This Robot Life – Becoming Work Revolutionaries / 2004 Automaton Records / 10 Tracks / http://www.thisrobotlife.com / [email protected] / Reviewed 30 January 2005
Mixing together the vocals of Rise Against with the pop-punk guitars of Unwritten Law, This Robot Life makes for an extra-ordinary punk experience. The multi-part harmonies of a track like “At Fault” make the rough recording present on “Revolutionaries” disappear, by and large. Even the somewhat bland distortion of the guitars on “Revolutionaries” cannot sour what is a high-energy, catchy as hell performance from these kids. One little note, though: a ten-second clip from a movie is okay, while a minute long section of the samer movie is not. The “Strange Brew” quote wrecks any momentum that the album had up to that point, as does the incredibly different sound of the second track on “Revolutionaries”, “Trait to Lungfire”. “Lungfire” mixes the vocal delivery of a Defiance, Ohio with the guitar work of a Screeching Weasel to make what is essentially an emotionally-affecting track. The bridge on the aforementioned track provides a perfect ending and introduction into the very laid-back and Pink Floyd-esque arrangements of “One More Cup of Coffee”.
In fact, in the most sedate of tracks, This Robot Life makes incredible chaos in the working of their vocals, something that with the track’s reduced-tempo state makes what would normally be an overlookable stylistic oddity the impetus for any disjointed feelings that individuals feel during the track. What seemed to be one of the typical pop-punk bands (when individuals tune into the first track), This Robot Life surprises everyone with their continual shifts through the various sub-genres of punk. Thus, in one track we may be assaulted with a band of anarcho-folk punk, and in yet another we may be treated to a brand of streetpunk. Their second go at a slower-tempoed song, “Conversation in New Mexico” is a much more coherent track than “Coffee”, due to the fact that both vocalists have synchronized their parts.
This Robot Life is truly a band that is all over the map, and this is not done by the band to try to gain a larger audience – their influences run the gamut from country to metal, and it would be a disservice to these influences if This Robot Life was just a static band. While the homebrew style of recording found on “Revolutionaries” is endearing, I for one can’t wait until they get picked up by a semi-major and allowed to record at a half-way decent studio. What will result from that will undoubtedly be one of the benchmark discs for any band calling themselves punk.
Top Tracks: Trait to Lungfire, Conversation in New Mexico
Rating: 8.1/10