Robot Goes Here

Self-christened musical fusioneer, Dave Rand, takes his big bag of punk pontification and an entire hard drive of frenetic electronic beats, shakes it all up and comes out sounding like Conor Oberst as the little brother Add N To X never had. And did I mention that this disc has one of the coolest sleeve designs ever? A tiny piece of pop art. The whole look and feel makes it instantly collectible.
But what’s it sound like? It’s angry, funny, poignant, sarcastic electro-pop propaganda. Well thought out verbiage and melody combines with blips and bleeps to loose the audio carnage that is Robot Goes Here. From the sloganeering on many of the tracks you might assume Mr. Rand to be a technology-hating Luddite, but in an ironic marriage of philosophy and sound, as catchy as it is abrasive, Robot Goes Here bends the machinery to the will of the people. Obviously a reader, there are numerous literary and pop culture references (mostly from a leftist perspective) peppering the album, making it an engaging listen for the armchair professor in all of us. This would be a great disc to have blasting from your cubicle on your last day at work. A beautiful post-punk ‘Fuck You’ to all the lemmings in the house. Not for everyone, it lags a bit here and there, but over all it's a great listen. If you know who Add N To X are then you already know you’ll want to give this a try.
- Jason M - Sample Press - Fort Worth, TX

Self-christened musical fusioneer, Dave Rand, takes his big bag of punk pontification and an entire hard drive of frenetic electronic beats, shakes it all up and comes out sounding like Conor Oberst as the little brother Add N To X never had. And did I mention that this disc has one of the coolest sleeve designs ever? A tiny piece of pop art. The whole look and feel makes it instantly collectible.
But what’s it sound like? It’s angry, funny, poignant, sarcastic electro-pop propaganda. Well thought out verbiage and melody combines with blips and bleeps to loose the audio carnage that is Robot Goes Here. From the sloganeering on many of the tracks you might assume Mr. Rand to be a technology-hating Luddite, but in an ironic marriage of philosophy and sound, as catchy as it is abrasive, Robot Goes Here bends the machinery to the will of the people. Obviously a reader, there are numerous literary and pop culture references (mostly from a leftist perspective) peppering the album, making it an engaging listen for the armchair professor in all of us. This would be a great disc to have blasting from your cubicle on your last day at work. A beautiful post-punk ‘Fuck You’ to all the lemmings in the house. Not for everyone, it lags a bit here and there, but over all it's a great listen. If you know who Add N To X are then you already know you’ll want to give this a try.
- Jason M - Sample Press - Fort Worth, TX

Robot Goes Here's high-energy electronic rock bursts out into the
Finger Lakes music scene consisting of simply Ithaca, NY resident Dave Rand and his laptop computer, and together has succeeded in making The Byte Is In My Blood into a Do-It-Yourself, electronica masterpiece.

In most reviews, the reviewer will often say, "This CD would be best enjoyed by people who listen to: (insert band names here)," but I’m not going to say that, for one reason. The Byte Is In My Blood sounds like nothing I have ever heard. However, Dave compares his music to, "The Postal Service with more jump-kicks; Atom and His Package with more philosophy."

The debut full-length by Robot Goes Here, bends and blends genres such as electronica, rock, hip-hop, screamo, and hardcore into something unheard by most human ears.

After giving The Byte Is In My Blood the initial listen, I fell in love with the blips, beeps, samples and screams, and after countless more thorough listens, the love continues to grow. This is the same way with many of my favorite CDs; the first listen is always great, but after time it gets better and better after picking out wonderful, previously unnoticed subtleties.

The songs which stand out as my favorites include "What All The Screaming's About", "01001010 (Failing the Turing Test)", and "Seeing Green". I recommend those specifically to anyone new to Robot Goes Here's music.

The lyrics are outstandingly intelligent, and resemble something written by one of the great minds of the last 100 years. In "01001010 (Failing the Turing Test)" references are made to Luddites, British textile workers who destroyed textile machinery in the belief that it would diminish the necessity of employment, and Alan Turing, a mathematician who explored the possibility of computers, pondered the existence of artificial intelligence and helped break German enigma codes using the Turing machine during WWII.

During "Seeing Green", a song motivated by conservation, Dave sings powerfully, "We throw away our hearts/we throw away our minds/we throw away our time/we throw away our lives/our hearts, our minds, our time, our lives are gone."

On a similar note, almost every song on The Byte Is In My Blood conveys some sort of positive message, usually addressing current and past social problems or concerns, something which would normally be found in the lyrics of most hardcore bands. This is not surprising because of Dave’s large influence from the hardcore and DIY music scene.

Songs like "What All The Screaming's About" and "01001010 (Failing the Turing Test)" address the fact that the past is much different than our present and our future, how machines are replacing humans and reality in many forms, and RGH sends a message to express ourselves by, "unplugging from the wall and dancing the dance that we feel in our hearts."

Other songs like, "Zen and The Science Of Nihilism" and "Wake Up" tell listeners with a "get real" attitude to get up and do something with their lives, because nothing really matters anyways. "Seeing Green" and the instrumental "Breakfast at The Atomic Caf�" are a bit more depressing, but still informative.

"Seeing Green" tackles the issue of our society being based on disposable products, and that we're being overtaken by these disposables, while "Breakfast at The Atomic Cafe" features sound-bytes from all sorts of interviews during the Atomic Age, giving the listener a subliminal "no nukes" message.

Also found on The Byte Is In My Blood is "Bizack In Blizack", a re-named cover of "Back In Black" by the infamous AC/DC. Robot Goes Here also throws in a simple, orchestrated Intermission as Track 7.

Dave Rand is not exactly a new-comer to the music industry, as he has been in many Ithaca bands in the past seven years, and once ran a DIY recording studio: Cipher Studios, which is locally noteworthy for the site where Canandaigua's own Over The Line recorded their first full-length.

As a final thought, I add the fact that I believe that The Byte Is In My Blood might not be something that the majority of the general public may enjoy, but those whom are looking for music with a message and those whom will understand that message will find as much joy in this sensational release as I did. I give this CD an 8 out of a possible 10, and can be purchased from Robot Goes Here's website, at http://www.robotgoeshere.com. - Nate Derby - Quadraphonic Online Music Magazine - Canandaigua, NY

Robot Goes Here's high-energy electronic rock bursts out into the
Finger Lakes music scene consisting of simply Ithaca, NY resident Dave Rand and his laptop computer, and together has succeeded in making The Byte Is In My Blood into a Do-It-Yourself, electronica masterpiece.

In most reviews, the reviewer will often say, "This CD would be best enjoyed by people who listen to: (insert band names here)," but I’m not going to say that, for one reason. The Byte Is In My Blood sounds like nothing I have ever heard. However, Dave compares his music to, "The Postal Service with more jump-kicks; Atom and His Package with more philosophy."

The debut full-length by Robot Goes Here, bends and blends genres such as electronica, rock, hip-hop, screamo, and hardcore into something unheard by most human ears.

After giving The Byte Is In My Blood the initial listen, I fell in love with the blips, beeps, samples and screams, and after countless more thorough listens, the love continues to grow. This is the same way with many of my favorite CDs; the first listen is always great, but after time it gets better and better after picking out wonderful, previously unnoticed subtleties.

The songs which stand out as my favorites include "What All The Screaming's About", "01001010 (Failing the Turing Test)", and "Seeing Green". I recommend those specifically to anyone new to Robot Goes Here's music.

The lyrics are outstandingly intelligent, and resemble something written by one of the great minds of the last 100 years. In "01001010 (Failing the Turing Test)" references are made to Luddites, British textile workers who destroyed textile machinery in the belief that it would diminish the necessity of employment, and Alan Turing, a mathematician who explored the possibility of computers, pondered the existence of artificial intelligence and helped break German enigma codes using the Turing machine during WWII.

During "Seeing Green", a song motivated by conservation, Dave sings powerfully, "We throw away our hearts/we throw away our minds/we throw away our time/we throw away our lives/our hearts, our minds, our time, our lives are gone."

On a similar note, almost every song on The Byte Is In My Blood conveys some sort of positive message, usually addressing current and past social problems or concerns, something which would normally be found in the lyrics of most hardcore bands. This is not surprising because of Dave’s large influence from the hardcore and DIY music scene.

Songs like "What All The Screaming's About" and "01001010 (Failing the Turing Test)" address the fact that the past is much different than our present and our future, how machines are replacing humans and reality in many forms, and RGH sends a message to express ourselves by, "unplugging from the wall and dancing the dance that we feel in our hearts."

Other songs like, "Zen and The Science Of Nihilism" and "Wake Up" tell listeners with a "get real" attitude to get up and do something with their lives, because nothing really matters anyways. "Seeing Green" and the instrumental "Breakfast at The Atomic Caf�" are a bit more depressing, but still informative.

"Seeing Green" tackles the issue of our society being based on disposable products, and that we're being overtaken by these disposables, while "Breakfast at The Atomic Cafe" features sound-bytes from all sorts of interviews during the Atomic Age, giving the listener a subliminal "no nukes" message.

Also found on The Byte Is In My Blood is "Bizack In Blizack", a re-named cover of "Back In Black" by the infamous AC/DC. Robot Goes Here also throws in a simple, orchestrated Intermission as Track 7.

Dave Rand is not exactly a new-comer to the music industry, as he has been in many Ithaca bands in the past seven years, and once ran a DIY recording studio: Cipher Studios, which is locally noteworthy for the site where Canandaigua's own Over The Line recorded their first full-length.

As a final thought, I add the fact that I believe that The Byte Is In My Blood might not be something that the majority of the general public may enjoy, but those whom are looking for music with a message and those whom will understand that message will find as much joy in this sensational release as I did. I give this CD an 8 out of a possible 10, and can be purchased from Robot Goes Here's website, at http://www.robotgoeshere.com. - Nate Derby - Quadraphonic Online Music Magazine - Canandaigua, NY

When Isaac Asimov wrote about robots, he created them as rational thinkers built by engineers, not insane scientists. He gave them identity, personality and, at times, autonomy. It’s no wonder we’ve constructed robots almost
in the image of mankind, as society tries to keep up with its own technological efforts.

Hailing from Ithaca, N.Y., Dave Rand is the one-man robot army behind the high-energy bleep of Robot Goes Here. He’s a self-professed hardcore kid smitten with the idea of producing electronic in a solitary fashion; it’s just him, a microphone, and his laptop. His efforts are all-encompassing, including silk-screening his CDs to recording music such as his latest release, The Byte Is In My Blood, independently and with the air of environmentalism and uniformity.

Broken down to its simplest definition, The Byte Is In My Blood revives elements of early ‘90s hardcore Emo like Sunny Day Real Estate and Metroshifter, but in the guise of contemporary laptronica; the melodies liken to the Postal Service or the measurable, physical
qualities of IDM. The music is accessible rather than mechanical, a certain desparation bleeds through the lyrics -- which are only human -- which take the opportunity to question disappointment and injustice. Here is a heartfelt case of honesty, clips from Dave’s diary, and a throat full of synthetic sound tossed into one compact packet of character.

Rather than fearing the consummate technology, Robot Goes Here welcomes the advancements of change and uses the relationship with computers to his advantage. In its bare bones, The Byte Is In My Blood is music with the Speak-and-Spell generation in mind, for an audience raised by rock ’n’ roll parents.

So raise your glass to Do-It-Yourself, AC/DC, and computer programmers, you just might have a little more “byte” in your blood than you thought.

DOWNLOAD THESE: “Breakfast at the Atomic Cafe,” “Seeing Green,” “Wake Up”

- Kim Riot
- SickAmongThePure.com Electronic Music Magazine - Los Angeles, CA

When Isaac Asimov wrote about robots, he created them as rational thinkers built by engineers, not insane scientists. He gave them identity, personality and, at times, autonomy. It’s no wonder we’ve constructed robots almost
in the image of mankind, as society tries to keep up with its own technological efforts.

Hailing from Ithaca, N.Y., Dave Rand is the one-man robot army behind the high-energy bleep of Robot Goes Here. He’s a self-professed hardcore kid smitten with the idea of producing electronic in a solitary fashion; it’s just him, a microphone, and his laptop. His efforts are all-encompassing, including silk-screening his CDs to recording music such as his latest release, The Byte Is In My Blood, independently and with the air of environmentalism and uniformity.

Broken down to its simplest definition, The Byte Is In My Blood revives elements of early ‘90s hardcore Emo like Sunny Day Real Estate and Metroshifter, but in the guise of contemporary laptronica; the melodies liken to the Postal Service or the measurable, physical
qualities of IDM. The music is accessible rather than mechanical, a certain desparation bleeds through the lyrics -- which are only human -- which take the opportunity to question disappointment and injustice. Here is a heartfelt case of honesty, clips from Dave’s diary, and a throat full of synthetic sound tossed into one compact packet of character.

Rather than fearing the consummate technology, Robot Goes Here welcomes the advancements of change and uses the relationship with computers to his advantage. In its bare bones, The Byte Is In My Blood is music with the Speak-and-Spell generation in mind, for an audience raised by rock ’n’ roll parents.

So raise your glass to Do-It-Yourself, AC/DC, and computer programmers, you just might have a little more “byte” in your blood than you thought.

DOWNLOAD THESE: “Breakfast at the Atomic Cafe,” “Seeing Green,” “Wake Up”

- Kim Riot
- SickAmongThePure.com Electronic Music Magazine - Los Angeles, CA