From
www.mxdwn.com
Is There a Term for Mania in Robot Psychology?
Posted on Tuesday, February 17 by Ari Levitch
"Ima Robot’s self-titled debut is a far cry from band members Alex Ebert’s and Tim Anderson’s rap project that bore the same name. Since then,
Anderson has picked up a guitar, Oliver Goldstein has joined to contribute keyboards, and Justin Meldal-Johnsen and Joey Waronker, both former members
of Beck’s band, have added their respective talents on bass and drums. On Ima Robot, the band has unveiled itself in an extension of the current
garage-rock revival with their new-wavy feel. Songs like “Dynomite” and “A Is For Action” rock as hard as their titles would suggest, whereas moments
from “12=3” and “Here Come The Bombs” will make you swear it’s Oingo Boingo.
If they truly are a robot, then they are powered by the perpetual motion machine that is Ebert’s vocals - a manic string of frenetic notes over which
Ebert seems to maintain only partial control. The lyrics seem to play into the madness, as “A Is For Action” heralds the end times, and “Here Come The
Bombs” tells you to purchase their album even as bombs are falling. Instrumentally, Ima Robot can hold your attention to a point, with the trio of
rock-out tunes that open the album and the 80s-pop flavor that dominates the second half. However, it is Ebert’s histrionic voice that makes you reach
for Ima Robot, and without it, there is little else that makes the album worth remembering. Whether Ebert’s singing taps into your nervous system, or
you simply wish he would swallow a bottle of sedatives, you will either love or hate Ima Robot because of the pandemonium inspired by his ultra-hyper,
unstable vocals. "
[Edited on 2-19-2004 by draconian]
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