Man Without Machines
On 4th March 2013 Dundee five piece, Man Without Machines, will be releasing their debut album ‘The Kreuzberg Press’ on Man Vs Man Records. Influenced heavily by a fascination with 80s synth pop and European politics, they sound somewhere between Human League, New Order and OMD with slabs of indie from the likes of Pavement.
Opening track ‘Even Still Even Though’ is essentially an electro pop ballad that captures Art Brut’s lyrical style and echoes the intro of ‘We Are Glass’ by Gary Numan.
‘Anyway’ quickly kicks in with heavy drum and stabbing synths, the electro indie track is about the alluring nature of consumerism and fits nicely alongside ‘Share The Love’ which focuses more on the current bank crisis.
Elsewhere on ‘Sound Of Your Lies’, Adam Lockhart’s vocals recall those of Stephen Malkmus of Pavement. Leading with psychedelic synths, the illuminating ‘Peterloo’ is an ode to Peterloo Massacre in Manchester in 1819 when the cavalry were sent to crush a demonstration about parliamentary reform.
Non-political track ‘Something’s Happening Here’ was the first single released from the record and proved to be a hit with BBC’s 6Music and BBC Scotland; Filled with driving guitars and whirling electronics it’s a catchy pop tune that could easily make this an indie dance floor classic.
The heavier ‘It’s Closer’ has pulsating rhythms with distant electronic echoes of Stereolab; Delving into political relationships during the cold war, Lockhart’s vocals and lyrics share an endearing quality that makes this a stand out track.
The album title ‘The Kreuzberg Press’ refers to Kreuzberg in Berlin notably for its radical and counter-cultural movements in arts and music. Lockhart’s fascination with David Bowie and Iggy Pop during the 70s, along with the German newspapers and publishers, led to the album title and underlying political themes throughout the album.
Beginning as a two piece Adam Lockhart and keyboardist Valerie Campbell; the line up has gradually increased to the full contingent including Andrew Mitchell on bass and synth, Michael Benbow on drums and Stephen McCullough on guitar and synths.
Adam Lockhart is the principal songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the band. He is also known for his contributions to lo-fi Scottish act ‘Spare Snare’ who caught the attention of John Peel resulting in four live sessions on his show along with a Marc Riley session.
Lockhart’s also performs in ‘The Devotional Ensemble’, an avant-garde experimental group who work have caught the attention of 6Music’s Freakzone.
Fast becoming favourites on the live circuit of their native Scotland, Man Without Machines have also recently seen themselves sharing a stage with the likes of Django Django and Meursault.
New single and opening track ‘Even Still Even Though’ will be released in February 2013 with a UK tour planned for March 2013.
Tracklisting:
1. Even Still Even Though
2. Anyway
3. Share The Love
4. Sound Of Your Lies
5. Peterloo
6. Falling Star
7. Something’s Happening Here
8. Consitution
9. Scorelines
10. We Talk
11. It’s Closer
12. In Salt