Space Robot Scientists "At Home With Machines CD-R (Eiffel Trouser Records/1999) + Bonus Tracks

In building off my previous post here is a Eiffel Trousers release for you to sink your teeth into. Here is the debut release from Space Robot Scientists, At Home With Machines which was a cd-r release on Eiffel Trousers but I could have sworn that at a few shows where Matt had a merch table set up that I saw a cassette version. Perhaps I am imagining things? Anyhow my first exposure to Space Robot Scientists was a party at Josh's house one night where Microwave Orphans, Clump and Space Robot Scientists all played in late 1998. At the time Space Robot Scientists were a duo that consisted of Andre Bermudez (Freaks From the Apocalypse) on baritone guitar, vocals, and programming as Matt Dallow (Microwave Orphans) on keyboards and vocals. It was one of the first times I had seen a band use a drum machine in a live performance and have it work so well. Their set was awesome- it was weird and spacey, dance inducing, noisy. Everything that I felt was missing from local music at the time. Seriously, if  I heard another pop punk band I was going to go insane. I just watched wide eyed and all through their set but by the time they played the droning "King of Untied Welcomings" as was absolutely hooked. Conventional thinking tells you that anytime drum machines or pre-recorded material is implemented into a band's live act then the band can not be exciting live, and usually I'd probably agree with that statement but Space Robot Scientists are without a doubt the exception to the rule. Bermudez would perform with so much hyper energy and attitude and snarl while Dallow almost motionless 'ala Martin Rev would hammer away on his keyboard creating bizarre, wavy sound after another. Space Robot Scientists wre an absolute treat to see every time not only for the brilliantly unique music but their wonderful live show that went along with it.

At Home With Machines sums up what I love about Space Robot Scientists and what drew me to them that first time I saw them. The songs are smart but have a grooving simplicity that their later work lacked, and that is not to say their later work isn't as brilliant or even more so I think personally I just love the simplistic grooves and how all the sounds wrapped around these throbbing almost video game esque midi beats. At Home With Machines still contains three of my favorite Space Robot Scientists songs which were for whatever reason never re-recorded for any of their other releases and those songs would be the aforementioned "King of Untied Welcomings", "SysX" and "Dabba". Not to mention the song that I would wager to say is the band's signature song, "Sanitize". Sanitize the universe-cha-cha-cha. However, the album does feature three songs that would later be re-recorded- "My Control", "Colin Ferguson" and "Fuck You Doctor", the later of which was lent out to the Eiffel Trousers/DAB Records CD comp Victims of the Modern Age.

At some point the added some point they added Sean Corkery on bass and the band continue to create outstanding synth driven post punk that meshed together influences of Wire, Public Image Limited, Suicide, Gang of Four, Joy Division and Atom & His Package. The material that Space Robot Scientists would create for their 2001 sophomore album We've Got a Time Machine on my own Rok Lok Records would be a bit more distorted and dare I say darker sounding than At Home With Machines. During this period they would do hands down the best cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" that I have ever heard. To bad they never recorded it. The band would go on to release a third and final cd- 2004's Aggro Disco on Example Such Cloth Hammer Engine (better known as ESCHE). A couple of summers back Space Robot Scientists did a reunion as part of Rok Lok Fest at the Knitting Factory. I was fortunate as from 2004 til last month Bermudez joined me as collaborator in Yes Sensei. He has always been a good friend but I don't think I have ever played with another musician who has influenced me so positively and generally me made a better musician the way Andre has. I'll missing writing music and performing with him. Anyhow before I get too sappy...

As a bonus I have included two bonus tracks a alternate unreleased version of "Sanitize" and the version of "Itinerary" from The Hope Machine CD compilation on Rok Lok Records. Enjoy!

At Home With Machines track listing:
1) My Control
2) Colin Ferguson
3) Dabba
4) SysX
5) White Trash Town
6) I'm Straight
7) Fuck You Doctor
8) Sanitize
9) King of Untied Welcomings
10) The Day the World Turned Day Glo

Bonus Tracks
1) Sanitize (alternate version)
2) Itinerary (Hope Machine version)

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