after some side steps (remnant and and friends), solo projects and side projects, Sanchez is driven by demons has returned with their latest and perhaps also as implied last full length album robot replicas. the band has come a long way from their first experiments on the untitled debut album in 2002 and they have finally evolved into a band with confidence enough to sing in seven out of ten songs.
robot replicas takes you on a roller-coaster ride both musically and emotionally with mostly new experiences like up-tempo blonde redhead tribute saab, coldplay pop sounding om en stund skiner solen and rhythmic experimental bipolar. familiar demon territories are however visited with the ambient cut up piano track power of radio, the even more ambient monster and static void and, ending the record, the simple and beautiful vocal and vocoder driven labradford that brings you back to the same feelings, that of the 2002 panda.
the record tells a story - a story of leaving the past and parts of oneself behind, to come to terms with one's demons and an awakening thirst for life. the risk of being pretentious is by far overcome by the genuine and straightforward way the music and lyrics manage to channel feelings of bitterness, pain and hope. the lyrics are an essential part throughout the whole record - a sense of intimacy is conveyed by the soft and at once compelling whispering - making up a contrast to the inexorable, sometimes fierce and yet delicate music. together, the impression is very strong and it's impossible not to be hit by the power expressed by the songs.
the record is constantly balancing between sadness and hope, but gradually building up a sense of anticipation. it is intense and very real.
buy robot replicas and receive one of the 50 numbered copies packaged in a beautifully made arigato pak.
