Album Review/ Pop Rock : La Need Machine’s ‘Pourquoi? C’est L’Amour’
La Need Machine showcases an impressive collection of music with latest album release, ‘Pourquoi? C’est L’Amour’. The charitorious rock band comes out with impressive compositions, blending neo-classicals with folk, classic rock and pop rock influences in ways that feel meaningful. Made with a love for community, for LA, and for its people, every single song is so good. Each one carries the spirit of the band, the atmosphere of love and joy.
The band has set the tone for their music with releases like ‘I Wish I Could Fly’ and ‘These Old Jeans’ in 2024. And they are reinforced in this latest album. Alongside these previously released singles, we see new and fresh compositions as well. Opening with ‘Our Song’, the album lights up with such warmth. Introduced with acoustic guitar strings, swishing violins, sentimental baritones, and soft harmonies, the song is lifted into an anthem with rushing riffs and beats. And more than anything, it’s the kind of song that holds its essence in the lyrics. The more you pay attention to it and listen in, you gain so much feeling, so much beauty, and so much love.
‘I Wish I Could Fly’s buoyant sentiments form in the aftermath. The melancholy, the childlike wish, and the genuinity of the song perfectly captures the feeling of bitter sweetness. It keeps you tethered but launches you into a soft plane of yearning. We also see ‘The Mountain’ and ‘Maria’ in the album list. Both classic and easy favorites from the band. While the former is intense and molten with contemplation, the latter evokes and expresses love in a vulnerable way.
‘Vincent Van Gogh’ and ‘Sardonic Love’ are made in the same vein, but with more of a classic rock polish. ‘The Hometown Heroes’ is beguiled with blues, and is alight with fantastic riffs and so many emotional dimensions and details. We see some jazz also thrown into the mixture, and it’s the perfect way to lead into the end. The album also treats us to the rock and pop version of ‘Over the Rainbow’. The sweet promise of the track, its hopeful tone, and heartwarming message is a great way to wrap up the album for LA. Especially in the aftermath of the forest fires and the tragedy that ensued.
