Published on Jan 13, 1998
I have a rather bad habit when it comes to reviewing albums
featuring the talents of Jud Ehrbar – I tend to put them to the
side for far too long. When I do finally stumble across them in the
Pierce Archives’ several “in” baskets, I slap the discs in the
player, then promptly kick myself hard for letting them go for as
long as I have.
I found myself drop-kicking my butt across the halls again when
I got around to listening to Ehrbar’s one-man project Reservoir.
Pink Machine features quite a bit of the pop found in
Varnaline, the other band Ehrbar is a member of, but is more
experimental – and that makes this disc one interesting,
entertaining 40 minutes.
Don’t let the almost two minutes of industrial noise to start
off “Go Back” scare you away from the disc – it almost had me
pushing the “advance track” button. Good thing I didn’t, ’cause I
would have missed an interesting amalgam of rhythms. Ehrbar’s
vocals and guitar work seems to be playing one melody, while the
drums keep a slightly different, though crossing, beat. Normally
this would result in an unlistenable cacophany, but Ehrbar pulls it
off amazingly well.
Another amazing quality to Ehrbar is his vocals. Anders Parker
may control the microphone with Varnaline, and does what he does
well, but should he ever find himself fighting laryngitis, Ehrbar
could easily fill in and make the transition seamless. “Let’s Fall
In Love Again” shows off a set of pipes tuned for pop success, but
raised on the rough-and-tumble alternative world.
Undoubtedly the greatest feature of
Pink Machine are the layers and layers of sonic excellence
that make up the songs. “Air Coryell” is one example, with guitar,
keyboards and drums all working overtime to create something
similar to Phil Spector’s legendary “Wall Of Sound” concept. Even
the way the song fades out is unique, and should be listened to on
headphones to appreciate it. First time I heard this track, I
thought I had partially unplugged the jack from the CD player.
Other tracks that stand out are “40,” the title track and “Weight
Of The World”.
In fact, there is only one criticism that I could dare level
against
Pink Machine. Namely, it’s far too short; Ehrbar knows how
to craft songs that make 40 minutes seem like 40 seconds. The
experimentation may occasionally confuse listeners used to a band
blowing its musical load in three minutes and leaving. I suggest
you grab a beer, pull up a chair and stay awhile – it’s a journey
worth taking.
Pink Machine is yet another example of a stellar release
that may tend to be overlooked because it’s on a smaller label –
and is another album that screams for your attention, deserving
every minute of it. Ehrbar may be a well-kept secret among music
fans, but if he keeps pumping out work like this, he won’t be a
secret much longer.