Edge of the Nocturne Sea is the new album from Bittersweet Machines, which is now available for download from Bandcamp.
Bittersweet Machines is singer-songwriter-musician Matt Mocharnuk, whom we have been diligently following since his earliest releases. Matt is that rarity amongst music makers nowadays – he is able to distill his influences into an amalgam of styles that still manage to sound distinctively his own. The way his melodies weave their way around into pleasure centres is indeed a wonder to behold. Yet, the music of Bittersweet Machines also makes the attentive listener feel good – with the instrumentation and arrangements evoking the techno-organic combinations that blend the 1980s and 1990s new wave and alternative rock genres perfectly.
Edge of the Nocturne Sea is no exception and lives up to the high bar of Bittersweet Machines’ previous releases. Within the context of wiry constructs like “Care Crash in Neon Light” or the old school futurism of “Modern Life” or the old school traditionalism of “Desperately”, the music on Edge of the Nocturne Sea brings to mind the finest moments of key bands like U2, Depeche Mode, The Police, Radiohead, Coldplay et al.
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But even stripped of all the shiny electronic sheen, the songs themselves stand on their own, in terms of memorable, crafted tunes and thoughtful chord harmonies with Matt’s pleasing vocals the cherry that tops a delicious musical sundae. In his album notes, Matt writes – “Approaching the boundaries of my unknown self… and stepping into the cold, wet black with fire in my lungs” – sentiments that many of us certainly share as we advance in years and expressed in the melancholy vibe of much of this comforting collection.
The final track – “Can’t Call It Love” – the tone-perfect album closer which one could imagine soundtracking a poignant sequence at the end of a streaming TV series. We are thankful for the return of Bittersweet Machines, you should be too.
… still there’s more …