Macha and Bedhead
Bedhead Loved Macha
(Jetset)
Having gone to school together during their youth, members of Macha and Bedhead sort of conceived this project after the demise of Bedhead last year. Apparently, the group still had some tapes of music that they had done, so they sent these tapes to their friends in Macha and let them do with the music what they would. The result is something that sounds pretty much like you'd imagine a cross between the two bands to be, yet it's interesting and original as well.
It's hard to really tell for sure how much each band contributed to the final tracks, but influences of each can be heard scattered throughout. On the album opening track, the crux of the guitar/bass/drums sound like a fairly normal Bedhead track, right down to the somewhat soft lyrics, but the obvious Macha touches are there as well, with some chimes laid down to reinforce the rhythym section and add another subtle layer to the quiet parts of the track. The instrumental second track "Never Underdose," is a littler harder to discern, as it's mainly a shimmering wash of subdued guitar feedback and some interesting percussion (probably courtesy of Macha). Despite the touch of some plucked harp-sounding instrument at the end of "Hey Goodbye," it would hardly sound different than a normal Bedhead track as well.
On the fourth track, nearly the same touches that were added on the first track have been added again, and it makes for one of the best songs on the release. It's another drifting track with light chimes over the main part of the song, and it works. The final (sort of hidden) track is a remake of Cher's "Believe," with warbling vocals and a phone touchpad as a backup instrument. Fans of Bedhead may find the transition to liking this release easier than those of Macha, but it's still an interesting piece of work and nice final batch of songs for the now-defunct group.
Rating: 7
