| The Help Machine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 18, 2019 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 36 minutes | |||
| Label | 33 1/3 Records | |||
| Producer | Steve Berlin | |||
| Fastball chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Help Machine | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [2] |
| The Alternate Root | [3] |
The Help Machine is the seventh studio album by American rock band Fastball.
The album was produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, who personally selected the tracks [4] for the album from a list of songs provided to him by members Tony Scalzo and Miles Zuniga. [5] Berlin recruited bassist Bruce Hughes, [6] [7] This freed Scalzo to concentrate on keyboards and guitar. [8]
This album marks the first time since The Harsh Light of Day that a Fastball album does not feature songs co-written by Scalzo and Zuniga. [5]
The first single off of the album, "The Help Machine", addresses the effects of consumerism. According to Zuniga, "[the song is] just about emptiness and the feeling that things that are supposed to make us happy don't." [9]
Described as "ethereal", [10] the album also features the band's signature sound with comparisons to Elvis Costello [11] and the Beatles. [12] Pop Matters magazine referred to the album as "pop perfection." [13] The album features a "thick modern sound" [14] and is considered to be a great introduction to the band's catalog. Critics called the album "near perfect" [15] and considered it one of the best albums of 2019. [16]
To support the album, Tony Scalzo and Miles Zuniga performed live tracks for Paste Magazine. [17]
Guest musicians
