Machines In Heaven

The Scottish music scene is in rude health these days and nowhere is this more apparent than in the all-conquering success of Chvrches. Ploughing a similar electronic furrow but eschewing the 80s synth pop style for an alternative and largely instrumental sound are Glasgow’s Machines In Heaven. Having released the ‘Glasgow Jihad’ EP in February 2013, the four piece became a trio after the departure of Graham Crossan due to health reasons, going on to win Best Electro Act at this year’s Scottish Alternative Music Awards.
Their debut album ‘bordersbreakdown’ includes the EP’s three tracks and kicks off with ‘National Monument’. Garbled vocals sit on top of deep bass as various synths and beats expand the palette and build towards a crescendo. The controlled euphoria of ‘Parliament Is Made of Rice Paper’ follows before ‘Divided by Zero’ brings guitars into the mix. The mix of live and digital instruments is reminiscent of Errors, with ‘We Fall’ introducing the quiet/loud dynamics and distorted white noise of Mogwai. Elsewhere, ‘Remembrance’ breaks with the uplifting joyfulness of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’; ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Mumbo Jingo’ combine melody and rhythm to excellent effect, the title track clocks in at an epic nine minutes and ‘The Eternal Now’ closes the album with beautiful layered guitars. Only ‘Be the Media’ seems out of place, its glitchy freak out feeling forced and surplus to requirements.
Overall, ‘bordersbreakdown’ is an impressively inventive record buzzing with ideas and, while it may not always hit the mark, with so much inspiration on hand it is always interesting.