Wave Machines – Wave If You’re Really There 

Album Review

I can describe this album for you in one word – deceiving.  My initial thoughts were along the line of ‘Oh great (sarcasm implied). Yet ANOTHER electro –pop band to add to the already overflowing bucket of bile this scene has become of late. But then I realized that, once I walked away from my headphones, I was still humming away to this, the debut release from the four Liverpudlians that are Wave Machines.   

Similarities can be drawn to MGMT, Hot Chip, Sigur Ross and Architecture in Helsinki with vocal harmonies that, at times, salute the Bee Gee’s. And although not offering anything overtly original, something has to be said for the skill that’s gone into constructing these tunes.  Dashes of different sounds are scattered throughout each song but nothing is ever oversaturated or over used. Clapping is one of the sounds used throughout the album which, in general, can create a rather ostentatious effect.  Its main use tends to revolve around emphasizing certain pinnacle moments in a song (or anthem as these tunes are classically dubbed – case and point We Will Rock You, Jack & Diane and Hey Mickey). But Wave Machines know that, like a good acid trip, the trick is to stay on top of clapping before clapping gets on top of you. Less is more is definitely a philosophy prescribed to by these guys.  

Stand out tracks include the infectiously catchy I Go I Go I Go – a quirky song with an equally quirky video.  Punk Spirit is a self-indulgent, angry, guitar driven tune that definitely represents the bands largest departure from their usual style.  Like a throwback to the mid nineties, it sends memories of Blur and Pulp pulsing through me.  Vocals are also surprising for what initially appears to be an electronic outfit.  Instead of using the voice as just another looping sound, it becomes a lightening bolt, striking through the all-encompassing instrumental clouds, penetrating your emotional core.  And then there’s The Greatest Escape We Ever Made.  Like an aggressive African fly, this tune ambushes you from behind, burrows its way deep into your ear cavity and leaves you wondering if it will bury deep into your brain and get stuck there forever. If the tunes are this good, so be it. 

Lee Hutchison