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Cover Art

SK Robot ( )

SK Robot
Chris Walters Records and Tapes ( )

Upon reading their bio and seeing the band had 4 guitarists and their debut album took ten years to record, I was expecting an overblown prog or metal album, or something similar. S.K. Robot are nothing of the sort. They aren't even robots. Instead, the band is steeped in 90s power pop and grunge, sunny 60s psychedelic pop and some 80s new wave. The band has a great pedigree too, made up of members of Vancouver's great indy rock scene from bands like Cinderpop, The Saddlesores and Speedbuggy amongst others. For a band top heavy with guitars, the guitars never take over the music. Instead, the music is understated, melodic and nuanced, but not ever overproduced. No song sounds out of place here. S.K. Robot are flawless at bouncing from style to style, serving up a grunge lick here and moving into a Redd Kross style garage-pop number or something like a Big Star b-side next. Amazingly solid album, one of the best indy rock albums out of Canada this year. Let's hope it doesn't take another ten years for a second album.

By Steve Marlow
Aug 17, 2012

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