Music

The last thing we wrote about The Family Machine was in March 2006, so it’s fair to say they aren’t the most prolific band in the world. Despite their languorous attitude to making music they are, nevertheless, stalwarts of the local scene. Their Beard Museum club stage at this year’s Charlbury Riverside Festival was an unmitigated success and in the eyes of many out-shone the main stage.

Then, as 2007 drew to a close The Family Machine itself whirred into action, smoke started to billow out of its chimneys and after at gut-wrenching screech of badly oiled wrought iron cogs a perfect nugget of sultry musical wonder was formed - their new E.P. “Got It Made”. That mechanical analogy probably won’t be appreciated by the band who claim that The Family Machine was born in the woods. Theirs is an organic cohesion of ideas and melodies and this E.P. grows on you like dark waspish ivy.

Gone is the wicked mirth of “Flowers By The Roadside” and “Lethal Drugs Cocktail” and it’s replaced with a much more sumptuous sound where the instrumentation does the talking. Pity that they didn’t leave the World Cup song as the novelty classic it was because anyone listening to the instrumental version on this CD can’t help but add the chant over the top in their own heads. Nevertheless it’s a great prelude to their album which is due for release in early 2008. It would seem that The Family Machine is back and running on gas – or perhaps its bio-ethanol?