Always want what you don’t understand

Jarhand – Immaculate Machine
Dear Confessor – Immaculate Machine

I wrote yesterday about the new record from the New Pornographers, commenting that “if it was some band I had never heard of, I would probably praise it as a fine new entry in the genre of ‘New Pornographers-esque’ indie rock.”

Along those lines, today I want to talk about a fine new entry in the genre of New Pornographers-esque indie rock. The band is called Immaculate Machine, the record is called Fables, and while they aren’t doing anything too unique, they’ve got enough of a knack for hook-laden indie pop with nice harmonies that it doesn’t seem to matter.

As if the connections weren’t obvious enough, they actually opened for the Pornographers a while back and their keyboardist (Kathryn Calder) is one of the many folks who revolve through that band.

It’s a little more hit-or-miss than you might hope for but the highlights are absolute power-pop masterpieces that call to mind not just the Pornographers, but also the heyday of folks like Teenage Fanclub, Sloan, and The Posies. “Jarhand” in particular is a true classic with a galloping guitar line and a driving coda (“it’s all in your head, jarhand…”).

The weaker moments mean that it probably won’t quite make my year-end list, but there’s enough quality material here to make it well worth your time.

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