As if you dropped
Sly & the Family Stone,
the Butthole Surfers,
the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and
Frank Zappa in a giant psychedelic electro-funk blender,
Robots Anonymous is the complex, confusing, frustrating, and occasionally brilliant debut release from Boston's Count Zero. From the INXS-ish pop of "Sham Maker" to the plodding bluesy grooves and choking rhythms of "Finnegan" and elegant melodies of "Roach Motel," this is certainly an album that takes more than a few listens to fully digest. Luckily, those repeated listens reveal a little more method to the madness, as well as bring to light the meticulousness that songwriter and vocalist Peter Moore used when crafting these admittedly unconventional songs. As most songs mutate through several different, sometimes seemingly unconnected, sample-laden passages, cryptic lyrics fall over funky progressions and serve as a home base for the meanderings of the arrangements. Stumbling upon the occasional smoky soul feel, in tracks like "Starry Skies," Moore also seems to give sly nods to hip-hop and rap-rock, though his product is overwhelmingly born of his own unique vision. And while that vision will probably be incomprehensibly obnoxious to some, more adventurous spirits are bound to latch on to the pervasive restlessness of
Robots Anonymous. ~ Matt Fink