Eureka Machines: Everything
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It’s been a while, but the irrepressibly ebullient Eureka Machines come bounding back with the unbridled enthusiasm of an untrained puppy and another helping of fantastic tunes full of wit, charm and realism.
Eureka Machines could write a song about a storm cloud and make it sound like a sunny day (and occasionally vice versa). Life can be ok, but it can also be shit, but either way, it can have a great soundtrack, and these are the guys to provide it. Head honcho, the estimable Chris Catalyst, sets the scene; ‘This is our best collection of tunes yet. It’s weird and wonderful, it pops in all the right places and it rocks in all the others. It is the sound of four great friends who’ve been playing together for a long time and they do not give one single fuck what anyone else thinks. That’s very freeing.’ And it’s hard to argue with his assessment, as Everything is indeed a wonderful album full of mainly life-affirming songs, delivered with the skill and panache we’ve come to associate with Eureka Machines over the years. If you like your music to have lots of guitars, intoxicating melodies, pithy one-liners and sing-along choruses, you’ve come to the right place.
Title track Everything is a suitably rousing opener, with an energetic intro giving way to an atmospheric riff more than reminiscent of Toiler On The Sea by The Stranglers. The album’s publicity states, ‘It’s a love-letter from Chris to his record collection’, and it’s a good bet that Black And White is in there. From there on, the track will have you bouncing off the walls with abandon, as it seems impossible to worry too much about the downs of the Eureka’s songs when the ups sound so bloody good. Of course, the added bonus is that some poor sucker is bound to walk into their local record shop and ask for ‘Everything by Eureka Machines’, a marketing ploy which manages to trump Anything by The Damned.
Don’t bother putting the furniture back in place, as Back In The Back Of Beyond will have you careering around the room again to this self-effacing but defiant statement of intent. ‘Guess who’s back with even thicker skin’, Chris asks rhetorically, pretty much summing up the mood of the band as they chart their course through the choppy seas of the cut-throat music industry and life in general. As if to confirm the aforementioned inspiration, the band follow up with a track called Black And White of their own. Another expertly constructed look at the vagaries of life; ‘Turning lemons into lemonade, With the light must come the dark, The black and white’, the song treats us to splendid riffage, a soaring middle eight and those gorgeous harmonies which are such a feature of any Eureka Machines album.
Such is the seemingly effortless ease with which Eureka Machines deliver these rocking melodies that it’s easy to take for granted the skill and professionalism which obviously goes into their creative process. A Jack of all trades and master of them all too, not to mention a latter-day Oscar Wilde, Chris has shared a stage more than once with Ginger Wildheart, and they also share that remarkable ability to churn out gem after gem, often without the recognition they deserve. And while the Eurekas give off an air of giddy excitability, there’s no doubt that, with the talents of Catalyst’s fellow axe-wielder Davros and the formidable rhythm section of bass player Pete Human and drummer Wayne Insane (all birth names), they’re not just a bunch of West Yorkshire chancers but a bona fide, top-notch rock ‘n’ roll combo.
The should-be hits keep coming, Canaries In The Coalmine and If I’m Going To Fight Myself I’m Never Going To Win providing tauter moments, while Nature And Nurture is a jaunty little number combining choppy guitars, lots of ‘ohohwoho’ backing vocals and more smart lyrics; ‘So who are we to disagree? It’s part of our biology, Doomed from the start by nature’s kiss, And suckled with a tightened fist.’ Home is an uncharacteristically subdued and rather lovely piece which gradually builds to a heartfelt crescendo. We Don’t Have Much But It’s Ours provides a touching shot of homespun wisdom whereby camaraderie can be more important than material wealth, and The Lovers And The Lost has a distinct Oasis / Beatles feel, not suffering one jot by comparison with either.
The Great Indoors is a romping celebration of a life more ordinary, and if guitars had a sense of humour, they’d sound something like this. Set to a deceptively cheerful glam beat, They’re Coming To Get You is a rare foray into more political territory – a scathing condemnation of racist paranoia and intolerance in all its forms, which still leaves plenty of opportunity for humour; ‘There’s a grandma, never got far, The whole world and she made it to Scarborough.’ Which only leaves the delightful Beautiful Day to play us out in beautiful fashion.
So there you have it. What started of as a brief summary of the album’s highlights has turned into a track-by-track listing, for the simple reason that they’re all too good to ignore. If you’re already a fan, you’ll have a good idea what to expect, and Everything delivers in spades. As for the uninitiated, you need to find out what you’ve been missing – FFO Eureka Machines / anyone else. As a huge bonus, you’ll soon get the chance to witness one of their hilarious, high octane and sharp-dressed live shows. Now is the time to stand up and champion the underdog.
Eureka Machines Links: Website | Facebook | Instagram | X
All words by Robin Boardman. More writing from Robin for Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive.
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exeter.one newsbite last confirmed 1 week ago by Robin Boardman
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