eddie rifkind

Tin Machine II was not necessarily the most accessible album, as it went dark and deep and as experimental as its rock framework allowed, and stayed there. David Bowie's influence cast a weird blanket of chaos over this stripped-down rock ensemble of really killer players, and the desire to rock and be weird are constantly in an uncomfortable peace on this record. At its most aggressive, it still has an angular, art-rock slant, and at its most ethereal, as with the song Amlapura, there is still an angry robot waiting to get out, subdued as it might be with the drug of musical beauty and minimalism. Overall, this record seems to me like the epitome of the "punch past the brick" concept of truly creating something great, even if it's avant-garde enough to be divisive among Bowie fans. I am grateful that I took the time to let this album really sink in. It's a masterpiece hidden in plain sight.