Blasted Mechanism
Sound In Light

The Blasted Mechanism are... are... are... um, they're Portuguese, active since 1999, and they dress in the most absurd fashion, with costumes that are halfway between tribal and sci-fi, in a bizarre garishness that would make Kiss pale; yes, I’d say they present themselves well, and their music is a delightful haphazard concoction; shall we call it crossover? Okay, let’s call it crossover, or imagine an oblique cross between Bob Marley and Prince traveling from Africa to India, I prefer that. Funk, reggae, dub, rock, ethnic sounds, add a bit of electronics and just a pinch of hip-hop and there you have "Sound In Light", the band's fourth album: in perfect harmony with their image, certainly very strong and distinctive, their music is a show, particularly that of this album. Bombastic and slick enough, but never to excess, and here you understand that these nutters know what they are doing, also because despite the fifteen songs in the tracklist, a certainly very risky number, "Sound In Light" flows effectively and without hitches.

Declamatory, shamanic singing and a sound that to most might appear "wild" but it isn't; everything is perfectly curated and studied down to the smallest details, but in any case, you'll have a hell of a good time, I can guarantee that. Tribal percussions and an impeccable brass section in "Battle Of Tribes", funky brilliance with a slightly kitsch oriental touch in "All The Way", the charming reggae in Indian sauce, with sitar prominently featured in "Sunshine", summer of love vibes also well present in a languid "We" and even more in the rarefied "Suddenly", shifting dreams of color-filled paradises and other strange things. What can I say, definitely a nice mix, offered moreover with considerable stylistic taste: with so many ingredients in the pot it's easy to descend into circus-like antics, into the tower of Babel, into ostentatious presumption, but it’s not. Everything is exactly where it should be, the Blasted Mechanism demonstrate, song after song, that they offer more than just appearance (and what an appearance...) but also a lot of substance and an excellent pop sensibility, which certainly doesn’t hurt.

Do you want more? No problem, there's an abundance here, one might even say almost Lucullian, the dub expansions of "Unarmed Rebellion" and "New Assault" and a relentless "You Never Gave Me Nothing", rapped, with an attractive bassline, nervous percussions, and almost acid sounds. "URU (Strange Faces)" and "Mystical Power" remind me a bit of Gnarls Barkley, remember Gnarls Barkley? They were on everyone’s lips about ten years ago with the same kind of sounds offered here by Blasted Mechanism, slightly psychedelicized funk, late-sixties atmospheres. The difference is that these Lusitanian bird-men sound much tougher, with a far more convincing voice than CeeLo Green's meow (I think that’s what the bald guy with glasses from Gnarls Barkley was called, but I could be wrong) without sacrificing anything in terms of catchiness and commercial potential; after all this album was released by Universal, it's worth highlighting. In the broad stylistic range of Blasted Mechanism are also fairly intense and scenically impactful galloping rhythms; "Sound In Light" with futuristic keyboards, electronic beats a prominently featured drum, and "Total Rebellion", perhaps the masterpiece of the album, certainly a very successful and captivating episode, of epic and visionary breath; tribal percussions again, almost war drums in this case, very scenic and theatrical singing, sitar, and Andean flutes. A truly full-bodied and grandiose sound; it pumps you up, said in the simplest way possible, and with great class.

Would you look at that, a group like this, coming from all possible and imaginable places, comes straight from Portugal: the languid melancholy of fado, fields and sunsets over the ocean, instead, they place tribal dances, aliens, shamans, multi-armed deities; quite the big mess, a perfectly orchestrated mess, a harmonious bustle. Among other things, the Blasted Mechanism are also a decidedly engaging live act with great stage presence, here's a broad demonstration; in short, a group really worth promoting, in my opinion. I thought someone here might know about them but, judging by the total lack in terms of reviews, definitions, and so on, it seems that isn't the case; better for me, and after all, I also came across them only thanks to the whims of fate, blessed be, dear good old fate.