| The Mechanical Forces of Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 15, 2003 | |||
| Genre | [1] [2] | |||
| Length | 47:17 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Brad Laner | |||
| Medicine chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Mechanical Forces of Love is the fourth album by American rock band Medicine, released on July 15, 2003 by Wall of Sound. [3]
This album marked the band's return, after eight years of hiatus, in the form of a duo of Brad Laner and Shannon Lee.
The album was Medicine's first record in eight years, and their first album since the group's split. [4] [2] The album also marks the group's re-introduction of a female vocalist: singer and actress Shannon Lee, daughter of karate actor Bruce Lee. [2] The Mechanical Forces of Love is Lee's first appearance with the group; previously, vocals were provided by Beth Thompson. [1]
The album's genre has been classified as dream pop, indie electronic, and shoegaze. [1] [4] Laner described the album's style as "Glitchy Beach Boys harmonies." [5] The album was perceived by some as a departure from the group's previous shoegazing sound, but others felt that the album was a "synergy" of Medicine's earlier style with that of Laner's side-project, Electric Company. [2] An album review by Uncut described the album's style as a "collision of Beach Boys/West Coast harmonies with beats’n’glitches electronica and mangled sci-fi noise." [6] The album's themes are love and sex. [6]
Opening track "As You Do" was described as "shambolic electro-funk" by Maya Singer (writing for CMJ New Music Monthly ), while Pitchfork deemed the song "psychedelic short-circuit funk" and likened its style to Sly Stone. [4] [2] Tim Sendra, writing for AllMusic, described Lee's vocals on the song as "almost funky." [1] Many of the album's songs were (uncharacteristically for the band) guitar-less, with "Good for Me" and "Whiz" being singled out as two of the only songs to feature the instrument prominently. [1] Pitchfork posited that the album, despite its techno influence, should be considered "a psychedelic record at heart." [2]
AllMusic compared the album's overall style to Garbage. [1] Both AllMusic and Uncut likened the vocal harmonies to those of the Beach Boys. [1] [6]
The album was released on July 15, 2003. [1] [7] Some editions were released on the record label Wall of Sound, while others were released by Astralwerks. [8] [9]
The single "I Smile to My Eyes" was included on the compilation accompanying the August 2003 issue of CMJ New Music Monthly. [10] To promote the album, it was given to non-commercial modern rock radio stations, with the focus tracks singled out as "I Smile to My Eyes," "As You Do," "Astral Gravy," and "Wet on Wet." [11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Guardian | [5] |
| Pitchfork | (8.0/10) [2] |
| Uncut | [6] |
Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from critics, holding a score of 70/100 on review aggregate site Album of the Year. [12] In a review for Pitchfork, critic Nitsuh Abebe commended the album's "gorgeous movements," singling out "As You Do" as a "wow-inducing rush" and concluding that "For some it might burn off quickly, but for just as many it'll sit just fine." [2]
All tracks are written by Brad Laner and Shannon Lee, except where noted. Adapted from album liner notes. [8]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "As You Do" | 3:40 | |
| 2. | "I Smile to My Eyes" | 4:20 | |
| 3. | "Wet on Wet" | 3:50 | |
| 4. | "Best Future" | Brad Laner | 4:14 |
| 5. | "ioi" | 4:35 | |
| 6. | "I M Yrs" | 4:35 | |
| 7. | "Astral Gravy" | 2:56 | |
| 8. | "Good for Me" | 3:56 | |
| 9. | "Negative Capability" | Brad Laner | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Whiz" | 3:36 | |
| 11. | "Sodden Rockets" | Kid606, Brad Laner | 3:42 |
| 12. | "And Sometimes Y" | 4:32 |
Three Imaginary Boys is the debut studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 11 May 1979 by Fiction Records. It was later released in the United States, Canada, and Australia with a different track listing as a compilation album titled Boys Don't Cry.
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as reverb, echo, tremolo, and chorus. It often overlaps with the related genre of shoegaze, and the two genre terms have at times been used interchangeably.
Souvlaki is the second studio album by the English rock band Slowdive. It was recorded in 1992, and released on 1 June 1993 by Creation Records.
Outside Closer is the sixth studio album by Hood. It was released on Domino Recording Company on 17 January 2005.
Medicine are an American noise pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1990 by guitarist/keyboardist Brad Laner.
Shannon Emery Lee Keasler is an American actress, businesswoman, singer, and martial artist. She is the only living child of actor and martial artist Bruce Lee and retired martial arts teacher Linda Lee Cadwell, and is the younger sister of actor Brandon Lee. Through Bruce Lee she is a granddaughter of Cantonese opera singer Lee Hoi-chuen.
Finisterre is the sixth studio album by English alternative dance band Saint Etienne, released on 7 October 2002 by Mantra Records. A double-disc deluxe edition was released on 3 May 2010 by Heavenly Records.
Under the Western Freeway is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Grandaddy. It was released on October 21, 1997, by record label Will.
Franklin Bruno is an American singer-songwriter, academic and writer originally from Upland, California. He has been a member of Nothing Painted Blue since its inception in 1986.
So Stylistic is an album recorded by New York City rap group FannyPack. This, their debut album, featured the hit songs "Cameltoe," "Things," and "Hey, Mami."
Sing-Sing were an English indie pop/dream pop supergroup formed in 1997 in London, comprising vocalist Lisa O'Neill and guitarist/vocalist Emma Anderson. They worked with a variety of musicians to create a sound which nodded to 1960s girl groups, electronica and folk. They disbanded in 2007.
Velocity : Design : Comfort is the second album by American experimental pop act Sweet Trip, released on June 17, 2003 by Darla Records.
Methodrone is the debut studio album by American psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, released in 1995 by record label Bomp!.
Just for a Day is the debut studio album by English rock band Slowdive. It was released on 2 September 1991 by Creation Records.
Pygmalion is the third studio album by English rock band Slowdive, released on 6 February 1995 by Creation Records. It was the group's final album before their reformation in 2014, and their only album with Ian McCutcheon, who had replaced Simon Scott on drums.
The Pulsars was a new wave/indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois, led by Dave Trumfio and his brother, Harry Trumfio. They signed to Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss's Almo Sounds label and recorded two albums in the mid-1990s, one of which was released and another that has yet to be released.
Shot Forth Self Living is the debut studio album by American rock band Medicine, released on September 15, 1992 on Def American.
Brad Laner is an American musician and record producer best known for his work with the shoegaze band Medicine, which he founded and led.
Lingus is a studio album by the rock band Amnesia. It was released on June 14, 1998, through Supreme Recordings.
Flowchart was an American band from Philadelphia. The group originally consisted of Sean O'Neal, Craig Bottel, and Brodie Budd in 1994. Their first album, Multi-Personality Tabletop Vacation, was released in 1995 on Carrot Top Records, garnering negative reviews from critics who found their music to be too similar to the group Stereolab. They followed the album with several EPs that moved away from the Stereolab-styled sound.
