Uniform Motion is not a band.  Uniform Motion is an art collective from Europe that produces original videos, music, and illustrations, and whose live shows include a sketch artist that illustrates along with the music & lyrics on an overhead projector in real time.  Get over yourself, right?  That's largely the sentiment that greeted their earlier music.  Why sully the good reputation of a cartoonist by asking him to front a so-so indie band?  Well, cartoonists everywhere can rejoice at the latest Uniform Motion's release, Life.  At last, a record good enough to put on your turntable (overhead projectors be damned).

Opener "The Black Box" is a strong start to the album.  A haunting acoustic guitar melody picks its way over the quiet shimmer of hi hats, snare taps, and vocal polyphony.  The eerie quietude simmers, and then builds into a gripping crescendo that pits the twin sad stories of a He and She as they wend their way through life's little emotional tragedies.  The sense of longing and loss is palpable, and powerful enough to outweigh the somewhat lame refrain of "crying yourself awake."

The acoustic guitar remains the constant texture throughout the album.  Combined with the breathy narratives, the album exudes intimacy.  As if one was being serenaded in a bedroom.  Of course, if you've ever been serenaded in a bedroom you know how awkward an experience that can be.  If the mood is right, you will absolutely fall in love with "The Black Box" and the equally mysterious "Storm Eye".  Otherwise, tracks like the adult contemporary misfire "Back Up Your Soul" will have you looking for the nearest exit.

Life is a mixed bag, but at the end of the day the good outweighs the bad.  Perhaps it's unfair to judge a band (or collective) on the basis of their music alone, when the visual component is such a large part of their approach.  Uniform Motion is bursting with creativity, and who are we to tell them to confine it to one sphere?  It will be interesting to see what the collective's next move will be.  With Life, their songwriting and production took a giant leap forward.  If they keep their attention on the music (and their cartoonist picks up an instrument), can we expect even more from the band that is not a band?

MP3 Stream: "The Black Box"