An expensive marketing campaign and clever yet poignant covers can sadly take you further in this industry then actually should be morally allowed.
Having seen the adverts and heard the hype surrounding this album, it’s nice to actually sit down and listen to ‘Hand Built by Robots’ in its entirety.
The album is thankfully a lot more than a PR exercise, a clever Massive Attack cover and a white guy with dreads. The huge 17 track debut album delves deep into the mind and soul of Mr. Faulkner with a range which far precedes my initial and possibly hasty opinion of him.
Flawless guitar playing and consistent catchy hum-a-long melodies on tracks like ‘All I Got‘ and ‘Dream Catch Me’ meet with interesting punctuations of sitar and songs about UFOs.
Vocally Newton makes such a deep gravely sound which has such a powerful constant range, equally matching what he can do so dextrously with a guitar. Neither strings nor voice swallow the other but exist in union with one another so perfectly.
Hand built by robots it might be in terms of the oppressive hands of marketing and label executives, but the albums core values and deep shadow shine through.
Multi-faceted songs with complex riffs, hooks and melodies throughout the album, keep you interested and eager to hear more.
From start to finish he shows just how talented he is with 17 differing tracks which means by the time you’re finished the album, you’re ready to listen again with fresh ears.
