In an industry pimpled up with over-produced Blink 182 rip-offs, techno driven DJ egomaniacs and pop stars who flash their image more times than write quality tracks comes a swipe of the next generation of Oxypad named Ima Robot.
Sure, they aren’t perfect. . . and they definitely come across in an extremely awkward way the first listen through. But damn. . . there’s no denying their passion for creating something different amidst all the commercial horseshit out there.
The music, which I would call a mix of mid-eighties punk pop laced with techno infused indie Brit rock (stop to catch my breath) is odd in ways, but very infectious at the same time. Tracks like “Dynomite” and “Alive” scream commercial hit, which is exactly what they were meant to be. These were the foundation for their unique sound that caught the ears of some big wig out there in the lala land of record labels, and to be quite honest, they probably wouldn’t of landed their deal without them.
But I didn’t get too caught up in these as I listened further and found the gems that really made a difference, and landed me as a fan. These two in particular, “Scream” (to be featured soon on Showtime’s “Queer As Folk” season premier in June) and “Let’s Talk Turkey” are a blast of fresh musical movement. In fact, after hearing “Scream” the first time through, my brain was compelled to play back the track as a soundtrack for my dreams that evening. The chorus itself sticks like glue and brings me back to a day when emotion filled cavernous melodies reigned supreme. You’ll find yourself humming like nuts afterwards.
Romping basslines dominate the melodies quite often, and for good reason, as they come from the mind of the musical master Justin Meldal-Johnson of Beck fame, which doesn’t hurt this band in the least bit. In fact the styley rhythms, which accompany him, come from another former Beck star named Joey Waronker, who definitely mixes it up quite often on the drums during the duration of the album. The vocals by Alex Ebert are strange on their own, sometimes hitting an Oingo Boingo-esque target, and at other times, hitting a tone quite comparable to Brian Molko of Placebo. One of the founders of the group, Timmy The Terror, brings in a fresh glimmer of guitar with the tone of a Brit and 80’s frappe. And let’s not forget Oligee who brings in tinges of electronic elements that innovate in many ways, and really challenges listeners to pigeonhole ImaRobot’s sound.
From my overall fondness of the album, at least three tracks will stick with me for quite some time, even after the sounds stops streaming from the speakers. There are some less than lovely moments as well, such as “Dirty Life” and the bonus track titled “Black Jettas”, which are plain and obnoxious. But that’s why they make a “FF” button. At the same time, it’s rare to find a band who actually lands themselves on a huge label without compromising too much of their sound, and I couldn’t speak higher of ImaRobot. Turn off your silly bullshit filled oozing zit ridden radio stations and pop this one in. It may be weird at first, but once you break it in you’ll fall in love once again with a major label artist.
You can buy the full album online at Napster and iTunes, or go to their web site, www.imarobot.com and go to Merchandise.
