Sonic Ritual (2020)
I'm not sure exactly what was behind Ultimate Fakebook putting out their first new full length record in eighteen years, but here we are. Considering how long it's been since they had new material and also keeping in mind that I really didn't enjoy their 2002 record Open Up and Say Awesome all that much, I honestly wasn't chomping at the bit to order this. I feel guilty saying this since they are PopKid records alumni, but it's the truth.
I sort of was taking a wait and see approach to find out if I actually liked the songs before committing to the vinyl. This was before the pandemic curtailed my record buying budget, but I still didn't want to pony up for a record that I would only listen to once or twice. Then I was outfoxed on Twitter. As the preorder sold more and more copies, the band started alerting the world that only a few copies remained and started counting them down. The fear of missing out got to me and I actually bought the very last copy from the Bandcamp site.
Luckily, I do like the record. Though this surely sounds like a backhanded compliment, The Preserving Machine is way better than it has any business being. It has the punch and melody of the songs from their best album This Will be Laughing Week on tracks like "After Hours and Melin's," Manhattan KS," "Hey Gemini" and "My Music Industry." Now, when the band get's overtly slow with their tempo (I'm looking at you "Juliet's Fools"), I can't say that I'm as on board as I am for the faster songs. Luckily, there's plenty of rockers on the album and no matter what was behind the band deciding to record new material, I'm glad they did and that I picked up a copy. Real drums forever, indeed.
Ultimate Fakebook - The Preserving Machine:
https://sonicritualrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/the-preserving-machine
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