Uploaded June 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
With all the albums we've released, often some of our favorite songs get lost. Deep down in the track list of older albums are some of our favorite gems. Given the way computers all arrange songs in order of most popular, I feel like some of them may never get heard the way they deserve. Tricked the Machine is a band favorite that we’ve never performed lie, and since its so deep in the album, and so “fringe” in terms of style, I think its easily lost. For Tricked The Machine, I wanted to write a song and arrangement that was “Steampunk Flamenco”. I don’t really play guitar, so I wrote all the “guitars” on this strange Italian Baritone ukulele I bought in Camden Market, London. Josh then reproduced the same lines on the same instrument for the final mix. It’s that strange instrument that gives the “guitars” such an unusual feel.
The mechanical sounds at the beginning of this track are actually recordings of me playing with a wind up, vintage toy airship. You can here the wind up, and the release of the propellers spinning. I then wrote the drum beat and the rest of the song while playing in time to that machine noise.
Lyrically, the song is about a relationship I was in at the time. Things had gone sour, but the other person wanted me to give the outward appearance everything was perfectly fine, so it wouldn’t cause a scene. I did this, but used this song to secretly vent. The “machine” that was “tricked” is actually the “social machine” we all live with, and try to keep running smoothly.
With all the albums we've released, often some of our favorite songs get lost. Deep down in the track list of older albums are some of our favorite gems. Given the way computers all arrange songs in order of most popular, I feel like some of them may never get heard the way they deserve. Tricked the Machine is a band favorite that we’ve never performed lie, and since its so deep in the album, and so “fringe” in terms of style, I think its easily lost. For Tricked The Machine, I wanted to write a song and arrangement that was “Steampunk Flamenco”. I don’t really play guitar, so I wrote all the “guitars” on this strange Italian Baritone ukulele I bought in Camden Market, London. Josh then reproduced the same lines on the same instrument for the final mix. It’s that strange instrument that gives the “guitars” such an unusual feel.
The mechanical sounds at the beginning of this track are actually recordings of me playing with a wind up, vintage toy airship. You can here the wind up, and the release of the propellers spinning. I then wrote the drum beat and the rest of the song while playing in time to that machine noise.
Lyrically, the song is about a relationship I was in at the time. Things had gone sour, but the other person wanted me to give the outward appearance everything was perfectly fine, so it wouldn’t cause a scene. I did this, but used this song to secretly vent. The “machine” that was “tricked” is actually the “social machine” we all live with, and try to keep running smoothly.
