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Album Review: The Singular- The Sad Machine by jason

The Singular-The Sad Machine. Penguinaut records, 2010.

Full disclosure: I am friends with the band’s bassist, Terry Mortensen.

On The Sad Machine, The Singular paint a cold, desolate sonic landscape. Much like their home town of Cleveland, which seems to have lost all hope since losing its favorite son to warmer climes, front man James Pequignot sings of longing and isolation. At times, the band evokes Radiohead, both in its sound and its overall themes.

Pequignot’s voice, however, is much clearer than Thom Yorke’s. Even when he brings it to a desperate wail, such as on “Patience is a Virtue” and “When the World Ends,” he still sounds like he would be equally at home singing catchy pop songs. The only sticking point, ironically, is the lone catchy pop song on the album. “CMF” reminds me more of college radio than anything else. It sounds kind of like a cross between the Barenaked Ladies and that Verve Pipe song, “Freshmen.” While the thought of such a combination might turn you away, it’s actually a good song…it just doesn’t feel like it belongs here.

That really is the only thing that sounds off about this otherwise fantastic album. As the cold part of Autumn creeps up, I think this album is going to move higher up in my seasonal rotation

The Sad Machine is available directly from The Singular’s Bandcamp site. You can listen to the album for free, buy the digital version for a measly $2, or buy the CD.

-jason

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