re·view

Etymology: Probably from Middle English, inspection of military forces, from Old French revue, review, from feminine past participle of reveeir, to see again, from Latin revidreÊ: re-, re- + vidre, to see; see weid- in Indo-European Roots.

The eponymous debut disc from 50 Man Machine offers one of the most diverse, if not perverse, instrumental attacks ever captured in a recording studio, as steel pans, turntables, bagpipes, double bass, experimental sound collages, mandolin, clarinets and even an udu or two slug it out for sonic space. In less able hands, such an eclectic mixture of textures could lead to an auditory train wreck-but under 50 Man mastermind L. Collier Hyams' able direction, the results are strikingly effective, never smacking of instrumental gimmickry or musical oddness for musical oddness' sake. Hyams' songs are, for the most part, strong and straightforward, and his guitar and vocal work underpin the whole project with a twang-flavored Americana feel, one that provides ample room for the army of other instruments and players to find, explore and exploit their own acoustic niches. Tracks featuring Scott Smallwood's steel pans and Neil Anderson's pipes generally evoke the Caribbean or Celtic flavors of those instruments' homelands (although this is as much a function of pre-conditioned listening reflex as it is a function of the songs themselves), while the remainder of 50 Man Machine taps an indescribable vein of musical internationalism without the lowest common denominator reductiveness that renders so many so-called "world music" discs so completely disposable. All told, this is a challenging and rewarding record from artists who seem willing not only to color outside the lines, but to toss the whole damn coloring book out the window, drawing instead in burnt umbers and sienas and taupes and heliotropes and fuchsias on the walls of places normally decorated in simple primaries and pastels. Worth a peek, for sure.

J. Eric Smith, The Metroland, New York

50 MAN MACHINE CREATES NEW FORMS OF ‘WHIRLED’ MUSIC

Calling forth existential reflections that roll swiftly across a cerulean sky, this debut album from 50 Man Machine is an auditory outing for the extreme musicologist, an acoustic picnic with the Cat in the Hat, only the cat’s wearing a broad skull cap crudely fashioned with aluminum foil. Don’t get me wrong. This is a highly intelligent assembly of original songs that are provocative, striking and even humorous. But to stuff this compilation into a single genre, even the all-inclusive generic “alternative” box, does it a grand disservice. I’d be willing to bet, however, that you won’t be hearing these wildly refreshing compositions on Top 40 radio any time soon — and thank Buddha for that. Not because these songs don’t deserve airplay. But this is not music for the average, station-surfing masses. This album is refreshingly rational and straightforward, questioning everything from capitalism and duplicity to the passive-aggressive dance between love and hate. The lyrics conduct this interrogation with intelligence, irony and wit. While expressing reality’s departure from idealism, the songs are a far cry from the predictable, angry rants we have grown accustomed to hearing from self-proclaimed “alternative” bands. Collier Hyams, founder of 50 Man Machine, weaves thoughtful and metaphorical allusions throughout his compositions, making even openly critical statements with poignancy and intellect. In the disc’s second track, Flagwavin’, Hyams mixes clever puns into his lyrics to lance home a brutal point about hypocrisy:

One third of analysis is ally.
One half of analysis is anal.
And you, you’re like a bunch of rats.
You’re quiet when the cat comes.

But Hyams demonstrates that honesty also can alternate between the unruly and the poetic, as he expresses sad truths that can surface when love is severed in The Ant Hill, the fourth track on this disc:

I think about the towel, skin-so-soft, the ant hill, the moon so very,
very bright; dew on the grass, curved hips, so lovely. The dew on
the grass so right. I spent and spent, you always took. Spoiled you
are and spoiled the look of sheer want and need and need and
want and need. Of sheer want and need and need.

The Ant Hill is one of my favorite cuts off this disc, particularly because Hyams’ wonderful lyrics are delivered in an electronically distorted, rapid-fire narrative, mimicking the tachycardia of emotional loss. And the mandolin behind the voice provides delicious lightness and tumult to the piece. One of the most common questions folks ask musicians is “Who are your influences.” Clearly 50 Man Machine has a voice uniquely its own. But in listening to this album, each song flashed across my psyche essences of artists who reside in the atrophied cobwebs of my musical memory, including U-2, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Crowded House, even a little bit of Three Dog Night. Really. But then I date myself. And name-dropping comparisons hardly do justice to this wholly distinctive compilation. These tunes not only invoke for me a sort of mental time travel, they also take me around the globe on the wings of steel pan drums, Uillean bagpipes, clarinet and pennywhistle. I think of the Kremlin and hand-painted Russian nesting dolls, Dublin under gunmetal skies, the Andes Mountains misting under a full Peruvian moon, Manchester in the 1960s, a Caribbean beach at highest noon. I think of this music as “whirled” music in the keenest, multi-dimensional, eclectic sense. While listening to this release, between the subliminal and non-subliminal lyrics, a slightly modified pop phrase spontaneously raced across my brain — What Would Jethro Tull Do — given today’s historical perspective and mixing room technology? Throughout the music there is whispered subtext. Or, could it be . . . conscience? To be profound and worldly probably was not Hyams’ intent when he wrote these songs and assembled 50 Man Machine to record them. I imagine it came together much like a pick-up baseball game. Most likely the players simply wanted to play. For fun. For practice. For free beer. Whatever. The serendipitous result, however, is an inventive, engaging addition to the musical archives.

Kristine Hartvigsen, Independent / PowerPulp

(Album PreRelease version) Top 10 Best Local Recordings of 2002 - You’ll never listen to world music the same way again once you hear what those Celtic, Caribbean and hi-tech instruments can sound like when they’re all played together. METROLAND