MAN & MACHINE – Earthman – review – downtempo pop

MAN & MACHINE – Earthman – review
Fruits de Mer

What’s this, then? Two popstrels from Airdrie? Not sure I’m keen on this. I mean it was perfectly acceptable when Louise Connell, the Artist Formerly Known as Reverieme was doing her thing. She’s just lovely. But two popstrels from Airdrie surely heralds some kind of forthcoming rent in the fabric of existence.

But that’s what Tom Roche has gone and done. He doesn’t care if we all get sucked into alternate dimensions. No, he just wants to put out a record of his downtempo pop tunes. Selfish bastard. But, at least we all know who to blame. And, at least we’ll have something good to listen to, as we get ripped apart into our constituent atoms.

If his recording pseudonym sounds a bit Kraftwerky, don’t worry. He’s no truck with that sort of thing. On this six track, 10″ vinyl EP, he sticks to things a lot less world domineering. Although there are two instrumentals, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.

The vocal tracks are, if you’re over a certain age, reminiscent of that period when trip-hop decided to go pop, and become the aforementioned downtempo pop. You know, Zero 7, Death In Vegas, that type of thing. Ask yer Maw.

The best of the vocal tracks is ‘Lost At Sea’. Just lovely, that is. Whilst in InstrumentalLand, I’d go for ‘Otherworldly’ which is, um, [insert another word for otherworldly]. Borders on ambient spacerock, that one does. Jolly good. Even if we are all going to die.

Don’t know how sales are going over at the Fruits de Mer shop but step lively.

There’s probably a video below;