The Machine in the Garden: "Underworld"

Review by Rotwang

"Underworld," the first full-length release from self-described gothic-industrial band The Machine in the Garden, is soon to be out after over three years since their first EP release, "Veils and Shadows." As of this writing (November 24, 1997), "Underworld" has not yet been released (it is due out in December, 1997), so this review may be of some use to anyone anticipating "Underworld's" release in the forthcoming weeks.

First off, I must say I enjoyed this release very much. When "Veils and Shadows" was released in 1994, The Machine in the Garden was the solo effort of founder Roger Fracé. With the addition of vocalist Summer Bowman, new elements are added to the already broad range of Fracé's solo musical abilities. With the added options of a female vocalist and Summer's additional creative abilities, "Underworld" has proven to be the strongest debut album this reviewer has heard since John Frizzell's "VR.5" soundtrack. Like the score of "VR.5," "Underworld" has an EXTREMELY wide variety of musical styles and types ranging from dark electro a la Die Form, to more classical pieces; from acoustic pieces, to techno dance. The most visible part of this album is the variety. No two songs are alike; one gets the feeling of listening to a compilation, as opposed to a single artist. The scope is quite large, resulting in many different sounds coming together to form a single cohesive unit. The first track, "Final Form," is usual industrigoth club fare; an electronic piece designed for accessability to the intended audience and dancibility in a goth club setting. By comparison, "Falling into the Sea," the second track is a minimalist piano piece that compliments Summer's voice quite well. Track three, "Dreams of the Absent," has early moog-sounding synths resulting in a piece obviously inspired by sound of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams." And so on... Every track on this CD has it's own uniqueness and style completely it's own.

While still relatively obscure in most of the country, The Machine in the Garden is not yet a household name in their scene, but "Underworld" is an extremely strong debut album, and will no doubt instigate attention from those who seek variety in the bands they listen to. The range and variety shown in "Underworld" shows that The Machine in the Garden has great potential to be the next big thing in their genre, not because they have a style which is trendy or popular, but because they have variety and ablilty (great bands never stay the same and are always incorporating new elements)in their music, as well as the potential to grow (another thing great bands never stop doing). Pay attention to The Machine in the Garden, as you will be hearing about them in the future.

Relevant links...

The Machine in the Garden Homepage

Roger Fracé's Personal Page

Summer Bowman's Personal Page

Deus ex Musica, The Machine in the Garden's Label

Picture from The Machine in the Garden's Homepage.