New Artist Find: When Saints Go Machine

A few days ago I learned about these Danes from Copenhagen. I saw the picture and read the name aloud. I'm not sure if this was about to be some kind of absurd glitchy electronic experience, or some dark homage to the technical prowess of early Nine Inch Nails. Although their sounds have been circulating since 2007, I still think they have a unique sound worthy of noting on today's featured artist post (and it's not either of the two mentioned above).

It's really a bit of a weird world When Saints Go Machine live in. "Iodine" showcases the incredible ability to start a song one way and completely morph it like some kind of well seasoned Transformer. The percussion is slow and heavy but moves with an urgent pace; urgent enough that it creates the subtle atmospheric gap for Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild to lend his vocals to. Yep, that is what turns this jam from potential dub-minimalistic-freak-out to the more chillout / soulfully hazy side of the EDM tracks. So, you're probably saying that's not weird right? Well when the song below it features Killer Mike, I think I have reason to think a little deeper about this one.

"Love and Respect" is easilly one of my new favorite freeway beat. It's got some awesome drums on this and a totally different sound than the Iodine laced chemicals we were offered right before this. I'm a big fan of this Gorillaz type sound, and Killer Mike's section is actually alright. I'm not a huge KM fan, but I dig some of his more acclaimed stuff, and he fits perfect. They don't over use him, rather just enough to get the point across. What is the point? Probably that they're not just "electropop" as some of the genre tags I've seen draped around their name.

It is definitely an odd mix, but I am really starting to take a liking to it. They even have quite an eclectic cover of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony."

I can't figure out how the hell they even decided that these sounds would work with this song, and for some reason I feel like this version should be called the "Futurama" remix. It sounds like Fry himself had a hand in chiming those church bell type sounds that ring in the backdrop. Fry's been changing his ways too lately, so it wouldn't surprise me...He's added his .44 cents below:

When Saints Go Machine are an interesting listen. I really don't think that "electropop," although I understand the label, sums them up completely. They have a unique and engaging sound that continues to keep my ears open as their entire soundcloud page streams in succsession. Well, what are you waiting for!