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Macha reconfirms their status as one of the more intriguing bands on an intriguing label. The follow-up to last year's excellent self-titled debut, See It Another Way seems slightly less trippy than that CD, perhaps because its songs are less extended. The band retains its distinctive instrumental makeup (cheap organ, hammered dulcimer, and vibes augment the usual bass and drums - and there's very little guitar) and adds percussion influenced by leader Joshua McKay's travels to study the music of Indonesia. Some sort of reed-like instrument keens above thunderous, distorted bass on the aptly titled "Until Your Temples Are Pounding," and "The Nipplegong" conveys an air of languorous, detached, yet intense longing, edged with a hint of threat. Blunting the trippiness is probably a good move for the band, since it might have been too easy to fall into self-indulgent lassitude, noodling on for hours and dulling the impact of the band's vibrant spark. See It Another Way brilliantly suggests Macha will continue to evolve and not make the same record over and over again. |
