Robots and Empire – Color Touches

Call it post-hardcore. Call it space rock. Whatever you call it – Robots and Empire is a dense rock machine. On weekend duty since 2004, the Power Kingdom (Poughkeepsie, NY) based group has hit their artistic high on Color Touches, not unlike Cave In on Jupiter (literally, you can hear it). Brian Conway has a rare gift in today’s heavy scene, he can actually sing. While typical Robots fan might experience touches of nostalgia, the under 21 crowd can get a crash course in the bands they missed the first time around.

The four song experience is short (13:35), but worth more exponentially in replay value. “Rush At Burnt Siennaville” sets it off with high octaves tripping over one another before Conway commands a groove. It’s not the best Robots song, but a fine orientation as his seasoned voice weaves through sound walls built on melody. After letting it spin exclusively for a week, my only real letdown with Color Touches (besides providing lyrics) is right here: I was hoping for a premature ending rather than a bizarro Soundgarden part. Conway yells like a banshee over muddy power chords; It’s pretty over the top and the overplayed feedback doesn’t help either. Obviously the four of them disagree since they just wrote it. I’m still loving the rest.

“Time Like Machines” could be the modern version of Quicksand’s “Landmine Spring.” Here we have sweet shiny chords see-sawing with chuggy rhythms, and Conway morphing his notes just as often.  Veteran NYHC studio head Dean Baltulonis played a role in making every accent heard, where early recordings were more raw than refined. Check out the colliding leads at 1:22, total post-punk worship.  I was taken back by “The Grapes” urgency – but in a good way – it’s easily their most poppy and accessible tune. Nothing wrong with that! This brings us to the fourth and final song, “Return To Blorphin River.” Not only does the rolling Deftones-meets-hardcore intro make this an appropriate closing piece, but the dynamic range leaves no business unfinished. It segues from heavy and confined into lively vocal lines atop a highly contagious dance beat. Please don’t misread that as the sick fad where breakdowns breed with autotune – Robots are from another planet than those shitty “flavor of the week” bands who must not be mentioned in this review (and probably from another decade as well). Overall, it’s an ode to their well of ideas and willingness to experiment with them. The half-time exit is something hypnotic. Conway’s mysterious carrying on across pedal drenched plucks sounds detached as he sings, “And I know just who you tell it all about this / The right way to go about this / And I just need to know a little more about this.” Damn, now we do too, so include the lyrics next time.

Robots and Empire is onto something special, considering in 2009 most of their influences are extinct. They fill a void simply by not breaking up. It’s just a shame more people aren’t onto them, but when you’re a stay at home band, it’s easier for these secrets to be kept.