Machine For Making Sense - Talk Is Cheap

aleciawallsbarton

Review by Alecia Walls-Barton

Talk Is Cheap by Machine For Making Sense: A Wild Sonic Ride You Won’t Forget If you’ve ever wondered what happens when jazz meets electronic chaos, Talk Is Cheap is your answer. Released in 1997 by the Australian label Splitrec, this album feels like stepping into some kind of experimental dream—or maybe a feverish nightmare if you’re not ready for it. It’s got everything: free improvisation that sounds like someone just let loose on their instruments, musique concrète vibes that make you question reality, and enough layers to keep your ears busy for days. Let me tell you about "Scene 2" first because, damn, does it hit hard. Stevie Wishart shows up with her violin and hurdy gurdy (yep, that medieval-looking thing), weaving these haunting melodies that feel ancient but futuristic at the same time. Then there are Amanda Stewart’s lyrics—sharp, poetic, cutting through the noise like shards of glass. The whole track builds into this swirling vortex of sound where nothing seems planned, yet it all clicks together perfectly. Honestly, I can still hear those strings ringing in my head weeks later. Feels like they reached inside my soul and shook something loose. Then there’s "Scene 5," which flips the script entirely. This one leans heavier into musique concrète territory, full of tape manipulations courtesy of Rik Rue. It's glitchy, unpredictable, and kinda unsettling—but in the best way possible. There’s this moment halfway through where Jim Denley’s wind instruments burst in, raw and untamed, like a storm rolling in out of nowhere. It’s messy, sure, but isn’t life messy too? That’s what makes it stick. The credits alone tell you how much care went into this project. From Jesse Mastrogianidis’ artwork to John Jacobs’ recording wizardry, every piece fits together like a puzzle you didn’t know needed solving. And props to producer Jim Denley for keeping this wild beast under control without taming its spirit. But here’s the kicker—why call an album Talk Is Cheap when clearly so much thought went into every second of it? Maybe it’s a middle finger to anyone who thinks music needs to explain itself or follow rules. Or maybe it’s just saying, “Listen, don’t talk.” Either way, it works. So yeah, give this one a spin if you’re tired of predictable beats and polished production. Just don’t blame me if it messes with your brain. Also, fun fact: listening to this while cooking spaghetti somehow makes the pasta taste better. True story.

Table of Contents

Download

Filename: machine-for-making-sense-talk-is-cheap.zip
  • MP3 size: 19.5 mb
  • FLAC size: 153 mb

Tracks

TrackDurationPreview
Scene 30:35
Scene 53:32
Scene 24:33
Scene 11:55
Scene 41:47

Images

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Catalog Numbers

SPLIT 4

Labels

Splitrec

Listen online

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Formats

CD

Companies

RoleCompany
Recorded AtLee Street Studios
Manufactured ByPMI

Credits

RoleCredit
ArtworkJesse Mastrogianidis
Composed ByMFMS
PerformerMachine (tracks: 1, 4, 6 to 10, 14 to 16, 19, 20)
ProducerJim Denley
Recorded ByJohn Jacobs
TapeRik Rue (tracks: 5, 11, 12, 18)
ViolinStevie Wishart (tracks: 2, 11)
Hurdy GurdyStevie Wishart (tracks: 2, 11)
ElectronicsStevie Wishart (tracks: 2, 11)
VocalsStevie Wishart (tracks: 2, 11)
Lyrics ByAmanda Stewart (tracks: 2, 3, 12, 17), Chris Mann (tracks: 3, 18)
WindJim Denley (tracks: 2, 5, 13, 17)

Notes

  • Recorded at Lee St. Studio Blue Mountains, Feb. 1996.
  • Comes with a black & white OBI strip.
  • © + ℗ 1997 MFMS

Barcodes

  • Barcode: 733917900018
  • Matrix / Runout: MADE BY PMI * DCD1125 * #03
  • Mastering SID Code: IFPI L282
  • Mould SID Code: IFPI 4621

About Machine For Making Sense

Machine For Making Sense explores relations between linguistics, poetry, speech, music, and notions of sound, science and politics. Talk is the noise of talk, its musicality, its chance capture, words gulped and kicked out, guttural, barked and screamed. Therefore the Machine's talk becomes all the more important for being and around and about talk that you ignore in the usual give and take of conversation. You hear snatches of talk, you hear the voice as a musical instrument. Machine For Making Sense re-evaluates distinctions between text and music, music and sound art, improvisation and composition. MFMS first worked together after Ars Electronica (Austria 1989). They first toured the main centres in Australia in 1991. They have produced tours, performances, site specific events, recordings and intermedia collaborations in Australia, the US and Europe. Increasingly their work is site specific. Sonic Hieroglyphs, Residue and Fester were long large-scale works designed for specific space/times and escaped from the deadening environment of the concert hall

Real Name

    • Rik Rue
    • Amanda Stewart
    • Jim Denley
    • Chris Mann
    • Stevie Wishart

Name Vars

  • MFMS
  • Machine

Members

  • Rik Rue
  • Chris Mann
  • Shane Fahey
  • Stevie Wishart
  • Jim Denley
  • Amanda Stewart

Interesting fact about Album

Here’s something cool: The album *Talk Is Cheap* by Machine For Making Sense is like a wild collage of sound. Released in 1997 in Australia, it blends electronic beats with free jazz and experimental noise. What makes it unique is how it feels like a conversation between machines and humans. For instance, Stevie Wishart pulls double duty, playing violin and the ancient hurdy-gurdy while also contributing haunting vocals. And get this—some tracks even layer in musique concrète, which means they used real-world sounds as part of the music. It’s not just an album; it’s more like an audio art project.