MAIDEN VOYAGE

Canada's Thought Machine certainly have an interesting approach. Their music seems to me like the normally instrumentally-dominated genre "math rock", only with vocals. I can't shake this overall feeling of their debut album, which I will say right away is a strong debut album.

Thought Machine's music has some distinguishing characteristics. First of all, the bass seems very predominate. The bass especially is inspired by math rock, as it is very bouncy and dynamic. The guitars, too, have that hard-but-not-heavy feel. Yes, a very Porcupine Tree/indie feel. So, too, the drums are technically proficient without a shred of metal to be found.

However, there is another driving force here. That force is nostalgia. It seems like these guys have quite a few fond memories of their youth. "Young Guns" and even "Breathing Lessons" seem like odes to the past. I think this is an excellent place to begin a musical career. It builds a foundation for what to expect in the future. The vocalist pulls off this nostalgic concept in style, with vocals with a slight whine that really make you feel the emotional strings being pulled.

Sure, some of this album seems misguided. I don't particularly like the opening multi-track song, Gordian Knot. For some reason, it seems like it has quite a bit of filler and showboating when compared to the rest of the album. However, the last half leaves a good impression with me. I am very interested in where these young lads will go next, and I hope they don't lose an ounce of the emotion they show here. They have a good grasp on the spirit of truly good music, and I hope they grab on more securely with their next release.