts the diversity for a slightly more ponderous indie ditty, on my first play that's when I began to worry as Fun Führer drops us further into fairly straightforward guitar-based indie. My hopes for robots started to disappear. Cue sad robot eyes. 

However, much to my relief Peter And Sarah and then the explosive RPM pulled the journey back into indie-with-keyboards territory. Robotman instantly hooks you and towards the end launches into an unexpected Stereolab-like moment of joy, there's perfectly enough low-grade circuitry to satisfy my craving for music for automatons. "Listen to the robotman!" indeed.

I'm not sure if I am starting to have a breakdown but, to me, Volvo somehow sounds like Belle & Sebastian recreating a student disco version of Kraftwerk's Autobahn, it is kind of familiar yet slightly warped. The indie-guitar feel returns with Popstars, a sweary and shouty song about copulation Experience Goes A Long Way plus Photos Of Dead Pets. There's a final return to robotworld on Stormtrooper and then the album ends.

Go Go Gadget Pop is a mixed console of indie-pop, I found some of the production a little rough in places but there's enough underlying charm and variety to please the listener. Some decent tunes too. They get a bonus point for releasing this through the wonderfully brilliant Damaged Goods Records.

Top Tracks: Beast With A Billion Eyes, RPM, Robotman

Verdict: Pass - at times they may be dirty little robots, but they're still robots.

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Here is a taster from YouTube:

RUBBER BAND BANJO - SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY (2010)

I was in the mood for something spacey and electronic when I spotted this artwork. The lunar landscape and the scientifically-themed titles such as Bugs & Biofuels, Self-Assembling Virus Spaceship and Human Engineered Pathogen all combined to offer a formula worth investigating. On the negative radar was the possibility of the album featuring banjos.

All I can really conclude is that Synthetic Biology completely fulfilled the brief, an album of well-crafted instrumental electronica. Whilst remaining fairly linear in approach it incorporates enough interesting sounds, rhythms and effects to make it enjoyable throughout.

It isn't out of this world spectacular or highly experimental but it is an atmospheric and sometimes explosive soundscape of technology. Just what the doctor ordered!

Favourite Tracks: Circuit Bender, Bugs & Biofuels, Dark Matter Of The Genome

Verdict: Pass - thankfully, in this space, nobody can hear banjos.

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Here is a sample I found on YouTube:

MANKIND LIBERATION FRONT - AUTOMIND (2004)

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.

MINK LUNGS - I'LL TAKE IT (2003)

I was attracted to the space-age artwork but it was the track titles which really hooked me in for the purchase. I mean, who wouldn't want to hear Men In Belted Sweaters, Bunny Bought A Spaceship, X-Ray Gun, Sensual Pleasure and Flying Saucer Home?

The album started well enough for my ears to prick up a little more than usual, a deep growling Leonard Cohen meets Serge Gainsbourg "You look ferocious. Got pretty teeth. Your hair is shiny. Let's fall asleep" all accompanied by nicely thrashing guitars. Promising!

The second track quickly slipped into more standard indie grunge territory until the line "disco room with a disco groove" was followed by a short, cheeky, pseudo-disco breakdown - that's when I knew this album had something more to offer than the average alternative fodder. Next up, the chuggingly catchy Men In Belted Sweaters confirmed my hopes and so it continued with further delights. The album has some great moments, the ranty answerphone intro to the racing Pugnose Apt and the "Pop! Pop! Pop!" in Flying Saucer Home to name but two.

I'll Take It is a witty album of great indie-infused pop with enough lyrical wackiness and variety of sound to easily make this my favourite album so far. Existing somewhere in its own dysfunctional world, it is both saucy and resourceful.

Top Tracks: Black Balloon, Men In Belted Sweaters & Pugnose Apt.

Verdict: Pass - I'll take it, too.

JUMBO - C.B. MAMAS (1999)

Primarily chosen for the artwork's 1970s shampoo ad retro styling and song titles such as Good Looking Experiment, The Pleasant Blue Sky Radiation Company and Punk Bubble, this is an album of psychedelic rock with the odd brassy moment thrown in. It started quite brightly but the exotic promise of blue skies and sun-kissed skin soon slipped beneath the waters of a muddy pool of over-indulgence. Dangerously edging towards a prog-rock pastiche at times, this is the sound of the gone-flabby Beach Boys reluctantly holidaying with the Bootleg Beatles. In Margate. In February. All nostalgia-themed fake palm trees and watered-down, cosmic cocktails. Probably fine if you are into patched flared jeans, lanky hair and hulihees but not my destination of choice. Not all bad but not enough to retain your attention.

Top Track: Sirocco

Verdict: Fail - not as good as the brochure promised.

WINTERMUTE - ROBOT WORKS (2009)

Neatly packaged in a gatefold wallet, the artwork reminds me of a business shirt in the process of being ironed. Admittedly, I didn't choose it for the cover artwork but for the electro-promise of the album title Robot Works and the fun-sounding track titles such as Bad Company In A Sauna, Shark vs E-Boat, An Irrational Fear Of... and Dead Or Not He Was Wearing Sunglasses. That bait proved to be a complete red herring, musically it is indie rock, all angular guitars and semi-shouty vocals. Not even a sniff of an android and no workmanlike synthetic beats. That was a disappointment.

Overall the album is quite well done but after a few tracks it did seem to start sounding like an album that The Automatic might have made post-fame to fulfill a recording contract obligation. There are some good raucous moments but not quite enough variety for my liking, worth a listen though. It does actually grow on you after repeated plays.

Top Tracks: Gambling Or Playing Cards?, An Irrational Fear Of...

Verdict: Fail (Marginal) - no robots.