Newton Faulkner - Hand Built By Robots (Album)
Hand Built by Robots, the debut album by singer/guitarist Newton Faulkner is possibly the most 'American' album to emerge from Britain in the last five years.
In fact, this reviewer was a little surprised to learn of the troubadour’s heritage. In an era when it seems every British Band is doing their best to assert their ‘Britishness” (Arctic Monkeys, The Wombats et al), Mr. Faulkner has definitely found his inspiration from ‘across the pond’.
Although, this has done little to stymie his popularity in Britain, with this debut fining itself doing battle with uber-rapper Kanye West for the top spot on the British album charts. A battle Faulkner won after just four weeks. Not a bad effort for a debut album.
What we have here are 17 songs of ‘inspirational acoustica’ in the vein of Jack Johnson, John Meyer, and maybe to a lesser extent the acoustic numbers of U.S ska/dubbers Sublime. Yet this album adds little to the genre.
Perhaps I’m being a little harsh. I mean, there are definitely things to like about this album. Such as the rollicking fingerpicking of ‘She’s Got The Time’, or the ambitious take on Massive Attack’s Teardrop, which came as a bit of a surprise. Here, Faulkner has taken the minimalist classic and turned it into a kind of Eddie Vedder-esque effort which builds to an inevitable ‘all drums blazing’ rock crescendo.
The best moments of the album occur however when there is very little going on. The solemn sincerity of ‘Lullaby’ stripped back to the bare essentials of piano and vocals, provides the standout track, and is reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens’ quieter moments.
Also, the lush production courtesy of Andy McKim and Mike Faulkner (Kylie Minogue, Jamiraquai) adds a nice spit polish to this collection of otherwise stripped back acoustic numbers. Although, at times it does seem as if the production might swallow the song. Listen to the annoying drum machine that drones mercilessly on the single ‘Dream Catch Me.
Overall, hand Built by Robots, is rather impressive for a debut album. It serves as a statement of intent for an artist who knows exactly where he’s going with his music. But at the end of the day, while listening to this album, I often found myself wondering if I was in fact listening to the soundtrack to the OC or some similar Californian coming of age saga.
This is a collection of very ‘nice songs’ Songs you might want to play for a girl that you’re trying to impress with your sensitivity. Songs your mother definitely wouldn’t be offended by.
