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My Machete
Minor Thoughts
County's best kept musical secrets for their infectious, energetic
indie-rock. Now, with the release of their latest EP Minor Thoughts
they'll have to share the wealth as the band is readying to take the
recording on the road for a summertime tour. The two-week, seven show
West Coast schedule stretching from San Diego to Portland coupled with
the release of their four-track EP marks a turning point for the band
whose blade is ever-sharpening. Though My Machete has been together for
years, it's their first tour, and one that their new EP illustrates has
been a long time coming.
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The collection of songs featured on Minor Thoughts showcase the maturation and multiplicitous ways the band is capable of expressing itself musically. The recording starts off on solid ground with “Good Contender.” A mid-tempo indie-rocker, the track shows how drummer Jorge Chavira, guitarists Derek Escobedo and Kyle Medina join in with vocalist/bassist Jessica Escobedo to create that indelible My Machete sound. The arrangement is carefully crafted and intricate as is Chavira's work on the kit. Derek Escobedo's melodies mix with Medina's distorted chord changes on the catchy chorus. Better yet, as a new song, “Good Contender” lets it be known that Jessica Escobedo's unique honey-sweet vocals are becoming more dynamic.
The next two songs “The Truth About Smiles” and “Indo Zendo Nintendo” are old set-list standards recorded anew. The former is more frantic in its speedy, galloping drum buildups. As the first demo song I had heard years ago, its good to see “The Truth About Smiles” cleaned up as the outro frees up for almost a minute of pure fucking jamming! Things slither down for “Indo Zendo Nintendo” with a pulse-steady bass line. A reworked introduction to the song, poignant drum fills, and a fade-away haunting ending keeps things fresh for My Machete old-timers and newbies alike.
The best cut from Minor Thoughts is the concluding track “Peanut Gallery.” Clean-toned guitar melodies seamlessly mesh with distorted ones as Jessica Escobedo plays around with different vocal inflections, ranges and pitches on the verses before repeating the cautionary line “Watch what you say, it might hurt you!” on the chorus. By the time the last note plays out Minor Thoughts sounds the call that one of the most unique voices on OC's local scene is only getting better and is backed by talented musical macheteros ready to throw up the “W” and rock the West Coast!
Minor Thoughts is available for pre-order online, and My Machete's tour kicks off tomorrow at the Slide Bar in Fullerton.
Gabriel San Román is from Anacrime. He’s a journalist, subversive historian and the tallest Mexican in OC. He also once stood falsely accused of writing articles on Turkish politics in exchange for free food from DönerG’s!