User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info
- Record Label: TSM Recordings
- Release Date: Aug 21, 2020
- Summary: Brandon Curtis and Josh Garza reunite as a duo for the first full-length release for the alternative rock band in 12 years that includes some guitar work recorded by Benjamin Cutis before his death from cancer in 2013.
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Record Label: TSM Recordings
- Genre(s): Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Dream Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Space Rock, Shoegaze
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 5 out of 6
-
Mixed: 1 out of 6
-
Negative: 0 out of 6
-
Aug 24, 2020The result is a deeply felt production informed by the group's long-standing love of ambient music, psych-pop, and kinetic, '70s-style Krautrock.
-
Aug 24, 2020As a whole, the record achieves something remarkable: a comeback record that overcomes the fractures and scars of its creation without trying to ignore them, a near-complete revival of the band’s former powers, and a bold delve into epic new territory.
-
Aug 24, 2020A surprising reunion, The Secret Machines have successfully opened a new decade with Awake in the Brain Chamber, a comeback album that sounds right at home with their past releases while painting a way forward if the band continues to explore their rock cosmos.
-
Feb 4, 2021A stylish return for one of the underground’s most cherished acts.
-
Sep 8, 2020Awake in the Brain Chamber is best when Curtis is at his most vulnerable—giving himself a pep talk in the call-and-response chorus of “Everything Starts,” muttering “I want to give up” all too believably throughout the chorus of “Talos’ Corpse,” before amending himself—“I want to give up, but don’t.” They sound like they have much more to give.
-
Aug 24, 2020Judging from these recordings, it’s unclear where Secret Machines are heading. Their strength lies in dynamic live shows, and those are postponed until further notice. Awake in the Brain Chamber possesses the clean-cut sound of a mainstream rock album that can sell large quantities, but it lacks the wild abandon and unique inspiration that leads to fervent adoration – the qualities that made their debut album into an underdog classic of the era. But the potential remains.
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 0 out of
-
Mixed: 0 out of
-
Negative: 0 out of