By Derek Howie
From the opening monologue of ‘Rise‘ to the closing Radiohead-esque ‘The Wild’, this album holds a flickering candle of light in a cavernous void of self-reflection, as told by Chris Bainbridge, one half of Scottish duo, Man Of Moon. They are an exciting alternative and psychedelic rock act from Scotland, a largely rural country of rugged mountains and lush lowlands. A country that’s hemmed in on 3-sides by the fierce dark seas of the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea, with only the noisy, or should that be nosey Sassenach (English) neighbours to the South. Factoring in that the climate has virtually 10-months of autumnal damp and dreary weather, it is remarkably like the Pacific Northwest, and we all know of the great rock music to emerge out of that isolated corner of the US!
Man Of Moon: Chris Bainbridge (R) & Iain Stewart (L).
Many native musicians have harboured the natural melancholic vibe of this coastal country in their music. Acts such as Primal Scream, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Orange Juice, Cocteau Twins, Boards Of Canada, The Twilight Sad, Arab Strap, Mogwai, and Belle & Sebastian have all delivered notable success, and Man Of Moon are surely next, as their second album ‘MACHINISM’ has just entered UK Charts at a very respectable #20!
Album Review
The anticipation I had ahead of this release was bordering on hysterical. It’s the follow-up to the 2020 debut album ‘Dark Sea’, an album that has clearly flown under the radar of most Indie music fans. It was an outstandingly well-constructed record that wistfully flowed along with tales of love, loss, abuse, and adoration, all bound together to create a very vivid if not a somewhat dark piece. The intimate sound is further realised when you see them live, as Chris is responsible for playing everything apart from the drums, a role that has been taken up by Iain Stewart, who took up the drum stool since 2021 when original drummer Mikey Reid departed.
MACHINISM: Blue & Black Marbled Vinyl
‘MACHINISM’ starts with the now typical monologue, the introspective hushed dialogue sets the tone, before the first song ‘Rise’ casts off the eleven-track album which is cleverly split into two halves, well it will be if you buy the record. With little pause ‘You And I’ blasts straight in. A powerful Alt. Rock number, that’s destined to become an anthem, and was the lead single that debuted early 2024.
‘Swim’ rolls in with a synth bassline, highlighting the band’s versatility with a fusion of styles. An 80s-era Post-Punk thin guitar sound and a punched chorus, opens latterly into an archetypal Rock crescendo. Previously previewed as the second single, ‘Video’ is a dubby departure, with understated vocals that tip-toe amongst a cacophony of crash cymbals, distant voices, guitar feedback, and the homogeneous, distorted bass. ‘Time’ carries on the buzzy bass-synth, in a tale of undecided trust, before ‘The Tide’ closes the first half of the record, with a mellow, stripped back comedown.
End of Side One.
Krautrock inspired ‘In The Water’ bursts open side two with another aquatic reference, highlighting the coastal trait of Scotland. ‘Reign’ is a real pacey little number, and my favourite song off the album. I can’t help but turn it up which only accentuated my excitement of the rolling drums and bass that thunders along, punctuated by the coolest percussive instrument, a cuica. When the breakdown comes, the rising build-up has me thinking that I’m listening to some newly unearthed, secret TOOL track!
The calming influence of the piano interlude that is ‘Machines That Breathe’ helps lower my adrenaline a little, but with heavy shades of Thom Yorke and reference to the opening soliloquy, as I again look to the lyric sheet on the inner-sleeve. Repetition is again in evidence as a different version of ‘Run And Hide’ features on ‘MACHINISM’, I first heard this in the autumn of 2021, but this stripped back re-record is far more fitting. Although, I must say it’s worth digging out the earlier version. ‘The Wild’ is the last and longest song, a largely piano piece with orchestral strings helping create something like the closing scene from a film.
‘MACHINISM’ is available now on Vinyl, CD, and Hi-Res Digital via Man Of Moon’s Bandcamp here.
‘MACHINISM’: Blue & Black standard release (L) and the Assai Records OBI Edition (R), limited to 100 pressings.
Keeping things sustainable, Man Of Moon’s own label Cosmic Pool chose to use Scotland’s first pressing plant. Seabass Vinyl based to the East of Edinburgh were responsible for the vinyl pressings of ‘MACHINISM’.
Listen to the earlier version of ‘Run And Hide’ that I mentioned in the review, here. You can also read my previous review of Man Of Moon’s debut, ‘Dark Sea’ here.
Interview with Chris Bainbridge
By Derek Howie
Derek Howie “Hi Chris, thanks for sparing some of your time to chat to us at The Vinyl Hole. First off, congratulations on a great album, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But what does it feel like to enter the Official UK Album Chart at #20, that’s a bit of a coup?”
Chris Bainbridge “It was honestly such an incredible surprise. To see our album up there alongside some huge albums was so cool to see. We are an independent band and self-released this record on our own wee label 'Cosmic Pool' that we set up in 2020, so it really felt like an amazing achievement to be in the Top 20.”
DH “I don’t think it’s ever been easier for bands and small Indie labels to put out material themselves, with platforms like Bandcamp and the direct-to-fans model. The only stumbling block would be funding it, but you’ve credited Creative Scotland on sleeve. Can you tell the readers (and any aspiring musicians) how they have helped you release ‘MACHINISM’?
CB ”Yeah, I would agree with you in terms of band camp etc making it very easy for bands to set up an online shop and communicate directly with fans, that has been a real lifeline for so many bands including us. But yeah, you’re absolutely right, funding it is the big issue, and unfortunately this has just become a lot harder in Scotland with the announcement from Creative Scotland of the ‘open fund for individuals’ being discontinued. This is an absolute disaster for the arts in Scotland. So many of my creative friends and colleagues used this fund for projects, albums and exhibitions and it has just been whipped away by the Scottish Government. This was the fund that we used to record ‘MACHINISM’ and without it we wouldn’t have been able to make the record we did. The fund paid for everything, and we were very lucky to get it. I spent a huge amount of time writing a big funding application and it was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it. I’m still hopeful though that the fund will be started up again because there has been such a huge uproar about it and hopefully the government sort themselves out.”
DH “Where did the title of the new record ‘MACHINISM’ come from? I did check, it isn’t a real word. LOL”
CB “It's a comment on the times we are living in, surrounded by technology and machines. We now live our lives through these little machines in our pockets and it's something that was on my mind a lot when writing the record and working on themes. A few of the tracks refer to this topic like 'Video'.”
DH “Ah, I see. Maybe you and the members of fan group on Facebook ‘Interlude’ could suggest it to the Oxford English Dictionary, as a new word entry?”
CB ”Yeah that could be a good shout. Do you know if they pay you for coming up with words? I think they should ha-ha”
DH “It’s not something you see very often but some of my favourite Alt. Rock acts are duos, such as The White Stripes, Odonis Odonis, Earth, Galvano, White Canyon & The 5th Dimension, and of course yourselves. Can you explain why you chose to follow that path and not just form a four or five-piece band?
CB “Over the years people have asked me so many times if we are planning to get a third member like it's something that you're supposed to do and I'm always just like..."nah". I just love the dynamic between two people on stage and especially for the kind of music we make it means we can really lock in with each other. At the start it wasn't a conscious decision to set off as a two-piece, but it just worked, and we went with it. Sometimes when figuring out songs for a live setting, it definitely would be easier if we had a third member, and maybe down the line we will add someone in for live shows depending on where the sound goes, but right now we are happy as a two-piece. Makes arranging rehearsals easier too.”
DH “Also, you only need the smallest of vans when touring. I honestly never thought it might be the dynamics of just two members, which might have drawn me in. Who are your favourite two-piece bands, Chris?”
CB ”My favourite two piece of all time has to be ’Suicide’. They are incredible and have inspired us and so many artists I love. Another two piece I love is Mr. Airplane Man. I think they were from Chicago and were discovered busking. Proper bangin’ raw bluesy kinda thing with amazing vocals. Defo check them out. I also really like New York two piece ’She Keeps Bees’. I used to listen to them all the time when starting Man of Moon. But yeah, those 3 bands all inspired man of moon a lot in different ways. ”
Chris’ favourite duos – Suicide, Mr. Airplane Man and She Keeps Bees
DH ‘Across both of your albums ‘Dark Sea’ and ‘MACHINISM’ there’s a repetition of water within the titles, do you care to elaborate on the significance of this?’
CB “Yes, I grew up right next to the sea in a place called Musselburgh which is on the east coast of Scotland. I could see the sea from my room and would see it on the way to school. I got very inspired by the sea, and this translated into the music, I think. That sorta droney sound. Dark Sea was a collection of songs that I had written in my teens and early 20s when living next to the water and so it made sense to me to call it that. Even though I now live in Glasgow, I guess the theme of the Sea is still subconsciously there when writing and naming songs.”
DH “There’s certainly something to be said for living by the sea, you see it at its most beautiful and most deadly. Do you miss it since moving to Glasgow? I know when I’ve been away, seeing it again makes me feel like I am home.”
CB ”I absolutely do miss it yeah, a lot. I’m definitely gonna live by the sea again one day, would love to have a studio near the sea. I really love living in Glasgow, but that’s something that it’s definitely lacking for me.”
DH ‘You’re taking ‘MACHINISM’ out on the road in October, is this your most extensive tour? I had a nosey on Setlist FM, and it says you’ve been touring for 10-years.
CH “Yeah, we are really excited to tour this new record! No, we've been on longer ones. We have toured Europe twice, both times for a month. Once with Django Django and the other time with The Twilight Sad. Both times were amazing. We are currently making plans to get back out to Europe next year which we are really excited for. We have toured the UK many times, we started touring when we were 19 so we have covered a lot of ground in the UK ha-ha. I love touring though and can't wait to get back out.”
DH “I think your live shows in the past have benefited from the use of some really intense visuals, can fans something expect similar on this tour?”
CB ”Yes, they absolutely can. It’s not always possible in certain venues due to size and screen availability but we will definitely have the visuals with us at the shows we can. Our mates Cammy and Sean do such a brilliant job of bringing our tracks to life on the screen and its so cool to the see the audiences’ reactions to what they create. ”
DH ‘After scoring such a major success as breaking into the album charts at #20, what are the future plans for Man Of Moon?’
CH “The future plans are to keep bringing out bangin’ albums. We are writing the third right now and will be releasing it next year. We are really excited about the new stuff we are working on and where the sound is going and can't wait to get back in the studio again. We wanted the gap between albums to be much shorter this time. We have an incredible, supportive fan base and we want to just keep building on that and get better and better. ”
DH “I have noticed that it seems to be a more common trait these days to release a new album every two-years. Will we be hearing any of this new material in October?
CB ” Well that would be giving it away wouldn’t it….but yes.”
DH “Thanks Chris for joining me to talk and I’ll hopefully see you in Aberdeen in the Autunm”.
CB ”Nice one mate thanks again, see you in Aberdeen.”
As we discussed Chris and Iain will be touring the mainland of the UK in October: Dates and link below.
18 Oct – Tunnels, Aberdeen
19 Oct – Beat Generator, Dundee
23 Oct – Think Tank, Newcastle
24 Oct – Yes, Manchester
25 Oct – The Moon, Cardiff
26 Oct – Kazimier Stockroom, Liverpool
27 Oct – Komedia, Brighton
28 Oct – Lower Third, London
20 Dec – St Lukes, Glasgow
Tickets for all shows are on sale here.
Playback Overview
My Man Of Moon Collection
As I’ve previously detailed the receiver and speakers I use in my previous articles, on this occasion I’m going to dedicate this section solely to my turntable. This is an example of how by choosing the right one first time, can lead to years of use, enjoyment, and includes many of the incremental improvements than can be made to a single model, without the very often seen route of starting out with one turntable, then upgrading to different one, before settling on yet another model that is more long-term with a true upgrade path!
A few years after selling my DJ set-up, I needed something to just play the records I had acquired over the decades. My research led me to a relatively new manufacturer, an Austrian company, Pro-Ject Audio System. The turntable I was looking at was the third incantation of their original model, the ‘Debut’, because this and its previous versions had received several rave reviews and industry awards. Compared to my previous ones, the legendary DJ Turntables, Technics 1210s, this was a far simpler device. Although, what was unbeknown to me when I bought it for £129 in 2005, was the amount of aftermarket upgrades, you could subsequently install to it.
I had 10-years use before ever thinking about going down the so-called upgrade rabbit hole. Starting with something as cheap as the £10 solid aluminium Drive Pulley to replace the stock-brass one, or similarly priced improved Motor Suspension Mount kit, to the rather lavish £150 Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge and stylus, which was a sizable upgrade over the supplied Ortofon OM5e. You can make it as simple or in my case as complicated as you want to!
Motor, Aluminium Drive Pulley & Suspension Mount. Nagaoka MP-110 Cartridge. 95g Counterweight.
One major drawback for these rather simplistic turntables like the Debut III, is the need to remove the platter, and then move the belt manually when going from playing a 33.3RPM record to 45RPM one. I bought a Pro-Ject Speed Box device to eliminated this, and it also said that there’s a benefit of isolating the power supply from the turntable itself, which removes some of the inherent hum. Latterly, Pro-Ject has brought out custom-made, solid acrylic platters and aluminium sub-platters for many of their models, replacements for the stock plastic and die-cast metal ones. My own tests echoed their claims that the extra weight aided to dampen resonance, produce a more accurate speed, and improve the overall sound; it was as if I had put on a brand-new stylus.
Speed Box. Aluminium Sub Platter. Acrylic Platter
The upgrade rabbit hole can extend even further into the domains of plinths and tonearms, but that is seen as a step too far for this particular model, So, with nowhere else to go, my final upgrade was to add a separate pre-amp, a Project Phono Box S2 Ultra, to turn what started out life as a £129 entry-level audiophile turntable into a system nearing the £1K mark. That’s a lofty figure for most enthusiasts, but just remember, it has taken me 20-years to get here and hoping for another 20-years would take me and my turntable in vintage territory.
My turntable, a Pro-Ject Debut III with all the trimmings.
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