As you might imagine, the first solo album from the …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead vocalist, guitarist and instrument annihilator has obvious points of connection between it and any one of that band’s nine albums. But once the title-track opener powers through with its references to Conrad Keely’s day job, Original Machines presents as a varied and whimsical work.
Many of the 24 tracks come from Guided By Voices’ school of brevity and cli hanging song structures, as Keely experiments with disparate combinations of sound. “Forbidden Stones” is a curious mix of electronic beats and banjo picking; “Out On The Road” sounds like Killing Joke dropping random layers of noisy post-punk guitars on a Foo Fighters ballad; “Warm Insurrection” is classic 120 Minutes fare. There are as many moments of acoustic flourish and oddball peculiarities as points of familiar driving alt-rock. The downside comes in Keely entertaining too many mistresses, which sometimes obscures the diversity showcase.
—Kevin Stewart-Panko
