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"Rock/Pop" Tesco Extra Website (They've certainly encapsulated every aspect of the 'Mechanical Cabaret sound' to a tee there, don't you think?)
"If Marilyn Manson deals in arousal, Mechanical Cabaret are pure penetration" Vision Thing Website
Product For Your Insecurity CD album "Brand New 11 track album from these hard working UK electro-punk stars - ''Product For Your Insecurity'' sees the barbed black wit of Mechanical Cabaret in full effect delivering infectious songs full of dark undercurrents, brooding synth lines and Electro-Glam synth-stomping dance floor beats". MetropolisOnline website (http://www.industrialmusic.com)
"This is a somewhat dark synthpop album, with an edgy sound, though not necessarily "industrial". The vocals are dramatic, and the synths standing out as a sharp, dark element in the music. There seems to be a somewhat retro tint to the flavor of the songs, though Mechanical Cabaret definitely appeals to the modern audience, as if Gary Numan or Marc Almond were to push into a more danceable modern sound. Mauri, A Different Drum website (http://www.chaindlk.com)
"Interessante spannungsgeladene Basslines, verspielte Meldienbögen und die Stimme von Mechanical Cabaret Frontmann Roi Robertson prägen die insgesamt elf Tracks des Albums und drücken ihnen einen frischen und bemerkenswert unabhängigen Stempel auf. .... Product For Your Insecurity ist nach meinem Dafürhalten einer der elektronischen Geheimtipps des Jahres 2006 und darf schlichtweg in keiner CD Sammlung fehlen." Re-Flexion.com (http://www.poponaut.de)
"A superb, very British-sounding album that mixes dark synthpop and electro with a unique approach to music-making that ultimately defies accurate labeling. Four years ago, We Have an Agenda introduced Roi Robertson's brand of sleazy, trashy, pumping electro to an expectant crowd that, fired up by many superb high-energy gigs, were more than ready to take the unique Mechanical Cabaret sound to their hearts. Fast Forward four years and we have the long-awaited and much anticipated follow-up, again released on Roi's own Soiled label, on our hands. In comparison to the debut, the trashiness has been toned down somewhat, being replaced by a more varied and polished style, and while I'd hesitate to call it more mature, that is actually how it feels. A number of tracks should have wider appeal among the more traditionally-minded electro fans in mainland Europe (and particularly Germany, who, so I've heard, have trouble relating to anything which cant be easily pigeonholed). Among them, the danceable "I Don't Know Where You've Been," "It Will All Come Back 2 U" with its dark and, sadly very topical, lyrics, and the dynamic closer, "Each Day You Die a Little Bit More." While this may or may not have been Roi's intention, it can't have done him any harm on his recent European jaunt supporting Mesh. In fact, the opening of "Disbehave" is a dead ringer for the beginning of VNV Nation's "Joy." While Roi's unmistakable vocals soon reclaim the piece, proving to be a most dynamic track, this is one of a number of tracks that any electroclash or synthpop fans should enjoy, along with "Alter Me" and "Give It to Me," the latter of which initially impresses through its EBM-strength sequencing. For all that, aided in places by live cohorts Bruce and Tobi, Roi still manages to stamp his mark on the album, not only through his vocals but with the lyrics which are, by turns, dark, witty, defiant, and, in the case of "Cheap and Nasty," devastatingly acerbic and sarcastic. However, by sounding all the more laconic and detached, the devastating character assassination that forms the basis of the bouncy synthpop opener, "See Her Smile" is all the more effective while the spoken voice that sits atop the beats and minimalist background of "Blank Canvas" is reminiscent of John Foxx. Similarly, "I Discover Love" pays appropriate tribute to the late Frank Tovey, resurrecting the "clanging" sounds of yore whilst retaining the relative accessibility of the newer material. The highlight, however, comes in the form of the epic and masterful "Don't Murder Me, I'm Drowning," where he takes his music into a totally different realm, sounding majestic and stately and yet somehow tragic (I can easily imagine him performing this, singing his heart out, in a disused music hall). Roi puts in a superb vocal performance as he opens his heart to reveal his innermost feelings that are usually hidden beneath the laconic veneer. As good as it is, however, it's just one superb track on an album that's full of them. It certainly surpassed my expectations and it's good to see this talented artist showing what he's made of and scaling new musical heights". Carl Jenkinson, ReGen Magazine (http://www.regenmag.com)
"I have an irrepressible liking for Mechanical Cabaret's Roi Robertson. He often appears as a parallel universe version of myself. Sort of what I might have been if only circumstances had taken a fateful different tangent at some point. That's the only way I can explain how his songwriting gets inside my head the way it does. Even from his Nekromantik days I picked up on his unique combination of styles and influences. The resulting sound occupies a peculiar space between real darkness and emotion crushing despair and a joy for life and optimism that suggests no boundaries. It can be a slightly schizophrenic affair. This duality is ever more present in Mechanical Cabaret's work and this second album showcases that spectrum in exciting style. The album balances dancefloor stompers like Blank Canvas with more reflective pieces like It Will All Come Back To You; and whilst the balance is often a little too uneasy it does mean there's plenty of unpredictable variety. Lyrically, this is as witty, wry and poetic as ever; Robertson just gets better and better on that front. Steve (Greenhaus) Bellamy's co-production on Disbehave bears the distinctive touch of his main project, whilst reworked, stronger versions of the last A-A side single tracks Cheap and Nasty and See Her Smile both get a reprise here, but already they feel quite distant from some of the newer material. Songs like the clever John Barry-isms of Don't Murder Me I'm Drowning and the brilliant, exhilirating Each Day You Die A Little Bit More convincingly rise above expectations, firmly establishing Robertson as a thrilling and passionate songwriter with a range beyond the reach of many of his contemporaries. They prove there's a lot more to Mechanical Cabaret than immediately meets the eye. If the style could be honed more towards these two songs then this would be unreservedly essential (and could see Robertson's star really rocket)". 7/10 Rob Dyer, Dark Star Org (http://dso.co.uk)
Cheap And Nasty EP on 12"/CD/7" "the debut single from mechanical cabaret is a riot of synth-punk sleaze. 'cheap and nasty' combines a spiky, filthy groove with grinding, rusty old analogue synth sounds and a damning takedown of all that's fake in the club scene and life in general. it comes across like a council estate version of soft cell. the 12" features a nag nag nag remix by atomizer" Rough Trade Records
'Surly, savvy, viciously spikey synth-pop; really rather good' Mixmag Magazine
"It's been three years since Mechanical Cabaret's sleazy debut album We Have an Agenda. Three long years. Thankfully, the wait for more material is over with the release of this terrific six-track maxi single. The basic electronics return but the production has certainly improved in the intervening years. There are two versions of the two title tracks and, unusually, the extended versions are as good as if not better than the original shorter cuts. Proving that there's more than meets the eye to their writing ability, Nothing In Life That's Worth Having Will Not Be Taken Away sounds vaguely like Babyland but the MechCab trademark theatricality remains distinctive throughout, whilst the euphoric Berliner Mix of Siegessaule is tailor made for some dark and dingy Berlin dive. Oh yeah, and you must let that track six run for while after its finished. If you do you'll be treated to a hidden dessert: the most wonderful and heart-rending piece of music Mechanical Cabaret have ever written. Imagine Danny Elfman's score for Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands, feel the lump rise in your throat and the tears well up in your eyes. Beautiful". 7/10 Rob Dyer, Dark Star Org (http://www.dso.co.uk)-'Cheap And Nasty' EP
We Have An Agenda CD album "Take a dash of Punk ethic, chuck in a substantial measure of odd pop glamour, a sprinkling of bleeping electronics and shake vigorously in the style of the late Fad Gadget and the resulting saucy cocktail is called Mechanical Cabaret. Based around singer, songwriter (and former Nekromantik member) Roi and accompanied by percussionist and bleep controller Tobi, and stained panties image maker Bruce, Mechanical Cabaret are not the ideal first date to take home to meet your Mum. Roi's south(*North actually!-Roi) London delivery gives the brilliant lyrics a heartfelt and honest personal dimension that transcends cliche and predictability and results instead in some of the finest gender-bending dark pop the planet has seen in years. Unlike so many that take to music these days simply because they've got an ego and some equipment through which they inflict it on an unsuspecting public, Mechanical Cabaret has, as the title to this debut album suggests, something worth saying. What's more, they deliver it with a blend of brutally frank and decidedly English black humour that (despite passing similarities to early Soft Cell) sets this apart from any potential contenders. Sometimes unnerving, this experience staggers from simple dancefloor fillers to more contemplative ballads. The more enterprising stuff tends to appear in the slower tracks like Horripilations, yet the superb melody line found on Devoid recalls those moving instrumentals of early Depeche Mode, whilst Mein Fuhrer and Sterili Zed are influenced by EBM, and Let's Have Some Fun chucks in a "You're gonna get your fuckin' head kicked in." Quadrophenia sample into a song that sounds like an outtake from the heavy side of Ministry's Twitch album. The sinister fairground whirlings of Meat Closet and the brilliant A Slapdash Affair are simultaneously evocative and affecting; and the stunning opening twenty seconds of Is Normal Abnormal prove that there is still plenty to get excited about in English electronic music. The entire thing is done with (deliberately) rudimentary sounding but effective electronics that not only suit the sensibilities at work but seem entirely appropriate for an album shot through with British electronic music history whilst simultaneously and ingeniously injecting a contemporary experimentalism. The deeper, more serious currents, both musically and conceptually, are especially inventive and rewarding and what really define this album. Though I suspect many will simply take We Have An Agenda on face value which would be a shame. Delightfully tasteful artwork too. An exciting and intelligent, talent-driven debut that should, if there is any adventurous taste left amongst the buying public, put Mechanical Cabaret distinctively on the world musical map. I look forward to wearing the distasteful merchandise that I hope is due to follow. 7/10 Rob Dyer, Dark Star Org (http://www.dso.co.uk)
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