LEAPS AND BOUNDS

This past year has had quite an effect on Marc Bianchi, the self-styled musical luminary behind the warm tones and somber lyrics of Her Space Holiday.

Aside from jumping from Tiger Style to Mush, and relocating from the balmy clime of California to the oppressive heat of Austin, TX, the talented troubadour is now also going it alone on the relationship front. While the changes in climate and partnership have surely affected his outlook on life, his most recent batch of tunes, 'The Young Machines,' is brimming with sensory details evoking images both painful and pleasant.

Inspired by his recent change of scenery, as well as his penchant for attracting technical geeks to his synthesized sound, 'The Young Machines' was a change of attitude in many ways.

"The idea of the record came about on my last tour," says the ex-Mohinder and Indian Summer member (if you wore oversized, unbleached cotton t-shirts and traveled across the country for punk fests in the '90s, you knowsup). "All anyone would talk to me about was computer programs, as opposed to music, which shows you the cool social status that I appeal to. I was just kind of thinking that since many of my previous records were sort of self-loathing, I wanted to move out of that box. Also, I was thinking about the idea that humans are a completely new invention that are flawed in a lot of ways. So, the record itself attempts to detail the good points and flaws of being human."

While Bianchi may have moved away from the melancholy in terms of sound, his lyrics come off as confessionals scattered somewhere in between his ambivalent feelings about his recent life-changing circumstances. With 'Machines,' he says he lifts all his self-imposed lyrical limitations.

"Although I think it's the most honest record I've done, I also think it might be the ugliest at times."

Negativity aside, Bianchi hopes this album will be a catharsis of sorts. While his head is still swimming from the array of changes from the past year, he is also eager to progress.

"I just hope that people who liked my older stuff will be ready to take that jump with me."

BRIAN PETERSON

Mush Records