CONRAD KEELY, known as a much talented graphic artist and even more as frontman of Indie Rock icons …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, has released his solo debut album.
Original Machines is literally a journey, a compilation of songs, inspired, written and composed on his iPad while traveling the world. And to say it straightaway: Musically, Original Machines does not have anything to do with his main band!
Original Machines offers 24(!) pieces, fragments, hardly ever fully composed and far away from the sophisticated class of Trail Of Dead songs, which actually seems to be intended that way.
But stop! It does not mean that the tracks are any bad or average. They just look like unfinished drafts, half done ideas of songs, captured in the moment but not looking further. The way KEELY does it on this record reminds of the spewed out Indie songs of legendary band Guided By Voices (Trail Of Tears already covered a song from), who were able to tear apart an almost brilliant Pop song in one and a half minute.  
Well, CONRAD KEELY does not do it that anarchistic. Original Machines offers a wide stylistic range, from classic Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Folk-like stuff, up to electronic fragments here and there and also bits of Synthpop. There seems to be no deeper meaning or concept behind the record, except for the fact that “journeys” are a topic in some of the songs.
Original Machines turns out to be a light and entertaining record for spring and summer, which lives from its spontaneous capriciousness and which - despite its fragmentary reduction - sounds fresh, personal and is pure fun.
Cross reference? The Beatles, Pink Floyd maybe. Or the Pop-like excrescences of the Grunge scene back then (Smashing Pumpkins, Janes Addiction). And of course Guided By Voices.
I like Engines Of The Dark and Nothing That I Meant most but I would like to recommend to risk an ear on the whole record. There is no failure. It is a great album!