The Secret Machines | 08.02.08 | Austin
By Team JamBase Aug 21, 2008 • 12:55 pm PDT

The Secret Machines :: 08.02.08 :: Stubb’s BBQ :: Austin, TX
![]() |
On record I have often found this band to be immersive yet slightly cold, the themes of isolation and loneliness finely tuned (especially on Ten Silver Drops). But in a live setting the sound is hypnotic with metallic intensity, the chilling splendor rendered heavier and dirtier. The tightly coiled tension will suddenly drop the floor out from under you, revealing crash sites on psychedelic vistas, and it’s these stomach plunging moments that draw you away from the crowd and into your head.
Many in the crowd were holding their breath to hear their favorite songs but the band clearly had their own agenda. They played mostly new material, spiraling out from these into extended intros to the occasional fan favorite such as “Lightening Blue Eyes” and “Sad and Lonely.” The proggy progressions and saucer-eyed journeys are still very much present in the new material, but sneaky touches of Kraftwerk and even Mars Volta have been rubbed throughout. I found myself shaking vigorously to the noise, despite the close quarters and the mostly-still concertgoers.
![]() |
Garza was plugged in behind the kit with quick drum machine rolls and sustained percussive echoes. During the one-two punch at the end of “Alone Jealous and Stoned” and “Nowhere Again,” I had moved up to watch the end of the show from the first floor balcony, positioning myself directly above Garza. He looked up, transfixed with something on the ceiling, mouthing the words to “Nowhere” and smiling, drumstick rising and falling in long thrashes.
With virtually no light effects or visual tricks, the show felt quite spare, especially when compared to past Machines productions. But it allowed the music to speak for itself, extending songs into ten-minute-plus soundscapes, taking their signature spaciousness into wilder territories. Clocking in at a little over an hour, the show made up for its relative brevity with its intensity. It may not have gone over well with everyone in the crowd, many of whom were in a sing-along mood. Still, it gave us a preview of what’s in store for the new album, due to hit in October. If this was any indication, across that tundra I see electrical storms in the distance.
JamBase | Austin
Go See Live Music!