La Need Machine - Pourquoi? C'est L'Amour!

​La Need Machine

Pourquoi? C'est L'Amour!
self-released; 2025

​By ​Dino DiMuro
​

Despite the hints provided by the name and album title, La Need Machine is not from France. Instead, this is an American indie rock band from good old Seattle, Washington with a lovely new album titled Pourquoi? C'est L'Amour!

Hearing the album a few times, I’ve been trying to get my head around how it was conceived and produced, and trying to square that with the credits. Elise is listed as lead singer (plus keyboards), and she shares these duties with Tim (guitar/vocals) and Al (bass/vocals). Additional musicians are Ken (bass), Bryan (vocals), Keilyn and Shane (drums), Chris (guitar) and Danny (slide guitar). However, much of the band’s sound comes from an expansive string section on virtually every track, complimenting and interacting with the many layers of vocals. I imagine some of the credit goes to producer Bear Davis.

The opening “Our Song” sets the band’s template with lower male lead vocals backed by Elise’s lovely falsetto. With the shimmering acoustic guitar and chamber strings, this track feels quite English-Irish traditional until the uptempo chorus, where the rock players really shine. Lyrically I believe it’s a story of fans joining a band onstage with unrestrained enthusiasm, and the “butterfly effect” this can create in the audience. These guys have a talent for striking lyrics like: “She was so unique / she schooled me with her deaf hands / She fanned the flames of my fire / Never put it out, just blew it higher…”

“I Wish I Could Fly” again features a rich string section alongside acoustic and electric guitars. I can hear the male lead singer more clearly, and he has a vocal quality similar to Al Stewart (“The Year of The Cat”). Elise again sings backup, though she’s essentially adding second lead vocal lines along with harmonies. These are the kinds of songs where the vocals are essentially an unbroken chain from beginning to end. Next up is “Over the Rainbow” and yes, it’s THAT song! Here’s our first track with Elise handling all vocals, and though it’s a tricky proposition to take on Judy Garland, she pulls it off with aplomb. Also interesting is that this band has been reminding me of quirky folksinger Freedy Johnston, who also happened to cover this classic! “The Mountain” is a bit more of a stripped-down rocker, and though it’s a sunny day as I play this, the thunder sound totally caught me off guard, thinking it was real. I’m realizing now that Elise’s peripheral backing vocals have a bit of Enya’s style. 

“Maria” is an unrequited love song with a surprising Americana feel (though these guys are from Seattle, so why not?). The lead vocals are slightly compressed to sound like a radio broadcast, setting them smartly atop the strings, horns and rock instruments. My favorite rhyme: “I want you to kiss my LEEPS / You got me on my KNEES…” There’s some especially nice electric guitar work here as well. 

“These Old Jeans” was a single released over a year ago and features all the band’s strengths: interlocking lead vocals, upbeat rock, strings and incisive lyrics looking back on our younger lives: “Riding bikes, kick the can / Building camps until 11 / Racing cars, and rolling lumber / Stealing fruit from the heavens… we were just having fun.” The final original (before a Pop reprise of “Over The Rainbow”) is called “The Hometown Heroes” and is (at last!) an unapologetic rocker with Elise at the helm, belting out a Leon Russell-style blues rocker celebrated with keys, saxophone and walls of phasing guitars.

This band turned out to have such an interesting array of styles and approaches that it took me a bit to really get what was happening, but I’m so glad I gave them a listen. Check ‘em out!

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