polaroids of androids

Pepe Deluxe have delivered one of the best musical surprises of the year. On this, their third album, they've gone sample-free, and the result is very impressive. Aptly named, Spare Time Machine sees the Finnish duo take a different direction as they explore the sounds of 60's and 70's psychadelic rock. Don't expect a straight-forward re-hash of the past though - Pepe Deluxe give it their own unique genre-hopping treatment. It never sounded like this back then.

Spare Time Machine is as absurd as Pepe Deluxe's previous albums - possibly even crazier. Likewise, the songs are as drum-heavy as ever and range from straight-forward rock songs, such as Pussy Cat Rock, to the more experimental - and they all sit nicely alongside one another.

Go For Blue, one of the more 'traditional' songs on the album draws you in with its call-and-return (and quirky) lyrics. Equally appealing are the more psychadelic songs, such as Last of The Great Explorers, which features a fantastic drum-driven solo at its climax; or Apple Thief, which starts as a acoustic female vocal piece and changes mid-song into an uplifting and addictive chant which wouldn't be out of place on a Flaming Lips album.

Even more zany is Lucky The Blind vs Vacuum Cleaning Monster, beginning with a cheery Beck-esque vocal before breaking to a moodier western guitar-and-vocals intermission and finally changing tempo and melody again for a soaring conclusion.

Every song on this album deserves a mention - even the 44-second prelude to Forgotten Knights which sits somewhere between the score of The Mysterious Cities of Gold and A Clockwork Orange - but you need not waste time reading about it - just have a listen. Spare Time Machine is an album that should be listened to start-to-finish, and needs a few lisens to get right into - but each time you listen it gets even better. Definitely one of the most original albums of the year.

Furthermore, if you're yet to be acquainted with Pepe Deluxe, just pop over to their website where you can legally download their entire last album, Beatitude, for free (you don't even have to sign up).