The Robot Ate Me

Robot Ate Me is a group of quiet, seemingly kind people who make songs that have nothing to do with robots, rarely have anything to do with eating, and to some regard, could possibly be inadvertently about me. The group of three musicians, Ryland Bouchard being the head honcho and brain candy of the three (RJ Hoffman and David Greenberg being the beat behind the candy), hail from sun-drenched San Diego, Calif. Robot Ate Me makes music that seeps into your heart and then decides to pry it out and force you to look at it. Some call this experimental pop, others might call it weird, but in the end, it's music that forces the listener deep inside a Cold War bomb shelter, locks the door, turns off the light, and leaves you without anything except a few rations of cream of broccoli soup and a day's supply of vegetable oil.

The band's second effort, the double disc set, On Vacation Parts 1 and 2 contrasts 1920's era children records with modern electronic manipulation, Bouchard says, "it's compartmentalized, public domain samples that allows for the conjuring up of a physically '20s and '30s context. It makes the music easier to swallow."

Layered on top of the early 20th century big band riffs comes Bouchard's political and social commentary. "I'm doing the reasonable thing, if everything wasn't so fucked up I wouldn't have to - I have to respond to what's going on," says Bouchard. His view, much like many other musicians from the era, is the idea of an artist's responsibility to react.

Bouchard's reaction to world events is key on albums like On Vacation; the lyrics cover everything from "I'll bet on Jordan/You got South Africa/You never know who will win next" from "Genocide Ball," to "If you don't like my games/You should definitely just run away/Because otherwise you'll burn in flames/It's my world even if I'm insane" from "Crispy Christian Tea Time." A bizarre juxtaposition when heard, the '30s jazz beneath this sea of political frontage ends up mingling into a delightful disenchantment that leaves the listener in a state of light-hearted political repulsion.

Carousel Waltz, the third full length and most recent album, deals with Bouchard on a slightly more personal scale, "Carousel Waltz ended up being more positive; I was dealing with myself, not the outside," says Bouchard. Oddly, stepping away from the more personal aspect of layered samples and one-man instrumentation, Carousel Waltz features more of a full band feel than On Vacation. "When I play live, its not unusual to ask the audience to come up and play instruments," comments Bouchard. Interestingly, the love of the audience combined with a wholehearted attitude towards music and fans, the band still remains enigmatic towards interviews and press.

Bouchard remained quiet for the majority of an interview that was conducted in a sort of, surprise, hey here I am, let's talk on the phone now, kind of way. Needless to say Robot Ate Me speaks for itself through music, and although the opinion and correspondence with group members is interesting, what fans take away from Robot Ate Me will always remain their own.

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