From a band that perenially promises much and falls frustratingly short, Machina seems to be an album crafted in the image of The Smashing Pumpkins. Shrugging off any suggestion of succumbing to pop, The Pumpkins have once more gone all dark and laborious [see 'Glass and the Ghost Children' as a case in point]. The only problem is that the central tunes don't seem to be there, relegating much of this album to the status of background music for the bedrooms of Generation Y. 'Age of Innocence' is interesting, though, but for the most part this is uninspiring.
