Currently enjoying Rain Machine’s self-titled album

It’s just about impossible to listen to the Rain Machine disc, which came out a few months ago, without being very aware that you’re listening to a record by one of the dudes from TV on the Radio. The lead track and first single, “Give Blood,” drives the point home by being perfectly in keeping with the group’s most memorable uptempo moments. But once it’s drawn you in with some familiar fare, Kyp Malone’s solo album takes a much more meditative turn.

There’s nothing as heavy as “New Health Rock” or “Wolf Like Me” on this disc, nor will you hear anything as funky/jittery as “Golden Age.” What we get instead is a more tense and methodical album that grows to sound more personal as it unfolds. What starts as a disc that doesn’t really feel like it needed to be a solo project in the first place comes to carve out its own territory, and in that respect alone I’d say it’s definitely worth a listen.

Not that it’s a perfect record by any means. A number of the tracks are longer and more meandering than they need to be. The thought of Malone buying stock in sleigh bells and wood blocks becomes inescapable halfway through the disc. And by the time the singing turns to caterwauling on the closing track, your patience may be thoroughly tried. Frankly, I wouldn’t listen to the whole thing in one sitting unless you’re in the mood to get totally bummed out.

But as negative as all of that might sound, Rain Machine is still worth a listen as a side project. It’s a disc that complements TV on the Radio’s music nicely, but it stands on its own two feet and adds an interesting new dimension to the music that fans of the band have been enjoying for years. I’m not saying I’d want to play any track other than “Give Blood” at a rock club, but I figure that’s not the point.

By the way, what does Kyp Malone have to do to get his own Wikipedia entry? Tunde Adabimpe has one, and so does Dave Sitek. Do you think Malone might have put out a solo album just to try and level the playing field? Because he’s going to have to try a lot harder, if the fact that Rain Machine only has a page in waiting at the moment is any indication. Boy, the world of nerdy rock and roll can be so unfair sometimes.

Posted in Currently Enjoying