Beatific Machine – Nevada
Beautiful Machine, a one-man band led by Aldaen P, is an artist from Las Vegas, Nevada. His guitars are ethereal, and his cowboy aesthetic is an excellent match to his compositions. Nevada boasts some impressive work, albeit being overly conventional.
Nevada opens with a fine Introduction. Following the soft-spoken serenade is the raucous Kuan Yin, a passionate and soulful piece layered with tasteful distortion, but lacklustre vocals. When Aidaen lets the instruments breathe, especially towards the end, it’s more noteworthy. Even so, there’s very little to differentiate this style of music from The Microphones. Despite being a pop song, the piece feels much too conventional and filler-like. Much could be said about Herron (Don’t Drift Away). The riffs are plain, though are complemented by a stunning atmosphere and a lush, iridescent soundscape. I Found Out Phil Elverum Got Married Again showcases admirable charm, but the vocals are once again much too self-indulgent, and the progression is stretched out thinly. The title track, Nevada marks a stunning upturn for the album. While it’s a little longer than it needs to be, it is thoroughly enjoyable and contains an enjoyable blend of rhythms. The drumming is spectacular, and the production is key to the warm feeling instilled by the song. Guitars in this song are gorgeous and layer over one another beautifully. Las Vegas is Cloudy Today is remarkable; the opening jam is joyful and enthralling. The warm tones of the synths scrupulously accompany the acoustics, while the harrowing feedback present a stunning backdrop. Painting striking soundscapes is Beautiful Machine’s greatest strength, reaching the heights of Yume Bitsu. Plotinus Spotted Outside Elko’s placement on the track-listing reminds one of Swan’s Volcano, though without the punch. The synths are rather tacky, though the guitars are quite fascinating. I’m Hoping You Find the Truth is convoyed by lovely keys and an elegant flute. While the track feels straight from a new-age album of the 80’s, the composition is quite admirable, and the track is relatively impressive for a solo artist. Lotus Flower is a fine track with a neat finale, though once again is barely indistinguishable from Phil Elverum’s body of work. Messes of Flesh is charming, yet over-long and difficult to get through due to its intemperance. Christ and Crowley in The City of Sin boasts some great heavy riffs, and certainly homes a lot of passion, though once again imitates the Microphones too much. Moreover, there is very little progression within the ordinary drumming. Can You See My Soulspace? is a great ending to the album, though can’t alleviate the patchiness of the preceding tracks.
It pains me to review a fellow, lovely poster of /mu/ so harshly, though it’s important to separate the artist from the art. As a whole, I was mostly impressed by the drums and anomalous atmosphere, though the album feels much too safe and imitative of older works. Furthermore, the guitar riffs are long and expressive, yet could have been seriously condensed – much like the entire album. Sadly, the music here feels like a big statement with very little to say.
Average
Give him a listen here:
Beautiful Machine – Nevada
