Secret Machines - Now Here is Nowhere
- by Rich Morris Release Date: Label:

"Nowhere Again" has a driving rhythm that propels the song with a frantic energy, while guitar feedback squalls loop behind Brandon Curtis's cracked, Neil Young-esque vocals, the whole thing building towards a crescendo that's ready made for an outdoor festival. It's a highlight, sure, but Now Here Is Nowhere is an album full of them: from the singalong chorus of "The Road Leads Where It's Led" to the keyboard and drum-led "Sad and Lonely". Occasionally, as on "The Leaves Are Gone", they get too blissed-out, so that the song ends before anything has actually happened, while "You Are Chains" takes a full three minutes to get started. Generally, though, Now Here Is Nowhere hits the mark. And you can't help but admire a band confident enough to include a reprise at the end of their album. --Robert Burrow