"Confirm, Obey, Consume": when John Carpenter directed "They Live" in 1988, he chose an utopian view on a blind consumer-society in which only his protagonist could decipher advertisements as imperatives with the above-mentioned messages. 25 years later, this utopian view seems to have become the new common sense of the Facebook generation. MESH use this notion in "Automation Baby" as the main theme for their new album: let's exchange real-life friends for the virtual ones behind the ever-shining screen. Let's give in to a brave new Facebook world that warps and constitutes our sense of reality in the future. Let's give in to consumerism and technology: that's "Automation Baby"!
Three and a half years after their previous album "A Perfect Solution", MESH return with their latest offering that can be deemed as absolutely one of their strongest releases yet. Here they deliver a sonic upgrade, conceived by the duo Mark Hockings and Rich Silverthorn, created together with producer Olaf Wollschläger, showcasing an improved production and some amazing arrangements. "Automation Baby" delivers one highlight after another: the crunchy and hard "Taken for Granted" meets the rhythmical midtempo hymn "Adjust Your Set" and the club-oriented "What's Owed to You", proving that the band's single "Born to Lie" was not the only winner on this album. However, songs like the calm and laidback "You Could Not See This Coming" and the ultimately catchy title track "Automation Baby" show that the backbone of the MESH remains in the form of strong songs and unforgettable hooklines.
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