Sprinting in from left of field you’ll find Innamech, the solo production project of Jimmi Carr. Despite how difficult it would be to attach a genre to this act, Carr self-proclaims his sonic space as ‘progrocktronica’.
Elements of prog rock, psychedelic music and electro combine in a delectably weird melting pot. Bordertown is the culmination of that work to date, a debut LP rich in experimentation, genre-mashing and Carr’s off-kilter touch.
Eclectic, energetic and electric, Innamech effectively walks the narrow path of the outsider musician on their debut LP Bordertown.
Title track Bordertown opens the sequence, a funk-laden electro mashup brimming with resonant synths and catchy lyricism. The synth lines remind of early Daft Punk work, yet the dramatic, vocal crescendos place it in less of a pop space.
It stands side by side with tracks further into the album like Creator and Lonely Boney Bridge; carefully considered, swelling jams which blend the slow spectacle of prog rock with more classic electronic instrumentation.
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At key points on Bordertown, Innamech divulges into the realms of a purer electro in beat-heavy moments, almost techno if you removed Carr’s vocal. Single Was Not Out is a hard-hitting, percussive piece with plenty of bravado, while Baby Baby dives into acid house territory with its laserbeam basslines and use of sampling.
Carr calls the Blue Mountains home, and his locale has undoubtedly fed into this LP. The idea of border art is simple; it’s a creative output fed by the notion of being an outsider, or someone who witnesses common civilisation through a barrier.
More acid trip than field trip, Bordertown is clearly designed as a pure outlet for Carr, not adhering to any third-party expectations. He effectively counters any pre-destined ideas of music being correct, wearing an experimental edge on his sleeve and performing all the better for it.
Closer Bird Mutations is a personal favourite, unsurprisingly at odds with the rest of the LP. Reminiscent of the 8-bit tunes which played in the underground levels of your favourite Sega games, it somehow finds even more unchartered territory to lay a footnote on Bordertown.
Creeping, desolate and kinda funky, it brings to mind all the zany qualities Innamech has repeatedly harnessed. Rather than forging a sound through adhering to a pre-destined set of constraints laid down by sonic predecessors, this is one act who finds comfort in irregularity.
If Innamech has a ‘sound’, it is one of controlled chaos.
The road walked by the experimental artist is arguably one of the hardest, wrought with naysayers and the omnipresent complaint “I don’t understand it.” Truth is, experimentation should never be shamed.
Jimmi Carr has crafted an enigmatic and eclectic debut on Bordertown, magnetic in its widespread influence and willingness to get a little weird. We’re looking forward to whatever Innamech has to offer in the future. If nothing else, it will be something utterly new.
