Even if you didn't know for a fact that Hum Machine was from Madison, WI, you would be inclined to guess that the band was from somewhere in the Midwest. Theorems and Compositions of the Last Action Rocker has a certain earthiness that strongly suggests heartland rock; Hum Machine definitely represents the more rootsy, down-home side of alternative rock and indie rock. That isn't to say that every rocker from the Midwest has an earthy, folksy, bluesy sort of approach and is a disciple of John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, or -- if you need a more recent reference -- Sheryl Crow (who one reviewer compared Hum Machine to). Chicago, after all, has been a hotbed of industrial music and is the place that produced Ministry and Wax Trax Records. And let's not forget all the brutal alt-metal bands that have come from different parts of the Midwest -- or the fact that some Iggy Pop admirers have exalted the Detroit icon as the first true punk rock vocalist. Nonetheless, roots rock and Americana have been a vital part of Midwestern rock culture, of which this album is very much a part. Hum Machine has plenty of non-Midwestern influences, including rockers from England (the Rolling Stones), Georgia (R.E.M.), and Canada (Neil Young). But when the day is finished, Hum Machine is very much a Midwestern band, and its rootsiness serves it reasonably well on this 2003 release. While Theorems and Compositions of the Last Action Rocker falls short of exceptional, the writing is generally solid -- and Mark Sinnott is an expressive, likable vocalist who knows how to get his points across whether he is delivering an uptempo rocker or something more moody. This CD will not go down in history as a five-star masterpiece, but it is a respectable, if derivative outing for the Wisconsin-based alterna-rockers.
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