Artist: Rain Machine
Album: Rain Machine
Year: 2009
Grade: 4 pretzels
TV On The Radio have proven to be one of the most interesting and rewarding bands of this decade, but the path they took to get there is a bit odd. Their debut album, 2004’s Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, was flooded with hype after the band’s early EPs stunned the music community. Perhaps thanks to all that eager teeth gnashing, the album sounded (and continues to sound) strangely disappointing. One great song, a few other good ones and a bunch of filler…this was the magically new Brooklyn band that was going to save the world? Of course, TVOTR regrouped two years later to throw Return To Cookie Mountain at the world, which delivered everything listeners wanted (and then some), but it’s weird to think about the band’s lack-luster beginnings.
Currently, TVOTR are on a short hiatus, as the band’s members delve into other projects and commitments. This has given guitarist Kyp Malone the opportunity to record a solo album of sorts, under the name Rain Machine. Like most solo albums, it’s hard to know what to expect when musicians branch out on their own. Sometimes, the music is familiar and predicatable. Other times, they resulting songs come straight out of left field. You never know what kinds of hidden musical urges are creeping around beneath the surface of your favorite bands’ music. Solo albums offer a rare chance to see some of that tumult up close and personal.
Rain Machine, for the most part, is not a radically departure from Malone’s work in TVOTR. The same rhythmic, emotionally charged atmosphere is all over the album, especially “Hold You Holy”, which could easily sneak onto a TVOTR album without anyone noticing. However, there are a number of subtle differences. Rain Machine feels more connected to Cookie Mountain’s expansive, organic widescreen qualities, rather than 2008’s Dear Science. While that record found TVOTR compacting their sound into a funky, buzzing drone, Rain Machine lets the music stretch out again, especially evident in the songs’ long running times. However, this space feels justified. Even the eleven minutes of “Winter Song” don’t lose the listeners attention that quickly.
This sideproject seems to have given Malone liscense to experiment. Fun new instruments show up (bells, sitars, perhaps a banjo…? It’s hard to tell at times) and Malone lets single riffs become entire songs, as heard on “Love Won’t Save You”. What allows Malone to dabble so much while still retaining a high level of quality in his songs is his glorious voice. In TVOTR, Malone and Tunde Adebimpe harmonize and blend their voices on virtually every song, so hearing Malone all by himself is a familiar, yet new experience. While he doesn’t have Adebimpe’s howling force, Malone can wring a truly terrifying amount of emotion out of his shaky voice. Slightly overreaching and stretched, the flaws in Malone’s voice only underline the personal attatchment and feeling that permeates these tracks.
Thankfully, Malone can also write top notch pop songs. The chunky, growling “Give Blood” is a fantastic album opener, with its powerful beat and strident vocals. A few unusual arrangement details (a decidedly out-of-tune bridge, for example) show that we’re definitely entering more experimental grounds than we get with TVOTR, but the sound still sounds familiar. Malone has created a solid offshoot from his main band, an album with an identity all its own, but never threatening to overshadow TVOTR’s best work. It’s the perfect album to tide fans over while the band does the whole “hiatus” thing. What more could you really ask for?
Currently, TVOTR are on a short hiatus, as the band’s members delve into other projects and commitments. This has given guitarist Kyp Malone the opportunity to record a solo album of sorts, under the name Rain Machine. Like most solo albums, it’s hard to know what to expect when musicians branch out on their own. Sometimes, the music is familiar and predicatable. Other times, they resulting songs come straight out of left field. You never know what kinds of hidden musical urges are creeping around beneath the surface of your favorite bands’ music. Solo albums offer a rare chance to see some of that tumult up close and personal.
Rain Machine, for the most part, is not a radically departure from Malone’s work in TVOTR. The same rhythmic, emotionally charged atmosphere is all over the album, especially “Hold You Holy”, which could easily sneak onto a TVOTR album without anyone noticing. However, there are a number of subtle differences. Rain Machine feels more connected to Cookie Mountain’s expansive, organic widescreen qualities, rather than 2008’s Dear Science. While that record found TVOTR compacting their sound into a funky, buzzing drone, Rain Machine lets the music stretch out again, especially evident in the songs’ long running times. However, this space feels justified. Even the eleven minutes of “Winter Song” don’t lose the listeners attention that quickly.
This sideproject seems to have given Malone liscense to experiment. Fun new instruments show up (bells, sitars, perhaps a banjo…? It’s hard to tell at times) and Malone lets single riffs become entire songs, as heard on “Love Won’t Save You”. What allows Malone to dabble so much while still retaining a high level of quality in his songs is his glorious voice. In TVOTR, Malone and Tunde Adebimpe harmonize and blend their voices on virtually every song, so hearing Malone all by himself is a familiar, yet new experience. While he doesn’t have Adebimpe’s howling force, Malone can wring a truly terrifying amount of emotion out of his shaky voice. Slightly overreaching and stretched, the flaws in Malone’s voice only underline the personal attatchment and feeling that permeates these tracks.
Thankfully, Malone can also write top notch pop songs. The chunky, growling “Give Blood” is a fantastic album opener, with its powerful beat and strident vocals. A few unusual arrangement details (a decidedly out-of-tune bridge, for example) show that we’re definitely entering more experimental grounds than we get with TVOTR, but the sound still sounds familiar. Malone has created a solid offshoot from his main band, an album with an identity all its own, but never threatening to overshadow TVOTR’s best work. It’s the perfect album to tide fans over while the band does the whole “hiatus” thing. What more could you really ask for?
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