Unlike Ohio's other favorite group of Brit rockers,
Dayton's Guided by Voices, the English accent heard on songs by
Columbus' Girly Machine is the genuine article (sorry, Bob) as frontman
Andy Spencer hails from across the pond. However, rather than fully
embracing his potential as a Brit popper, Spencer opts for a vocal style
that generally leans more toward singspeak and an overall air of at
least mild creepiness. Rounded out by phenomenal guitarist Robert Petric
(later the metal-riffing axeman for Ron House-fronted noise punk icons
Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments), drummer Dana Marshall (most well
known for his time in superb Scrawl), and bassist Jeff Plavcan, Girly
Machine buzzes, rattles, and chugs their way through songs that strike a
balance between ominous and poppy, bringing to mind acts like Bauhaus
and the Psychedelic Furs. The music is dark, with traces of old-school
goth (minus the sort of cartoonish, middle school black t-shirt anguish
that sometimes entails), yet rooted in rock and truly quite catchy.
While the entire album is first rate, "Vancouvre" is among the standout
tracks, as it finds Spencer naming places he'd like to go (Vancouver,
the Louvre, and Mother Russia make the list) with an almost Fred
Schneider cadence.
Tracklist
