Mechatronics Album Review

On paper, The All Seeing Hand seems like an unlikely mix; the combination of hip hop turntable wizard Alphabethead, punk drummer B Michael Knight, and trained Mongolian-throat singer Jonny Marks just seems like it would end in a sonic mess, but their second album Mechatronics shows that, in the hands of skilled musicians, the combination of sounds and influences works.

Like New Zealand’s version of avant garde rockers Mr Bungle, The All Seeing Hand’s songs are often experiments in combining various elements in new ways, to create interesting, and often intense, bursts of song, frequently with undecipherable lyrical content.

Which makes it all sound like a bit of a mish mash, and perhaps a bit too experimental for some people, yet it never actually crosses that line into all out experimentation. The songs are well structured and very listenable, with a dark edge to most of them; a heavy focus on the low end ensures that there’s also a high level of energy and drive throughout.

Sure, it’s never going to be music you put on when you’ve got your mates round for a BBQ in the sun (although it depends on your mates), but more something you’d put on when you want to be challenged a little by your music, while still having an enjoyable listening experience.

I was a fan of the group’s first album (2011’s The All Seeing Hand), but I feel Mechatronics is a step above that and really shows an evolution in their sound. It’s definitely one of my favourite local releases this year, and one of my favourite albums of the year.