A well oiled machine.
“The 6 Machine” is a compilation EP, (or perhaps mini album), featuring six new British bands, being released by Big Scary Monsters, an indie record label based in Oxford. The six bands on this record were chosen by the public from twelve in the label’s final shortlist.
The record starts off really well with Blakfish, from Birmingham, who have a big post-hardcore sound, jagged and angular with plenty of loud noise and complex riffs. They remind me of the brilliant and sadly missed Million Dead and that can only be a good thing. Up next, Caesura have a big epic indie sound, beginning with an open echo of intense guitar noise backed up by anthemic vocals, tuneful and gentle but with lovely crescendos of sound that really stay with you. Finally on side ‘A’ are My First Tooth are a folk duo here represented by ‘Sleet and Snow’ a sweet and lovely melodic tune with a jangly guitar sound, harmonica and gentle, slightly husky vocals.
Side ‘B’ starts with ‘Colour’ who are a little too Minus the Bear but without the heavy bits, quite sweet and tuneful in an indie way and with a pretty catchy tune and some good riffs, but the least distinctive track so far and feels over long at more than five minutes as it’s quite repetitive. The Defeat have quite an eclectic sound, billed as ‘proper emo’ on the press release but not really what I would consider emo; they have interesting riffs and instrumentation, really nice vocals and plenty of emotive crescendos. ‘Minotaur Explode’ are basically At The Drive In, vocally, musically, rhythmically; If they find their own sound though they could be really good.