Everything Is Made In China - Automatic Movements
2009, EIMIC
Everything Is Made In China is an English-singing band from Moscow that has used the internet and constant gigging in Eastern Europe to gain wider attention for themselves. Everything Is Made In China has a highly ambient feel constructed around lyric vocals and a repetitive mien ala modern Electronica played on manual instruments. The band's third recording, Automatic Movements, blends the sounds of Dream Academy, The Moody Blues, The Midway State and Howard Jones into an eclectic and subtle package.
Automatic Movements opens with "Moving Fragments", a wonderfully smooth and ethereal bit of pop songwriting. Full of layered sounds, "Moving Fragments" features a pretty melody that is understated yet encompassing. "The City Of Airship One" is a bit more urgent, using sound effects to support an arching theme. "Blindfold" is pretty but bland; more engaged in sonic mood-setting than thought, like a painter who does great backgrounds with ineffective objects. "Sleepwalking" finds Everything Is Made In China dancing with 1980's New Wave pop while maintaining an ethereal and detached air. The song is pretty and perturbing at the same time. The rest of the album is an exercise of more of the same, with the penultimate track, "Gentle Silence" offering up essentially a rundown of the album stylistically.
The music of Everything Is Made In China is quite pretty, and Automatic Movements is a pleasant sojourn, but there's really very little contrast or conflict throughout. The result is a pleasant listen that loses traction as you repeat the experience. No one will doubt Everything Is Made In China's ability to construct pretty, esoteric pop songs. The trick will be to add in an emotional aspect that urges listeners to buy in once the initial aesthetics have been appreciated. That quality is not often evident on Automatic Movements. If Everything Is Made In China can combine these qualities they have a bright future in front of them.
Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)
2009, EIMIC
Everything Is Made In China is an English-singing band from Moscow that has used the internet and constant gigging in Eastern Europe to gain wider attention for themselves. Everything Is Made In China has a highly ambient feel constructed around lyric vocals and a repetitive mien ala modern Electronica played on manual instruments. The band's third recording, Automatic Movements, blends the sounds of Dream Academy, The Moody Blues, The Midway State and Howard Jones into an eclectic and subtle package.
Automatic Movements opens with "Moving Fragments", a wonderfully smooth and ethereal bit of pop songwriting. Full of layered sounds, "Moving Fragments" features a pretty melody that is understated yet encompassing. "The City Of Airship One" is a bit more urgent, using sound effects to support an arching theme. "Blindfold" is pretty but bland; more engaged in sonic mood-setting than thought, like a painter who does great backgrounds with ineffective objects. "Sleepwalking" finds Everything Is Made In China dancing with 1980's New Wave pop while maintaining an ethereal and detached air. The song is pretty and perturbing at the same time. The rest of the album is an exercise of more of the same, with the penultimate track, "Gentle Silence" offering up essentially a rundown of the album stylistically.
The music of Everything Is Made In China is quite pretty, and Automatic Movements is a pleasant sojourn, but there's really very little contrast or conflict throughout. The result is a pleasant listen that loses traction as you repeat the experience. No one will doubt Everything Is Made In China's ability to construct pretty, esoteric pop songs. The trick will be to add in an emotional aspect that urges listeners to buy in once the initial aesthetics have been appreciated. That quality is not often evident on Automatic Movements. If Everything Is Made In China can combine these qualities they have a bright future in front of them.
Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)
Learn more about Everything Is Made In China at http://www.eimicmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/eimic. Automatic Movements is available as either a CD or Download via Amazon.com.
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