Machine Rox - Shout

Well, this London based electro project fused with industrial elements started off as a solo project of Richard K, but then turned into a duo with the addition of Aga, and then the duo became a quadruple in 2012 with the surplus of Nuj Farrow and Valerian Oproiu. And, it is with the newfound four that they released Shout. And, with all the new talent pushing through, they have created a good album.

Let's not jump the gun all too fast, pull the trigger and blow out testicles off just yet, though. Though it is a good album, very rock eccentric, yet still focusing on that club friendly electro beat that Machine Rox is used to putting out, it has it's slashes and gashes. Perhaps the major conundrum I find myself pouting over would be a problem that has been plaguing the project since their first EP; the repetition of beats.

I do enjoy the electro beats that come across most of the songs, and sometimes the redundancy is excusable; I absolutely loved Not Your Slave, the first track on the album. It was fun, fast paced, and I did note that it repeated a lot. However, the chorus repeating, "Not your slave, no way!" was awesome, especially with the kick of Aga's supporting voice. But, when I came across such songs as Feel Alive, it was less interesting. The vocals seemed to take a step back and let the music dominate. I have no problem with that, but if you're going to sing, then let God's gift of your voice fill the song as much as the music does.

Now, I suppose that's another fact that I can delve into, and that would be that I do not appreciate Richard K's voice all too much. It's not that it's not that bad, nor that it's great, it's just that it sounds like he doesn't know where to shoot his voice. It sounds like he wants to be angry, but how low and quiet his voice sounds when he's singing makes it sound like he's fifty feet away from me. And, being quite frank, someone yelling at me from fifty feet away is not threatening at all compared to someone yelling at me five feet away. Unless, of course, the person standing fifty feet away from me had a tank, however, there is no such acts of violence penetrating the air right now.

At most times, I actually really appreciate hearing Aga's voice more than the lead singers. She has a grand, and it fits well within the beats of the songs more than his does. This is good, but also bad at times; if your background singer is outshining the lead singer, than amendments need to be made in one fashion or the other. You can listen to Voices as a prime example of all I've said in this paragraph.

I will also say that I greatly appreciated the use of the guitar within this album. A lot of the times, I half expect the guitar to be off putting whenever incorporated into an electro group, as I have seen that mistake occur time and time again. And, what usually happens is that everything sounds like a giant sloppy and thrown together mess. I have to applaud the quadruplet for not fucking up, and making sure that everything sticks together like a good home made pot pie.

So, yes, there are a lot of flaws in this album, and I not ashamed to admit it. However, I am also not ashamed to say that I enjoyed listening to this release. As I sometimes say in my reviews, I am one hell of a picky bitch, and I do point out a lot of flaws which can sometimes cause individuals distress; needless to say, I do digress now. The repetition may get annoying, but there is a whole lot to love on this album if you enjoy club friendly electro tracks with rock flowing and pumping through it's veins like heroin does to a dope fiend. This is a good album, I say it again, and I will say it repeatedly to anyone who asks me of it. In other words, give it a listen, and make of it what you will. I already have my mind saying that this is a decent release. Sep 12 2013