September 000

AMG Review of September 000

Bryan Carroll
All Music Guide

Classic and psychedelic rock get a much appreciated refreshment courtesy of the Secret Machines on this debut EP. Recorded with members of Califone at Clava Studios, September 000 is part pulsing instrumental exposition and part stadium-size ock songwriting, with an emphasis on hazy bombast that makes the Flaming Lips, the Who, and Pink Floyd obvious reference points. But the band holds their own against those monolithic influences quite well -- they're familiar without being too derivative; their arrangements and lyrics, along with Brian Deck's production, breathe a great deal of life into their music. This is a great (if short) debut, even if the reprise of "Marconi's Radio" does sound an awful lot like Madness' "Our House."