Formed in the early Nineties, San Diego trio The God Machine generated massive underground hype with their first album, Scenes from the Second Storey. The follow up, 1994s One Last Laugh in a Place of Dying, should have propelled them into the limelight. However, immediately after recording wrapped, bass player Jimmy Fernandez died due to a sudden brain tumour. The surviving band members, Robin Proper-Shepherd and Ronald Austin, immediately split the band up, although allowed the album to be released. (One Last Laugh was released in a plain white sleeve with no writing of any kind on it. Its one of the most underrated albums of the nineties, and well worth hunting down even though its been deleted for years.)
<*dv_0*> Ive got no idea what has happened to Ronald Austin, but I do know that Sophia, a changing collective of musicians revolving around him, is what has been keeping Proper-Shepherd busy since 96 or so. Early Sophia albums, though excellent, would be a chore if you werent a fan already. They were introspective, bleak and, frankly, not an easy listen (saying that, do go out and find 1997s Fixed Water - its great). People Are Like Seasons, however, is an amazing shift in gear. The raw emotion is still there, but theres also lush tunes, fantastic musicianship and even a few pounding tracks that almost sound like God Machine stuff.
Album opener Oh My Love starts with a typically bleak lyric: I thought I knew ya/But I guess I was wrong, before moving seamlessly into a ridiculously catchy chorus. Its an awesome opener. Swept Back, an acoustic-y number with synth backing, had me thinking the album was going to tread old paths, but it too has an amazing chorus that begs to be sung along to. Possibly after being dumped, but you know what I mean.
Two more effortlessly woozy numbers float past, sparse piano and lush string arrangements backing up Proper-Shepherds vocal/acoustic combo. Its at track five that the album, having lulled you into a false sense of security, unleashes its big guns. Darkness (Another Shade in Your Black) and If a Change is Gonna Come are two of the dirtiest, darkest rock songs ever recorded. The former starts off like the soundtrack to Fight Club before a vocodered vocal kicks in. Theres another quality vocal too: You said that youre attracted to the darkness/Thats OK, Ill be another shade in your black. The latter has some awesome buzz saw guitars, pounding bass and begins with some fantastic, casually thrown in cussing. The chorus? Cos lifes a bitch yeah/And then you die/Dont waste your time/And wonder why. The song is so infectious, thisll become a mantra in your head whether you want it to or not. I wont deconstruct any more songs, I sense Ill be pushing my luck if I do. Suffice to say theres four more and every one is a corker. Oh, and Holidays Are Nice, sarky title or not, is a particular beaut.
I thoroughly recommend this album. Like I say, its a whole lot more accessible than earlier Sophia stuff. its the sort of music that bands like Keane and Snow Patrol strive so mightily to achieve - and probably could if they didnt have one eye on their chart placing - but to Robin Proper-Shepherd and co. it seems to come naturally. They pair anguished lyrics and dark sentiments with incredibly catchy music. Bleak but blindingly brilliant
By rights, this album should have David Gray and Coldplay shitting themselves. I have a feeling though, that Sophia are going to remain as much of a secret as The God Machine were. This may be fine by them, but I was always bad at keeping secrets. So, go out and find yourself a copy of this album. Beg, borrow or burn it, but go get it somehow because its an early contender for album of the year.
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