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One never composes with one's own neuroses. And considering that Devin Townsend is notoriously a rather bizarre character, constantly tormented by his ill-defined psychotic paranoias, we could describe his works as highly personal catharses. At least from an objective point of view. What you might perceive subjectively by listening to this album, unfortunately, cannot be conveyed in a few lines.
The Canadian, who is a superb singer and guitarist, was also hired by Steve Vai for the recordings of "Sex And Religion," only later earning acclaim among metallers with his violent "Strapping Young Lad."
"Ocean Machine" (1997, but released in 2000 in Italy) marks the beginning of his most joyful artistic period: from this album onwards, he will also pursue (alongside heavier productions) a greater exploration of sound and melody. "The Ocean Machine" is a composition that is, at times, insistent, as exemplified by the splendid "Life." In other moments, it decisively overwhelms the perceptions of those who allow themselves to be carried away by its sound, evocative of images and memories of uncertain journeys, both physical and mental. In pieces like "Funeral," one can appreciate arrangements specifically built around an idea of perpetual and monolithic movement. That of ocean waves, to which the opening riffs of "Funeral" refer, or the paths traced by the bridges of "Voices In The Fan." In "Greetings," the guitars open once again, leading us with almost “Mozartian” audacity towards the airy effects of the refrains.
Personally, I find the vocal interpretation of "The Death Of Music" truly personal and profound: an almost chill-out episode that begins very quietly and offers almost ethereal atmospheres. The album opens by quoting the verses of Alfred Tennyson, a nineteenth-century English poet (or at least that's what Google decreed). A “voice from the abyss” recites the verses heralding a storm: "Oh Earth, what changes hast thou seen? There, where the long street roars Hath been the stillness of the sensual sea The hills are shadows And they flow from form to form And nothing stands like clouds That shape themselves and go". Devin's guitars begin to thunder. The movement described by the rhythms is slow and undulatory. It proceeds increasingly insistent, but never filtered by “stoner-like” effects such as “big muff.” Then the refrains advance, glimmers of light among the clouds dense with the rhythmic tapestry described above. And so it goes until the luminous refrains of the already mentioned "Life." I could go on at length, but it's useless to attempt to sketch the description of such an un-stereotypical feeling.
Focusing on the subsequent chapters of what is now called the “Devin Townsend Band,” one notices that the allure of the atmospheres in this CD remains almost entirely unmatched. The subsequent releases also contain flashes of genius here and there (by the way, a new album, "Synchestra," has just been released), but this "Ocean Machine" can be classified as a true masterpiece.
Perhaps not very well known, Townsend deserves to be heard at least by rock lovers.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Seventh Wave (06:50)
[Words and music by Devin Townsend]
Running away, running away
Running away forever
It was her only chance of finding home
Running away, running away
Running away together...
With only thoughts of finding home
I'll wait for the ocean to rise up
And meet me as it rose up before
(I'll know the time)
I'll wait for the ocean to rise up
And greet me as it rose up before
(I'll know the year)
Because you're never alone
...Even when you're alone
You're never alone...
Watch the seventh wave
Running away, running away
Running into the weather
With only thoughts of finding home
Running away, running away
Running away forever
I realize I'm on my own
On my way pass it on
On my way pass it on
I'll wait for the ocean to rise up
And meet me as it rose up before
(I'll know the time)
I'll wait for the ocean to rise up
And greet me as it rose up before
We're never alone
Even when you're alone
We're never alone... watch the ocean
02 Life (04:31)
[Words and music by Devin Townsend]
My life is all that I've known
And it's all that keeps me here
My time is all that I own
So I won't let it slip away...
How long can this life go on
Who we are what we are...
I'll see you on the other side
Wouldn't you rather live it on your own
Even when it bends you over
So when it comes time to go home
You don't let them fade away...
How long can this all go on?
How long till it's over?
And how long till it all comes down?
...And how bad do we need a new reminder?
03 Night (04:45)
[Words and music by Devin Townsend]
Here I am, driving through Japan at night
Here I am, pretending everything's alright
And I've got so far to go before the morn
And I can't believe how much it hurts at home
Here I am, living life inside a comic book
Here I am, bored with everything...
And I can't believe that I'm here to stay
'Cause I never worked it out this way
And I love you more than I can say
But I hate you every other way
Rain, falling down
Rain, falling down
Rain, falling down
Rain, falling down over me
I think I'm closer now
I think I'm closer now
I'm getting closer now
Under the light of the moon
And I can't believe that I'm here to
Stay, 'cause I never worked it out...
And I love you more than I can say
But I hate you every other...
And I'll keep my world from falling apart
In the corner of an aching heart
So say you'll come into the city
Come back with me please...
04 Hide Nowhere (05:00)
[Words and music by Devin Townsend]
Cold blue waves
Cold dead sky
See in the sea what I need to be
Cold blue waves
Cold blue mind... (hear them talk about)
Cold dead mind
See in the sea what is and what will be
Every dream I have wants me to stay
Every night I try to find a way
I hide nowhere
They hide in my world
I have nowhere to go
Dreams come as they...
Sleep comes as it...
Dreams come as they do
06 3 A.M. (01:56)
[Words and music by Devin Townsend]
Time will be on my side
No looking back this time
All that I've known is gone
Time to be moving on...
07 Voices in the Fan (04:39)
[Words and music by Devin Townsend]
Who's the weakest now?
Caught up in the wire
I'm already gone
Who's the weakest now?
It's the grey days that
I'll remember the most
It's the grey times in the water
Before morning
I won't be alone
Think of me at night
Send my love to home
I'll be alright
It's the grey days that
I'll remember the most
It's the grey times in the water
Before morning
And it's only tonight that
I'll be able to leave
And it's only the weak
That cry for me in morning
Because tonight there will be no sleep
Tonight it comes for me
Please, help them understand
I've become the voices in the fan
Goodbye
09 Regulator (05:06)
[Words and music by Devin Townsend]
I'm regulated
I'm regulated
...Odd times and all
Odd times and all
Regulator, no meantime at all
Time won't wait for me
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