Secret Machines – Now Here Is Nowhere

This is one of my favorite albums of the 00s. I got to see Secret Machines live twice. Once when they warmed up and seriously upstaged the Kings Of Leon at First Avenue. The second time was at the same venue where they headlined and performed “in the round.” Both were amazing shows.

Now Here Is Nowhere was issued in 2004 on CD and reissued as a limited release LP (vinyl) in 2017 on Run Out Groove (a vinyl-only reissue subsidiary of Warner Music Group).  I recently found a new copy at the Electric Fetus.

Secret Machines sounds like the bastard love child of Pink Floyd and The Clash. It has Floyd’s spacey sound, but with a garage rock/punk vibe. It is a full sounding trio (in the way that Rush is a full sounding trio). The band self describes their sound/style as space rock.

Although, the band did not do well commercially, this album and its follow-up were critically acclaimed and they counted David Bowie as a fan.

I like the big guitars, whooshing keyboards, artful use of stereo channels (why don’t more recording artist take advantage of stereo more?) and gorgeous clear vocals. As the Run Out Groove website states:

Anyone interested in Pink Floyd, NEU, Ride, Spacemen 3, Mercury Rev, the Flaming Lips, U2, Super Furry Animals, Sparklehorse & Broken Social Scene should have this album in their collection.

The vinyl edition was mastered for vinyl from the original master recordings with edits removed. The vinyl edition is not significantly different from the CD version, other than the typical organic feel of wax. The soundstage on the vinyl is a bit more open and airy. Overall, the vinyl is easier on the ears. But at forty bucks for the wax, you better be a pretty serious fan (the album is on streaming services and a used CD can be found for cheap – under two bucks per Discogs). The visual presentation of the packaging is pretty spectacular.