Sine Star Project - Building Humans

Well, isn’t this spiffy? Sine Star Project have done it again; another album whose sounds have been seemingly whipped from Broadway and then dragged through a hedge backwards. ‘Building Humans’ however, is slicker than previous albums ‘Blue Born Earth Boy’ and ‘One Little Indian’. Despite its fondness for Mr. Bungle-esque sound montage - a feat which makes the five piece’s diversity err on the side of indecision - ‘Building Humans’ plays like a polished musical score. Think ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ or ‘Rocky Horror’ slasher-smash campness - with a broken heart.

Upcoming single ‘Bleeding Like A Dog’ starts off the action in true theatrical style, with apocalyptic pianos, ominous vocals from our hero Peter J. Croissant, and a chorus of ghostly backing vocals. Eccentric fairytale lyrics wrap themselves around the orchestral uproar, creating an enchanting rift between horror and cuteness; ‘this day’s your last… failing planet Earth, a saviour’s what we need’. Imagine Kaiser Chiefs ‘I Predict a Riot’, but with monsters…. and bunnies.

‘Glitter Ghost’ cools things down somewhat as the scene gets a little bit Tim Burton. Perturbing cellos and eerie accordions entwine themselves around Croissant’s bruised vocals, which have taken on a Matt Bellamy feel as they soar and grieve. Croissant has moved to the graveyard for this number, but it’s no less exciting here as Sine Star’s ghoulish melodies lend themselves to both upbeat and more solemn arrangements.

‘The Temptress’ is perhaps ‘Building Humans’’s sexiest track, showcasing the band’s ability to fold their signature doom-filled instrumentals and sinister backing vocals into something quite different. Rock God guitars and images of ‘a temptress in a sequin dress with silk skin’ give this chiller an erotic kick; this track is one for the grown-ups.

Indeed, clear influences from oldies Pink Floyd and newer bands like iLiKETRAiNS give this hammer-horror of an album a more refined edge; combine this with wacky fusings of classic opera and tacky games console geek-chic, and the outcome is a real Frankenstein’s Monster of an album - but it sounds amazing! It’s so rare that an album snatches you with the first note and retains its grip until the very end whilst giving you such a turbulent ride, but ‘Building Humans’ does just this. Think of it not as an album, but an adventure; albeit a scary one.