Secret Machines - 'Now Here Is Nowhere' (Reprise) Released 19/07/04

New York based Secret Machines have a reputation as a fine live band, leading to much anticipation for the cleverly titled ‘Now Here Is Nowhere’.  Unfortunately for the trio, it is one of the few smart things to be found from their first full-length album. 

Many of the songs are too long and boring, with opener ‘First Wave Intact’ being a prime example, while ‘The Road Leads Where It’s Led’ is as stupid as the title suggests.  ‘Sad And Lonely’ is a bass heavy song, but the band come across as a poor man’s Muse, their talent not being anywhere near comparable to that of Matt Bellamy.

It’s not all terrible though – ‘Nowhere Again’ forgets the showmanship and is a decent up-tempo rocker, while ‘You Are Chains’ is a piano ballad that shows they can produce the goods.  ‘Pharaoh’s Daughter’ features some wonderfully vivid lyrics, so not everything is bad for Secret Machines.  However, over the duration of the record, these positives get lost in the monotonous sound and unnecessarily long songs.