There’s a vintage nature to much of The Gift Machine’s jangly indie rock, likely because the band’s been at it in one form or another for more than two decades. Lead singer Dave Matthies hails from the Pacific Northwest, specifically Anacortes, Washington, home to indie legend Phil Elverum of The Microphones and Mount Eerie fame, with whom Matthies has previously collaborated.
The Pacific Northwest is in the veins of The Gift Machine’s tunes. There’s a blissful facade that melts away into a sense of tranquil melancholy on much of their music, which is only heightened by the dulcet harmonies of Matthies wife and bandmate Andrea Matthies. The band’s relocation to north San Diego County hasn’t excised those roots. This is music made for daydreaming.
The Gift Machine, “I’m On It Now”: The Gift Machine’s latest album, “Consolation Prize,” finds the band doing what it does best – crafting dreamy, guitar-led indie pop. “I’m On It Now,” showcases the band’s knack for breezy and infectious songwriting. That musical lightheartedness allows even heavy lines like “I didn’t mean to be honest. Is it time we called it a truce? Can you cut me down from this noose?” to be delivered with a certain weightlessness.
Like what you hear? Check out The Gift Machine at Comet Theatre on Saturday, June 1.
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