Two years ago, Secret Machines were down for the count. The road had led where it’s led, to quote the band. Founding member, guitarist, and brother Ben Curtis left the band of multi-instrumentalist Brandon Curtis and drummer Josh Garza unexpectedly after their second album, Ten Silver Drops.
Now Here Is Nowhere (2004) was heavy, poetic, and everything rock ‘n’ roll. The band saw critical success and a budding fan base. Ten Silver Drops fell off, and then so did the band. But now they are reborn with the aptly self-titled third album, with a new lineup and a slightly darker, more aggressive collection of songs.
Straight off the top, “Atomic Heels” and “Last Believer, Drop Dead”, two of the best tracks, reveal that TSM has not been reinvented; it’s the same pounding drums and psychedelic guitar whirl of a band that critics and fans loved from the start.
The band always has had a taste for epic, driving songs, and this album reflects that same expanse. These songs showcase the addition of guitarist Philip Karnats, who played with original TSM guitarist in Tripping Daisy (along with Tim DeLaughter, who went on to form The Polyphonic Spree). The most notable track is “Have I Run Out”, which leaves room for smoldering guitar work. Like many epic songs written in rock history, however, some of the lyrics are questionable and too epic to be taken seriously.
“Underneath The Concrete” sounds like the soundtrack to some postmodern Brat Pack film. I half expected to hear Gary Numan’s “Here in my car/I feel safest of all” after the opening riff. TSM even mention cars, “They couldn’t find the cars/If there was only one”, suggesting that this is all more than intentional.
In another literal nod to a song, after a guitar freak-out, a choir echoes in Pink Floyd fashion in the aptly named, “The Walls Are Starting To Crack”.
The good news is that TSM are back, or reborn as it were, and Secret Machines far eclipses their sophomore effort in showcasing what the band does best.
– Sigfrid Rydquist
The Secret Machines 
