Posted on: February 15, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The melody of “Fail Forever,” which matches the alienated feeling of the lyrics, is one of the first things to draw listeners in to the track. dOP strip away many of the embellishments for their remix, placing the vocal atop a propulsive rhythm constructed from the very human sounds of handclaps and incidental percussion. The technique highlights the vocal line, while adding an imperative to make listeners move. The Fail Forever EP will be released February 1st on !K7 with a full length album due Spring 2011.

Danish four-piece When Saints Go Machine — Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild (vocals), Jonas Kenton (keyboards), Simon Muschinsky (keyboards) and Silas Moldenhawer (drums) — are the latest act to sign to !K7 Records, with a five track EP set for early 2011 release. Lead track ‘Fail Forever’ pitches lyrics that ache with existential angst against a gorgeous backdrop of electronics and mournful cellos. Frontman Nikolaj has a falsetto to die for – see ‘Pinned’, where it soars over arhythmic drums and swelling strings. ‘Pick Up Your Tears And Run’, meanwhile, is an ethereal soundscape of intertwined voices and keys. All told, it’s stunning stuff.

The four members were childhood friends who met through their parents, who all lived in the same neighbourhood in Copenhagen. They formed the band in 2007. Nikolaj explains: “Our initial goal was to make something that would work in a club environment, but we kind of got tired of the whole four-on-the-floor thing. We wanted to make music that would transcend the borders of Denmark. I guess what we do now is pop with a lot of electronics.”

At the beginning of 2008, still more or less unknown, they ended up playing their first ever gig at Vega, one of Copenhagen’s leading venues. In 2009 they went on to win the Danish National Radio Talent Of The Year Award. Fast-forward to this year and When Saints Go Machine opened the Roskilde festival, playing to 45,000 people. “That felt fantastic,” says Nikolaj. “It’s hard to describe. I felt they could see through me, like I couldn’t hide anywhere. But the reaction was amazing, hearing that roar when we walked on, and then I felt like I didn’t want to leave.” Having honed their live chops, they are set to tour extensively over the next 12 months.

Looking to the future, Nikolaj says the aim is to release an album next year. “It’s not finished yet, but we’re nearly done. We’ve used more classical instruments this time, although some of them don’t sound classical, because we mess with them because of our electronic background. The arrangements are bigger and better. It’s more evolved all round.”

Bigger and better: it sounds irresistible. When Saints Go Machine are poised for great things.

TRACKLIST:
Fail Forever
Pick Up Your Tears And Run
Pinned
You Or The Gang
Greys And Blues

http://whensaintsgomachine.com/
http://www.k7.com

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