Dale Thompson
Speak Into The Machine
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
Here's a 10-song trip into the creative mind of Dale Thompson. Without the band Bride with him to provide the confines of its style, Dale experiments with a reckless abandon on Speak Into The Machine.
"Sleeping Savior" is an interesting ballad that mixes some of Jesus' prayers on the cross and the thoughts of a dying man. "I've Never Seen War" is a tune commenting on the safety Americans enjoy not having seen war on our soil in over 100 years. The lyrics are accompanied by an acoustic bluegrass strum a la a 60's protest song or two. "One Shot" is a gruesome song about lining up and shooting as many as possible with one bullet. "Pig Song," complete with swine samples, has a haunting child-like chorus of "Butterfly" that's reminiscent of U2's Achtung era. This is the most memorable cut for me.
The album ends with two bizarre tunes. The last one is "Butterfly," which first appeared on Dale's Lost In His Love solo album (recorded in 1981). The other tune is called "Shower Scene," which features a preacher (Dale) wailin' away while someone takes a shower. Dale prints an explanation/description of the intent of the song in the liner notes, which is fortunate (I wouldn't have got it without your help, Dale!). We're talking out there!