This one in from
www.umbrellamusic.com:
Ima Robot · Ima Robot
(Virgin/EMI - 2003)
Borrowing from the sounds of yesteryear with a new flair for creative energy is Ima Robot.
This band is made up of some incredibly talented individuals including Joey Waronker (Beck drummer who has also worked with an array of other bands
including the Smashing Pumpkins) and former Beck bassist Justin Meldal-Johnson. If you were a fan of Beck’s Midnite Vultures than you are really going
to like Ima Robot.
Singer Alex Ebert (who apparently still sports a mullet) seems fascinated with a life of excess and decadence. Singing about drugs, money and women is
hardly new for an album in this electro-pop melting pot genre, but Ebert’s penchant for spirituality and the universe (see: “What Are We Made From”)
does surprise. “Here Come the Bombs” - although quirky – is blatently critical of the current world order. Other tracks like “Black Jettas” and “Dirty
Life” seem to be more about having a good time while looking back at bad personal times, the former boasts this excellent beat and is nothing short of
hilarious.
Ima Robot is hard to sum up. Others are calling them “The Cars on PCP” or a throwback to artists like Bowie and Devo. Those are fairly accurate
descriptions of the sound but it’s worth adding that guitarist Timmy “The Terror” does an excellent job at filling in the spaces and rocking up
choruses, it makes the disc harder to define than as simply an electronic album. This is one to check out if you like putting on your glammy new wave
outfits and dancing at home before going to work. As singer Ebert croons on “Here Come The Bombs” it makes “traffic bearable”.
- Wes Armstrong