After whetting appetites for cerebral pop music of the highest caliber with their ‘Fail Forever’ EP, a fantastic Nicolas Jaar remix, and their slow-mo cover an 80’s rave classic, Danish four piece When Saints Go Machine are ready to unveil their most fully realized work to date, the full length album Konkylie. Discover a highlight from the record via the beautiful ‘Add Ends’ video, directed by Dawn Carol Garcia.
http://whensaintsgomachine.com/
Following the release of their debut EP, “Fail Forever,” out this past January on !K7, the Danish four-piece comprising When Saints Go Machine — Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild (vocals), Jonas Kenton (keyboards), Simon Muschinsky (keyboards) and Silas Moldenhawer (drums) — are announcing their first full-length, Konkylie, out June 21st . A complicated mix of influences including dance music, post punk, some experimental electronica in the Aphex Twin mould, and, crucially, a healthy dose of pop, When Saints Go machine could be described as a heady mix of Caribou, The Knife/Fever Ray and Arthur Russell, but really, it doesn’t sound like anything else out there.
Konkylie, (Danish for ‘conch shell’ incidentally), has been two years in the making. It sees them moving their sound on into new, uncharted territory. On “Parix,” Nikolaj’s spectral vocals, a mix of Antony Heggarty’s tremulous falsetto and Talk Talk frontman Mark Hollis, are pitched against a shimmering mirage of synths. There’s an echo of their clubland past on “Kelly,” which is underpinned by a chugging, mid-paced beat. It’s the jumping off point for four-minutes of electro pop perfection, like Empire Of The Sun with some added Scandinavian cool. Nikolaj’s vocals, meanwhile, are never more beautiful than on the closing track “Add Ends,” where they float over skillfully orchestrated strings and gently popping electronics. It’s an atmospheric reverie that transports you to another place. All told, it’s stunning stuff, esoteric, dense and at times complicated, yet instantly accessible, dense with an unusual warmth running throughout that sets them apart from their peers.
When Saints Go Machine Konkylie Tracklisting:
1. Konkylie
2. Church And Law
3. Parix
4. Chestnut
5. The Same Scissors
6. Jets
7. Kelly
8. On The Move
9. Whoever Made You Stand So Still
10. Add Ends