Music devotees are accustomed to doubting prolific bands or artists. Churning out new releases at a furious clip often denotes a lack of quality control for listeners. It suggests an assembly line mentality dominates the songwriting and sifting through the detritus for some sign of creative vitality may be slow-going. It isn’t the case, however, with Australia’s Sam Green. Green and the Time Machine have maintained a high level of songwriting and musicianship alike while keeping up with a dizzying schedule of releases. Producing eleven full-length albums within a five year span is impressive, but doing so with few outright missteps is another matter entirely.
It isn’t to say he hits grand slams, or even home runs, with each track. There’s secondary material present even on his first Spotify album, Players All Are We, from 2013. Green and the Time Machine, however, record definitive performances of others. “Have the Seasons Changed?” is unlike anything I expected, hearing Green’s voice isolated sans instruments jarred me at first, but his talent for inhabiting a melody soon has you in its sway. “Doesn’t Matter” surprised me as well. It is a rare instrumental track from Green and the Time Machine, a deceptively shapeless musical exploration led by flute and piano. It’s notable that he gives this track a full length treatment rather than abbreviating it.
The title track for 2013’s There’s a Tree is emblematic, in some ways, of Green’s dominant method. It is a quirk of his material that it retains a slightly haunted air despite its often affirmative lyrics. The nearly imperceptible variations of his vocal phrasing spices the track but you’ll need to be attentive to catch it. “I Am Free” has a strong and straight-forward message gaining a lot from its economical setting. Green adorns his guitar playing with several tasteful flashes of finesse during the track, but he’s careful to never weigh the song down with useless tinsel.
“There’s a Wall” has many stylistic similarities compared to other There’s a Tree tracks but the words delve into a different theme than other cuts. He doesn’t rely as much upon repetition and it infuses the composition with a sharper identity than its counterparts. Sam Green and the Time Machine’s 2017 album Love, Love, Love begins with “Albert Park” and this invocation of a Melbourne suburb shares the same tenor as the earlier “Have the Seasons Changed?” with its longing for a return to simpler days. It avoids laying on too much sentiment and, instead, keeps things direct. He develops the song in a very deliberate fashion but it nonetheless radiates genuine warmth.
Anyone with an appreciation for Americana music will immerse themselves in 2018’s Ten Parts to the Journey. There are several strands reappearing over the course of these ten tracks; the steel guitar featured during tracks such as “I Carry the Load”, “Day of Peace”, and “One Pot Screamer” bring a lot to these respective tracks. Anyone with a hardcore love for blues, folk, and country will find much to appreciate in Sam Green and the Time Machine’s work.
Rachel Townsend