Mechanical Organic - Disrepair Part One – Permafrost Dreams (Lockstep Records)

review by Sam Thomas

 One day I’m going to develop some common sense. When that happens, I will no longer follow my heart, I will proceed with logic and caution, act like a sensible person…Actually forget it. I’ll carry on in my impulsive, illogical fashion. That’s how I came to be reviewing this album, after all.

The packaging was what intrigued me (I know, never judge a book by its cover). It looked like a DVD – not just the shape, but the whole layout. And then there was the word “Australia”. Last year, everything from Australia that came my way was outstanding, so this was in the CD player like a flash. Before I’d read the info that came with it in fact. 

The first comparison that I would make is to Pain, in that there is a definite electro/ambient/heavy industrial vibe going on. The parallels run deeper than just a similar sound, as Mechanical Organic also turns out to be a one-man project, brainchild of Eddie Katz. It could probably also be described as a concept album, with alternate tracks being spoken words describing the breakdown of modern society. Be warned: if you’re a scientist, American, Jewish or belong to any one of numerous other groups – you are to blame! The really good thing about Disrepair… is that the spoken segments have been specifically recorded for the album, rather than just culled randomly from available footage.

The musical segments are produced with keyboard, programming, distorted bass and more vocal effects than I normally listen to before breakfast. In fact, the most outstanding thing about this release is the number of different ways that Eddie has found to layer and harmonise his voice. I don’t think I’ve heard someone with such enthusiasm for vocal effects before, apart from Steven Wilson perhaps. The overall production quality is possibly not quite as sharp as it might be, but that’s a really minor detail, and more than made up for by the sheer scale of imagination involved. Describing Disrepair… in this way makes it sound like quite a difficult piece of work, and it is undoubtedly complex, but I don’t find it to be uneasy listening. It has a great vibe, and a nice, bouncy feel to it, which kind of sucks you in, so that you’re happy to groove along. I don’t very often listen to music after I’ve finished writing a review, but this will certainly be an exception to that rule. There’s so much going on in this one release that it’s rather like watching the sea: we all know what it’s like, but it’s constantly changing, throwing up new patterns and different shades. I hear echoes of many, many things here, from Pink Floyd through to Depeche Mode, from ambient through to the whole electro-goth scene. But the album as a whole sounds pleasantly together: all of the different styles and influences have been skilfully woven together into a cohesive work – there are no jarring, false notes, no tracks where you think “Why is this here?”

I’d agree with Eddie’s note that came with this CD – it probably can’t be described as metal at all. But at the end of the day, it is a rich, original piece of work that crosses many genres to produce something unique. And isn’t that what good music should really be about? www.mechanicalorganic.com 

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