Features Sister Machine Gun Returns to Their Roots on Influence
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THE RETRIEVER February 10, 2004 15 Features Sister Machine Gun Returns To Their Roots on Influence DOUGLAS MILLER makes him one of the more distinctive vocalists Retriever Weekly Staff Writer in industrial music. On Influence, He makes great use of his talents on some tracks like Veteran industrial group Sister Machine “Clean” – but it is a shame that on much of the Gun returns with Influence, a mostly successful album he hides behind walls of vocal distortion. throwback to the hard-hitting WAX TRAX! Part of this is likely a stylistic choice given the sound that made the group somewhat popular in more abrasive nature of this album, but the the mid-1990’s. weakness lyrics might also be a factor. With angst-driven club mainstays like “Not As a whole, industrial lyrics tend to be trite My God” and “Wired,” Sister Machine Gun was and self-obsessed, and Sister Machine Gun lyrics at the forefront of Nine Inch Nails-inspired have always served as an archetypal example of industrial rock movement a decade ago. Peaking that. While the band has been progressing musi- with the classic Metropolis, the group turned cally over the last couple of years, Sister Machine relentlessly experimental before supposedly Gun lyrics only seem to be getting more generic. eschewing “industrial music” and commercialism Randall generally just writes pronoun-heavy entirely around 1999. angsty breakup songs, and that pattern continues It has been 5 years since Sister Machine on Influence. Much of this album sounds like Gun frontman Chris Randall dissolved the bad poetry ripped out of a middle school journal. group’s relationship with TVT Records and Given that Chris Randall is seemly happily mar- formed his own label, Positron! Records. Freed ried and socially well-adjusted these days, one www.artlebeder.ru from the constraints of a semi-major label, begins to question the sincerity of his misan- SMG’s 2 albums and 3 EPs released before thropy. There are a few highlights, though: Got to Get Them Into Your Life! Influence on Positron! have been very eclectic “Clean” is strikingly visual and legitimately and mostly non-industrial in nature. The band introspective, while “The Antagonizer” is 40 Years of Yesterdays with The Beatles turned relatively minimalist, and has had fun refreshingly about something other than “I,” melding electronics with jazz-rock and blues over “you,” or “me.” the last couple of releases. Evidentially Randall Influence is a solid record, but given what BRETT ASHLEY MCKENZIE they were recording albums together. In the 1990s, has gotten over his urge for experimentation – or Sister Machine Gun has proven capable of on Retriever Weekly Editor-in-Chief Beatles popularity surged again when the Beatles perhaps the recent material was not selling – past albums like [R]evolution and Metropolis, it Anthology: 1 (Apple Records, 1995) was released. because Influence sounds more or less tailored is somewhat disappointing. The best tracks on Forty years ago yesterday, talk show legend Ed The same year, the Beatles released the song “Free As for the modern industrial scene. the album rank among the most club-friendly Sullivan looked around at the 700-plus guests seat- a Bird,” the last unreleased track that the foursome Inspired in part by the music Randall lis- see SISTER, page 19 ed in his audience, then straight into the camera and had done together, featuring the soulful vocal styling tened to in the late eighties and early nineties, announced proudly, “Ladies and gentlemen, the of John Lennon, who was assassinated in 1980. In each song on Influence pays homage to a partic- Beatles!” The studio audience roared with cheers 1996, Apple and Capitol Records released ular artist that influenced Sister Machine Gun and applause, the girls at home in front of their tel- Anthologies 2 and 3, and in 2000 Apple released a during the group’s formative period. Thankfully evisions shrieked orgasmically, and music was collection of the Beatles number one chart-topping this loose concept is not overdone or even always reborn. hits, titled Beatles: One. noticeable, though it might be the reason for the No one could’ve guessed on February 9, 1964, True fans know that while the recent compila- very diverse styles of songs found on this record. the phenomenon that the Fabulous Four would tions and best-ofs pay great tribute to the legendary Programmer/vocalist Randall and fiery gui- become, nor how influential their presence would’ve group, there is nothing like the experience of listen- tarist Miguel Turanzas remain a dynamic team been on music of the 1960s and 70s. ing to the original albums, preferably on vinyl. In on Influence. This album is more electronic than The Beatles arrived on the scene clean-shaven order to celebrate 40 years of Beatle-mania in that past few, but Turanzas still uses his bluesy with bowl cuts and black dress clothes, but by the America, head to your local mom and pop record guitar work to great effect on several tracks. In time the band broke up in April of 1970, they’d store (chains like Sam Goody and FYE tend to fact, the album sounds more collaborative than gone through fluorescent psychedelic costumes ala ridiculously over-price classic albums like the usual – like an actual band – instead of just Chris Magical Mystery Tour, and even tried the homeless Beatles, the Stones, and Zeppelin) and pick up these Randall and hired session musicians. hippie look on for size, sporting hermit-beards and landmarks. There are a number of great songs on unkempt long locks. One of the things that made Influence that should go a long way to restoring them so addictive, so much more than just a band, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Sister Machine Gun’s creditably in some circles. was the attitude and atmosphere their music was (Parlophone/Apple, 1967): Many fans and classic Tracks like “To Hell With You” and “The presented in. Every song seemed to be a philosophy rock artists alike attribute this album with kicking Antagonizer” are great EBM.-ish dance numbers, or message. off the famed Summer of Love. The Beatles intend- while the electro-rock of “Motivator” recalls vin- Earlier tunes like the selection played on their ed this record to be a simulated “live” concert of the tage KMFDM. The title track – with a pummel- first Ed Sullivan Show appearance redefined pop imaginary band Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club. ing bass line and lots of vocal distortion – is one music as America had known it, but it’s the tracks The first and title track introduces the fabricated the heaviest songs SMG has ever done, and a def- off later records like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts band, featuring Ringo Starr as front man Billy inite highlight of the album. However, the best Club Band and Revolver that changed music alto- Shears. The “live” premise only lasts through the song on the CD may well be “Clean,” a ballad Courtesy Of Sister Machine Gun gether. second track, “With a Little Help from My that beautifully combines mechanized drum The Beatles reign as the greatest band of the loops with excellent blues guitar work. Get Industrial: Chris Randall of 20th century far exceeded the decade during which see BEATLES, page 16 Chris Randall has a classy soulful voice that Sister Machine Gun performs live. .