BROTHERHOOD OF THE MACHINE

Since when, few days ago. Dave Francis kindly gifted me with a copy of the last Brotherhood of the Machine full length album, I think I've listened to the whole at least a dozen of times. It's a collection of 4 progressive electronic tracks, all different from each other. It starts with a two parts mini-suite, that starts slowly, with vintage sounds reminding of the Tangerine Dream's Virgin period. It fades out after few more than one minute, then it restarts slightly different, with passages between major and minor chords. In the middle of the track some bass is added to give rhythm, the soundscape chages to a darker atmosphere and a melody comes with middle-eastern melodies reminding of Richard Wright in Pompeii. The title of this second part is "The Golden Dawn". I don't think it's about the omonym neonazi Greek party. It's more likely the mason group of which Lord Dunsany and Bram Stoker were members.

Then a short track, whose melody can remain in mind for long time. "Time and Space" is closer to Vangelis than to Tangerine Dream, mainly because of the chords sequence. Short but very good. I don't know if the Francios brothers wanted to tribute the Greek keyboardist, but the voice of Yuri Gagarin in the background reminds me to Albedo 0.39 where there's another track featuring astronaut's voices. Also the percussion, I don't know if real congas or electronic drones, they sound natural, made me think to the ethnic part of Entends Tu Le Chiens Aboyer? but with a big difference: while the Vangelis suite is discontinuous, being maily a movie soundtrack, this one is consistent and in the parts with the astronaut speeches the vintage sounds are back to the Tangerine Dream soundscapes.

Finally, a 26 minutes long suite. It's a live jam of the kind that Edgar Froese's band was used to release n the 70s. Think to Ricochet. In this subgenre it can happen to find very long tracks which doesn't go anywhere. This is not the case. I really enjoy the hypnotic repetitive base with the its variations in foreground. Let yourself be transported by it. Personally, I find it very good also as background during my homeworking (while I'm writing I'm in lockdown), but a sofa with good headphones and, if you like, a beer is not a bad idea.

So I'm tankful to Dave for his gift and I strongly suggest this album to whoever likes the Virgin period of Tangerine Dream. By the way, At this moment I'm listening to Modular Jam for the third time today. Check it on Bandcamp.

Dave and John Francis are brothers, I guess this is where the band name is from. Dave is also one of our "pen friends" here on Progarchives and about 2 years ago he gifted me of a copy of this album. I'm a bad guy. I haven't reviewed it until now so it's time to try doing my best,

We are speaking of something between psychedelia and progressive electronics, if we look at how the subgenres are defined on this site. Both the elements are present, but if we think as example to the debut of Tangerine Dream, also Electronic Meditation had boht the elements inside.

But we are speaking about Trip Hazard. It's only three tracks, but the core is 36 minutes long, so something not possible in the vynil days. I remember side long tracks up to 30 minutes on vynil, but 36 are likely too much.

The first, "Meditation Of The Blue Serpent" is a good intro in which I hear the influence of early Pink Floyd. It's like playing Tomb Raider with the soundtrack of "Set The Controls For The Heart of the Sun". It's mainly electronics, even if Dave blows good notes into his sax and the percussion sound quite natural even though it's very likely a synth giving that sort of oriental touch with made me think to the Ummagumma days.

Then it comes the "monster". "Hin und Zuruck" is the 36 minutes core of the album. I guess that the title in German ("Departure and Arrival" more or less) is a reference to Krautrock, but it's also the title of an opera by some Paul Hindemith written in 1927. Anyway the album is fully instrumental so this is destined to remain a guess. As in the standard Progressive Electronics, the first 2/3 of the track are repetitive with few variations, but respect to the standards, there is rhythm so it doesn't need the huge dose of patience that equivalent minutes of keyboard soundscapes usually require. it's rock after all. The last 3rd has a different mood, the rhythm changes and it's like another track is started, but there's enough continuity.

Last, the third track "Flying Saucer Patrol" is my favorite. It's just 5 minutes long, but it's a rock instrumental with an excellent guitar solo by John. The basic chords are mainly a blues tune which with a different arrangement could have been sounded like a police or spy movie of the early 70s. Very enjoyable.

The album is on Bandcamp. Give it a try.

"Nocturnal Transmission" is a 31 minute EP from these Electronic wizards from the UK. Hopefully they are getting better weather than we are here in Ontario. I've never seen schools closed and buses cancelled this late in April before. I'm home because I was stuck in my driveway. This is their latest EP and one that has really impressed me over the last month or so. I like the variety on this one as well.

"Nocturnal Transmissions" opens with faint sounds then we can hear a phone ringing before the sax arrives in atmosphere. This continues throughout and it works. "Deus Ex Machina" features the sound of seagulls and waves as electronics arrives and buzzes away and synths sweep in over top. The synths stop as the tempo picks up and drums join in. The synths are back. Great sounding track.

"Ketamine Dream Machine" opens with growling synths and windy sounds that blow across the soundscape. Some dissonant sax too comes in over top. A change before 3 minutes as the sax leaves and electronics, synths and drums lead the way. It's kind of catchy after 4 minutes with the beats and growly synths.

"Aurora" is the longest track at 10 1/2 minutes. It's kind of eerie sounding and dark throughout. It settles back after 5 1/2 minutes but it's still haunting as we get percussion and atmosphere. Love the choir-like sounds 7 1/2 minutes in. "Blues For Pluto" starts out with spacey winds before piano and atmosphere take over. I like this it's different. Drums join in as well. Quite the moving piece for me.

A solid 4 stars and a great place to start if you want to check out their sound. Better yet, their album "Trip Hazard" is an incredible recording.

"The Golden Voyage To Samarkand" is a 17 1/2 minute EP and one long song. I really like the idea behind this and the cover art here gives us a glimpse of part of that journey. I feel the start and some other sections are great for the imagination, trying to picture and feel what this long trip was like. Unfortunately I also feel there's sections that don't seem to fit this idea at all. Maybe I was spoiled starting with their second studio album "Trip Hazard" which blew me away. Expectations were high I'll admit but I really feel this is a mixed bag when it comes to my personal taste in music and Electronics.

I like the start as we get almost a buzzing sound with that atmosphere as a beat joins in then spoken words giving us some brief narration. It's hot. A minute in the beat stops as atmosphere dominates very briefly before a new sound with drums and Arabic sounding synths takes over. Sequencers join in before 2 minutes and the tempo speeds up. Sounds like bass sequencers if there is such a thing. I'm pretty sure I hear sleigh bells too, in the desert? It all stops abruptly 4 minutes in as we get wind and hand percussion. Synths start to swell as another beat joins in. Other synths arrive 5 minutes in. Sounds like a melancholic flute as well. I like this section.

Sequencers take over after 8 minutes as the previous soundscape ends. This is fuller with lots of synths and electronics and a catchy beat. Another calm before 9 1/2 minutes as beats and what sounds like melancholic flute arrives. Sequencers are back before 10 1/2 minutes. Some experimental sounding synths I believe that are high pitched join in before 11 1/2 minutes as the sequencers continue. A calm after 12 minutes then these Arabic sounding synths that are loud take over with beats and more. A change after 15 minutes as we get a calm then the sequencers return. Drums follows.

Most reviewers seem to like this EP more than I do so there's that, but for me 3 stars is just right. If your into Electronics you really need to check this band out.

Trip Hazard is the Brotherhood of the Machine's second and, sadly, last album to date. In my humble opinion, the album improves on its predecessor by taking the best elements and further refining them. The album title is once again a pun, since "trip" can be taken to mean "fall" or "drop" as well as "journey" (which I venture can refer to both a physical and psychological kind).

Clocking at 48 minutes, the album exceeds the time limitation of the classic LP length, but is comprised of only three tracks. Trip Hazard is recorded in entirety by brothers Dave (aka Davesax1965 here on PA) and John Francis. Dave plays keyboards, saxophones and is responsible for drum programming, while John is credited with guitar.

Featuring a stately Middle Eastern melody and percussion, Meditation of the Blue Serpent continues in the vein of the debut album's Samarkand Suite. Dave Francis' echoed saxophone makes a return, playing the main melody at times.

In a nod to its Berlin School influences, the second track bears the German title Hin and Züruck, which translates to "Roundtrip" or "Down and Back". Clocking in at over 36 minutes, this mammoth rhythm-oriented track is the album's pièce de résistance and serves as program music for a psychedelic train trip, complete with train whistles, rain effects, German vocal samples and sequencer parts that vividly evoke the chugging of a steam-powered engine. In spite of its length, the track maintains the listener's attention by having instruments and sound effects continually drop in and out and having the sequencer part change every few minutes. Interestingly, the sequencer patterns reflect the roundtrip concept by cycling in reverse order back to where they stated (something like ABCBA). To summarize: this is a great effort in the style of Berlin school electronica that should appeal to fans of mid-70s Tangerine Dream. A bold effort, chaps.

The album closes with Flying Saucer Patrol, a high energy electronic rocker with Dave's thundering drums and John's distorted guitar overlaid on top of a pulsing sequencer part. This is a fantastic album closer that pumps up the listeners and leaves them wanting more; I'm just not sure on how to parse the title: does it refers to a patrol that is on the lookout for flying saucers or are the flying saucers out on patrol themselves?

I'm not sure whether the trip concept is restricted to Hin and Züruck or whether Meditation and Patrol are also meant to be trips, though I can see how they relate. Regardless, Trip Hazard is an excellent effort that should appeal to those who like their electronic music with plenty of drums and a psychedelic flavor.

The punningly-titled Future Imperfect is the debut album of The Brotherhood of the Machine, an electronic/psychedelic rock project formed by brothers Dave (synths, drums, percussion, saxophone) and John Francis (guitar, synths), joined by Janne Hanhisuanto (synths, soundscapes). Dave Francis is PA's own modular synth afficianado Davesax1965 (Hi, Dave!).

The album starts off with sequencer-driven rocker "Variations on a theme". The main synthesizer riff reminds me of Zep's Immigrant Song, so you know it's badass. On top of the main riff, John's wailing Gilmoresque guitar and a plethora of electronic effects create an otherworldly ambiance, grounded by Dave's solid drumming.

"To the moon" incorporates excerpts from JFK's historic "We choose to go to the moon" speech from 1962, paired with an uptempo backing track featuring echoed saxophone. An interesting concept piece, but probably my least favorite on repeat listenings due to the speech overshadowing the music at times.

Next is "Beyond the wall of sleep". The track starts with the sound of a clock ticking, soon joined by a man breathing heavily in his sleep, a hazy/hypnotic soundscape and pulsing sequencer. After a vocal sample repeats "Welcome to reality" a couple of times, the track switches gears to an uptempo sequencer and drum driven section.

"Soyuz-1" has an electromechanic mid-tempo sequencer part that is evocative of French electronic musician Zanov. There are periodic excerpts of a radio conversation in Russian, which I took to be from Yuri Gagarin's historic orbital spaceflight. Effects such as sonar pings, wind and beeps help create an unsettling atmosphere. When writing this review, I researched Soyuz-1, because I only knew that it was part of the Soviet space program. Soyuz-1 was the first manned flight of the Soyuz rocket program and ended with cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov's death on April 24, 1967 when the main and backup parachutes failed to deploy upon atmosphere reentry. Then, I listened to what is alleged to be a recording of Komarov's final conversation as he was plunging to the ground and cursing at Soviet officials who let the mission proceed in spite of numerous technical defects found during testing. I had an epiphany and recognized that the same recording is the source of most of the vocal excerpts on this track, which completely changed my perception of the track.

"Hivemind" is a short track driven by a mid tempo alien-sounding sequencer part, with synth drones flying above (get it?).

The pièce de résistance is the epic "The Samarkand Suite". Samarkand is a city in Central Asia (current day Uzbekistan) that benefited from its location on the Silk Road. "The Samarkand Suite" starts with Eastern percussion and a vocal introduction. The next section reminds me of David Stone's intro to Rainbow's Gates of Babylon, with its high-pitched lead synth playing a Middle Eastern tune. The track then goes through several more sections and moods, with flute/ney and violin melodies, droning synths, percussion shaker, sequencers playing Arabic scales. I counted eight distinct sections and none of them overstays its welcome.

The last piece, "Walking on the edge of the night", consists of Dave playing a melancholy tune on echoed saxophone over nocturnal soundscapes. It reminds me of two other plaintive album closers featuring saxophone and synth pads: "Tara" on Pulsar's Görlitz and "Dernier Rendez-vous (Ron's Piece)" on Jean Michel Jarre's Rendez-vous.

The recording quality and mixing are very good. I am particularly impressed with the sound of the drums. I love electronic music that uses real drums, such as Tangerine Dream's Ricochet, Cyclone, and Force Majeure, as I feel they add a very human touch to a genre that can often sound sterile. This was a talented band with a clear artistic vision and I regret that it is no longer active.

BROTHERHOOD OF THE MACHINE is essentially the project of two brothers(Dave and John Francis) who are greatly inspired by Krautrock, Electronic and Psychedelic music of the late sixties to mid seventies. According to their web-site they are a combination of TANGERINE DREAM and HAWKWIND. The three primary instruments used here are synths, guitar and sax and we get three very different tracks including the centre piece "Hin Und Zuruck" a 36 1/2 minute Electronic masterpiece. I love the album cover too which points to that long track with that train travelling at night.

"Meditation Of The Blue Serpent" opens with this loud buzzing synth as drums and electronics join in. Love the mellotron- like sound just before a minute that sweeps in. Sax before 1 1/2 minutes as it plays over top in a relaxed manner the rest of the way, kind of an Eastern vibe here too.

"Hin Und Zuruck" is like a dream come true for me. I've heard so many rhythms that reminded me of a train ride but this is the first that intentionally does it. We get that sound of the train going across the tracks along the whistle blowing on and off throughout this suite. It opens with this electronic beat with windy synths blowing across the tracks as we start our journey. There's the train whistle before a minute. A change before 4 1/2 minutes as the drums become more prominent while the rest settles right down. An electronic beat is back quickly but it's the focus this time as the drums then spacey synths and sampled words join in. It settles back before 11 minutes and there's that train whistle again and what sounds like the train tracks. We are travelling at a high speed here. Some cool guitar expressions after 13 minutes and there's that whistle again 17 minutes in. An electronic beat follows and the drums join in as well. It's hard not to groove to the sound here. Train track sounds again after 20 minutes then it all stops briefly before 24 minutes but then returns in a more spacey mode. Another change 25 minutes in as the electronic beat returns with spacey synths blowing over top. The pace picks up 26 1/2 minutes in. So freaking good! It starts to slow down at 29 minutes with mellotron-like sounds and spacey winds. A train whistle just before 30 minutes then the drums return a minute later as we start our journey again. It's picking up after 32 1/2 minutes until we're almost out of control! It's so powerful after 34 minutes, like a nuclear bomb just went off. It's slowing down as out trip is coming to an end.

"Flying Saucer Patrol" features synths, heavy drums and more in a powerful soundscape. The guitar starts to solo over top before a minute the rest of the way.

Probably closer to 4.5 stars but I'm bumping it up. "Hin Und Zuruck" has quickly become one of my all time favourite Electronic tracks, I mean listening to it at night while driving or in the dark at home with the headphones on it's just one incredible trip. The other two songs are also excellent with that sax on "Meditation Of The Blue Serpent" and the guitar on "Flying Saucer Patrol".

Breaking the spell

I have to be honest: when I first heard this album my mind instantly conjured up images of Tangerine dream ca 1973. The analogue synthesisers and wonderful sticky organs almost screamed Phaedra in my ears, yet for some inexplicable reason I found it increasingly hard pinpointing exactly why that was. Over the last couple of weeks though I've come to the conclusion that while Brotherhood of the Machine quite openly employs the same kind of gear you'd find in those early days of Tangerine Dream, you'd be hard pressed to find any other similarities between the two.

It's the same problem most bands face when they start incorporating acoustic 12 string guitars and mellotron into their work. People yell GENESIS at the top of their lungs and the band in question very quickly receives a rep of being one of those inferior sounding clone bands that never really sounds as great as the big Kahuna - the real McCoy. Well....there are certainly hundreds of Genesis and Tangerine Dream clones out there, so I guess there is something to be a little wary of when facing new acts with strong ties to either progressive electronic or symph prog, but, and I must stress this, it is a real shame when something extraordinary comes along with but a mere hint of the olden days that instantly gets thrown in the copycat bin, because some dude over the internet believes that certain sounds and instruments shouldn't be allowed outside maybe two or three bands, as they were the first ones to employ them.

While Brotherhood of the Machine does implement the kind of esoterically charged and hazy feel of ze Germans and their equally riveting sense of improvisation, you still get music that stands proudly on it's own two feet....yeah well maybe that's a poor analogy, as most of the material featured within Trip Hazard is the kind of saucy moonlight batter that'll have you floating out among the stars with huge teacup eyes and the milkyway streaming through your toes like a sensuous interstellar liquid. Fact of the matter is that I've finally come across a modern electronic/psych band that sounds old and analogue in all the right places - yet without ever losing it's own persona.

Starting off with Meditation of the Blue Serpent, Trip Hazard lures you into a slow moving ouverture with a simple hand drum pattern, electronic carpeting (like in thick cashmere rugs and prog rock beards from the 70s) and this deep melodic saxophone that very eloquently takes you by the hand while evoking pictures of sand dunes and Middle-Eastern bazaars. The feel is enigmatic, larval and pensive like a man contemplating what the heart of the mountain really looks like.

After this wonderful welcoming the album unrolls it's piece de resistance with Hin und Zuruck. With it's 36 minutes of delightful delirium it, perhaps inadvertedly, challenges today's music fans and their short attention spans - hopefully taking them prisoner in a beautiful dreamscape where music that pulses, writhes, contorts and floats with time transforms into something completely different - something I find electronic music does with great gusto and conviction: elegantly and with much ninja-like behaviour erasing the need for the tangible and straightforward in music. The hypnotic and almost stroboscopic gestures of the synths slowly but comfortably work their way into your mind and after a while you sense a change - you feel ripples multiplying in your inner head lake and suddenly the music echoes from within you and the very line between the sounds and you vanish, disappear. Hin und Zuruck very eloquently showcases this slippery idea of mine, and to anyone interested in the arts of meditation and the ever persuasive wormhole of the mind, please take a chance with this thing. When it works and you really disconnect your brain-seatbelt, you change or metamorphose and go from the hard surface-like structure of the human body to the sparkling and flowing entity of a white rolling river. If that's too far out for you, then imagine the modern US Electronic duo of Zombi and their combination of rock and Electronic, only here conveyed in an old school analogue dressing.

A lot of people have a hard time getting into this kind of thing - especially folks coming from branches of music that revolve around the guitar and a noticeable drum beat. Well even for those poor souls it seems as if Trip Hazard could be the gateway drug into the electronic genre, as you get wonderfully charismatic guitar playing as well as some beefy drum kit action to boot. The latter though most likely generated by a computer......but it does what it's supposed to, which is to infuse a bit of wild and reckless rock attitude into the mix - something that pours gasoline over the electronic embers and suddenly you see hightowering flames licking sensuosly at the clouds. Still, I would've loved to hear this album with real drums - y'know the ones that exude natural warmth, the oak tree note as I'd like to call it.

I'd recommend this album to anyone into psychedelic music and sure to fans of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze - just don't expect it to sound the same. This is music for tunnel-digging in your head - for watching cloud movies in the sky - shooting the breeze without bullets and perhaps most importantly: for proving to the world that similar sounding instruments don't necessarily equate to clones.....but sometimes, rare as it may be, lead you into altogether new sonic avenues.

Trip Hazard is Brotherhood Of The Machine's second release, and it's a great album that manages to blend spacey and psychedelic music with strong electronic work (or is it the other way around?)

The first track, 'Meditation of the Blue Serpent', starts by setting the mood with some interesting industrial-like electronic sounds and arabic percussions that sets the stage for the hypnotic saxophone solo, which leads the rest of the song.

'Hin und Zuruck' is the central song of the album with more than 35 minutes. It features an extensive use of sequencers, in a very classic Tangerine Dream way, and great programmed drums, that slightly reminded me of early Ozric Tentacles/Porcupine Tree's work. The mixing and panning throughout the entire song are very well done, contributing to the psychedelic mood. There's also an high level of details, like lots of sound effects (including train sounds, as the cover suggests) and some occasional guitar bits with flanger effects that keeps this epic very interesting.

'Flying Saucer Patrol', is a bluesy guitar-driven track accompanied by sequencer and programmed drums.

Overall, this albums is very good, although the opener and closer tracks pale in comparison with the epic. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes Psychedelic/Space Rock and/or Progressive Electronic