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Frankie Machine - 'Francis Albert Machine and Friends' (Artists Against Success enhanced LP)
Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girls father puts boy in hospital, boy never sees girl again; boy then writes songs and has friends help record them; but it doesn't end there. On his own Mr. Machine has a nice, modest, English type of voice and a similar style of playing guitar; like Badly Drawn Boy without the Springsteen admiration. He also has an eye for a good turn of phrase, both deadpan and loving:

"I thought about you so hard, my arm began to ache"

and an ear for a catchy tune. You can tell how much a guy likes his music when he compares a girl's hair to a vinyl record (and how much, therefore, he must like the girl. Ah!). The Frankie Machine band push these tunes beyond their songs; this album of pretty folk stories is seeded with small instrumental skits ranging from the doo-wop/transatlantic phone-call of 'Los Gatos: Midnight' to downright weird noise ('Vibration White Finger') to the euphonium/classic rock interface ('The French Guy, I & II'). This last one could be the introduction to a classic hit before it's cut off. On an even lower budget Frankie's crafted this collection mad as a pair of Flaming Lips and touching as the Lucksmiths, or nearly so precious as that first edition of 'Tigermilk'.

Artists Against Success, PO Box 4058, Derby, DE1 9YT. www.frankiemachine.com