October 3, 2007
The Talk Magazine, Issue 45, Oct. 2007 (York, UK) Reviews THE CONFLICT
HIS MIGHTY ROBOT : THE CONFLICT
A "concept" album is something I have never understood...I mean I just love good quality progressive music, and fortunately that's what this album from New York trio His Mighty Robot, has in abundance. The album is set in 3 different movements: "The Pursuit Of Happiness, The Conflict & The Death". "Connection of fingers" is a nice introduction to the album a beautiful indie effort concentrating on melodic male and seductive female vocals and intricate guitar, leading into the more powerful "The Cliche." A heavier effort that screams of classic experimental influence of The Pixies. Indeed, the beautiful lyrics combined with un-predictable chords that are trademark of the legends in-habit this album throughout: "My pursuit of happiness I want to find it, but razors cut my fingers each time I reach to my pocket." Clever lyrics conjure images and a story forms from that. This band make sophisticated and varied songs that remind us of the true remit of "experimental music," to challenge the audiences perceptions of what music can communicate through great musicianship and time.. HMR are a complicated band but are not for the faint of heart, if you love music, if your heart is held together by guitar strings, and these strings go insane when you hear the opening to The Pixies - "Monkey's Gone To Heaven" then check these guys out. If not, give them a listen anyway, it's not one type of music, it's acoustic, its rock, its emotional...it's not a damn genre... it's good.
-dom smith
September 28, 2007
Aural Fix Communique Magazine (NY)-Vol. 7, Issue 10, Sept. '07
Aural Fix reviews our show at Mr. Beery's (9/28/07)...
The last couple of issues we've been featuring the Mr. Beery's Blues Series so this issue I thought I'd featured some of the cool indie rock that has been making it's way to the venue. On this show it was a mix of NYC hipsters and local Islanders, each bringing something unique to the table. I came in on the NYC band Dead Muse. A four piece with female vocals that employed that guitar pedal effects laden two string magic that trademark so many indie bands. In fact if I didn't know any better I'd swear my Reign of Angels guitarist, John Dorcic was on stage when I walked into Beerys. There was a sort of APB / Gang of Four thing going on the bass at times which I was digging, and the vocalist kind sounded a bit like Clare Grogan of Altered Images, and a bit like Polly Styrene when she belted out her more repetitive lyrics.
Following Dead Muse came the ever unconventional His Mighty Robot from Long Island. This time out duo of Soda and H Rocker came backed by a drummer and bass player, and strapped on their electric guitars for one of the best outings I've seen by them live. I like Soda as a front man, he's got great intensity on stage and this act is quite artsy. They played material off their debut EP like "Birth" which they closed with, and the recent concept full length, "The Conflict" with tracks like "Sad Boy".
Next came another NYC band, The Fire & Reason who I had known from spinning them on the Indie Connection show I used to do for the Inside Connection on RadioX. Fronted by an ex-model and backed by a cranking band, these guys are hot, hot, hot! A recent lineup change has not seemed to have slowed them down as they are working on a new CD and playing live all over town.
Closing out the night was a band that Tom at Mr. Beerys had been whispering in my ear for a while, Robbers. These guys play a tight and lighter flavor of indie rock, very layered and textural in it's sound with a mix of guitars (3 in fact!) and keys.
On nights like these with bands like this it's easy to forget your in the suburbs of Long Island. Who says all the cool bands are in Manhattan
(Direct link to read on their site...) http://www.auralfix.com/2007/10_07/gigs1.html
May 14, 2007
Encore Magazine Review (April 25th-May 1st 2007) (Wilmington, NC)
Encore Magazine, (April 25th-May 1st 2007), Wilmington, NC
No Assembly Required: His Mighty Robot debut is insoluble
By: Gaeten Lowrie
I realized the other day how similar music and mathematics really are. They're both essentially based on equations that use a finite amount of variables to craft an infinite number of solutions, almost like a recipe. The slightest tweaking of the equation can change the result entirely.
The beautiful thing is that there's still, and probably always will be, the unexplored domains, the undiscovered algorithms, in music and math. With music, keen artists know how to harp on these ideas.
His Mighty Robot, the New York City-based duo (ex trio), proves with their constant experimentation and tweaking of sound that there is no universal solution to songwriting. Soda-after initiating His Mighty Robot in '03-fumbled with several band members sifting in and out until the true nexus finally arrived upon meeting vocalist/guitarist H-Rocker. For the last four years they've been poking at the ashes, trying to stir a flame.
Finally, they've fleshed out their most fruitful harvest yet with The Conflict, their first full-length. It happened last year when Soda and H-Rocker, joined by Barrett on drums, armed themselves with their instruments and set out to record His Mighty Robot's debut in the heart of New York.
I caught up with Soda to hear a little more about the creative process behind The Conflict, wherein he explained, "The writing process is a natural thing now especially with H-Rocker. We work very well together ... We sit with acoustics and let it roll. Recording the new record was great-we had a whole studio to our self in downtown NYC. Every room was filled with candy."
The alchemical process of songwriting had been catalyzed. All the variables were finally there: the artists, their tools, their past experiences and the present moment. The left side of the equation was seething, ready to boil, while the right side of the equation was an empty canvas, ready to be written, ready to be solved.
His Mighty Robot's synapses fired. Their artistic intuitions and emotions began the process of writing an interminable equation. No single element was even remotely insignificant.
"I found a stuffed unicorn that kept me company while I sang my tracks in a dark empty room," Soda revealed. "And we all sat together in the same room when we recorded the music."
The album is a careful balance of ferocious tremors and lulling harmonies. The guitar work, reminiscent of The Smashing Pumpkins and The Pixies, sometimes shines through their songs like light through a pinhole, but quickly dissipates.
The song "Your Body As A Crucifix" briefly shifts the album in a more solemn direction. The vocal pattern unravels like a mirror image as male and female vocals bounce back and forth, aided solely by acoustic strums. The result is a fragile equilibrium of sound that balances the rest of the album's unmistakably abrasive energy.
Throughout the album, gritty drumming and screeching feedback give way to halcyon vocals and euphonic strumming in a matter of seconds. The story unfolds like a dynamic and unpredictable dance of peaks and lulls.
"We threw everything into the record," Soda explained. "I rip my guts out for everything I record, throw them around, put it on tape and then sew myself up when I am done."
His Mighty Robot will be unleashing their experimental rock at The Juggling Gypsy (1612 Castle Street, 763-2223) on April 25th. If you think you can solve their sonic equation, the pop test begins at 9pm. But don't come with your textbooks; come for a show that will be talked about for weeks down the road-years, even. It's infinite, really.
April 20, 2007
CDBaby.com Reviews THE CONFLICT 04/20/07
His Mighty Robot's brand of sludgy, 90s influenced rock is seemingly propelled by the idea that songs can be at once beautiful and complex, precise and trashy. This New York three-piece sounds like it could be equally at home in the moody Pacific Northwest or in the DC or Chicago of the early 90s. With hues of Fugazi and Pinback, (and some of Billy Corgan's multi-faceted songwriting), these pieces span a length of time that made sure we all knew that guitar rock would be around forever, despite what popular radio would now have you think. Drums are crisp and punchy, even through the perfectly measured drop of reverb that rides along with them. The plaintive lyrics and melodies dart cunningly through alternatively jangly and crunchy guitar lines, landing in fantastically crafted choruses, which are mostly capable of rocking one's pants all the way off. It's a temperamental sound, but that doesn't mean it's not accessible. It's serious rock that's not overly severe.
April 11, 2007
The Talk Magazine, Issue 39, April 2007 (York, UK) Reviews THE CONFLICT
HIS MIGHTY ROBOT : THE CONFLICT
A "concept" album is something I have never understood...I mean I just love good quality progressive music, and fortunately that's what this album from New York trio His Mighty Robot, has in abundance. The album is set in 3 different movements: "The Pursuit Of Happiness, The Conflict & The Death". "Connection of fingers" is a nice introduction to the album a beautiful indie effort concentrating on melodic male and seductive female vocals and intricate guitar, leading into the more powerful "The Cliche." A heavier effort that screams of classic experimental influence of The Pixies. Indeed, the beautiful lyrics combined with un-predictable chords that are trademark of the legends in-habit this album throughout: "My pursuit of happiness I want to find it, but razors cut my fingers each time I reach to my pocket." Clever lyrics conjure images and a story forms from that. This band make sophisticated and varied songs that remind us of the true remit of "experimental music," to challenge the audiences perceptions of what music can communicate through great musicianship and time.. HMR are a complicated band but are not for the faint of heart, if you love music, if your heart is held together by guitar strings, and these strings go insane when you hear the opening to The Pixies - "Monkey's Gone To Heaven" then check these guys out. If not, give them a listen anyway, it's not one type of music, it's acoustic, its rock, its emotional...it's not a damn genre... it's good.
-dom smith
direct link to read on their site- http://www.thetalkmagazine.com/rec_reviews/0407aprilrecreviews.html#his
January 12, 2007
Internet radio station Upstream Radio (CA) is playing HMR
In Jan. '07 Upstream Radio started to play HMR! This is what they had to say...
"His Might Robot probably won't find an audience in the mainstream. Which is cool to see a band not give a flying f*%k. To hear their best work you'll have to buy the CD or download their tunes. HMR's songs are generally over six minutes which won't give them much radio play even on UPstream. Not that HMR will conform, nor do we want them to, this band is solid as PAVEMENT."
Upstream Radio site: http://www.usa4real.com/
