By Anastasia Pantsios

It took Cleveland indie rockers Machine Go Boom nearly three years to release their second album, their follow-up to 2004’s Thank You Captain Obvious. But, says band leader/frontman Mike Branick (aka Mikey Machine), the protracted gestation period that preceded the release this weekend of Music for Parents, was a blessing in disguise.

“Because it took so long other songs came up that probably wouldn’t have,” he says calling from outside the Barnes & Noble store at Crocker Park where he’s hunting down an elusive tome. “Timewise, it spanned the gamut — one of the songs (‘All the Way to P.A.’) was recorded around the time of the last album; one of the songs (‘Uh-Oh’) was done right before we went into mastering. We recorded in a night real quick. Originally, I wanted it to be double disc because we had tons of songs — we had 24. But that’s overkill. So there’s lots of extra songs lying around. But honestly, none of the songs are very good that didn’t go on there.”

Listening to the top-notch tracks that did make it onto Music for Parents, you have to wonder how bad those songs can be. The 16 tunes cover a range of moods, attitudes and stylistic and arrangement approaches, from folky tracks like “Small” and “Parents” that are soft but have surprisingly busy arrangements, rockers like the jabbering “Gentleman’s Reply” or the explosive, roof-rattling “Niagara Falls” which breaks down at the end, “Layla”-like, into a puddling keyboard-driven outro, and the smudged power pop of tracks like “Circle of Dirt” with its melodic but noisy guitars and sweet vocal.

Baranick experiments with vocal styles extensively too, finding an impressive array of things to do with his somewhat limited voice, whether it’s the child-like chirping on “Mummy (Oh My),” the keening Perry Farrell-esque vocal of “Gentleman’s Reply,” the layered vocals on the world-music-like “”M.I.A.” or the purposefully wobbly vocal in “Oh My.” And, with its expert blend of folk, pop and rock and the wistful yet anxious lyrics that mostly tackle the pitfalls of groping toward maturity, the disc exudes a distinctively British aura. Unsurprisingly, Baranick cities the Kinks, especially their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, as a major influence. Though none of the tunes slavishly copy that style, it’s clearly in their DNA.
“We’re suckers for a happy, poppy little hook,” says Baranick, stating the obvious.

They’re also suckers for studio experimentation. Though Baranick performed as an acoustic solo act before forming the band in 2001 and initially conceived the songs that way, with the help of longtime friend/producer Paul Maccarrone, the songs were layered in the studio with keyboards, horns, strings and percussion sound effects.

“I met him when he moved to Cleveland 8 or 9 years ago, and we hit it off,” says Baranick. “Everything I’ve recorded has been with him. He’s been accumulating instruments and better recording equipment. It started at his home, and now he has a studio called Zombie Proof because it’s so impenetrable that if there was a zombie outbreak, we’d be safe. I usually have a bare bones idea when I go in and then we add on layer after layer of instruments.”

The band, which also includes keyboardist Carrie Bukala, drummer Arran Biggart, bassist Bubbles O’Connor and lead guitarist Kevin Jaworski, is looking forward to making its next career step with Music for Parents. Local label Collectible Escalators has planned extensive radio and Internet promotion for the disc under the direction of former band member Mike Uva, and the band plans to do some more touring, first regionally, and then around the East Coast and the Southeast in the fall.

“You can stream the whole CD for free,” says Baranick. “I can’t imagine doing this without the Internet. I’m always on the computer harassing clubs for shows. And I can’t imagine doing it without MySpace, which is the dumbest thing but it’s totally awesome if you’re in the band.”

Machine Go Boom, Coffinberry, Houseguest
10 p.m. Friday, April 6
Grog Shop
2785 Euclid Heights Blvd.
216.321.5588
Tickets: $5