When Saints Go Machine: "Love and Respect"

The strange trembling vocals, warm synth sounds, and chamber pop movements of Konkylie, When Saints Go Machine’s full-length debut, appealed to me in unusual fashion: slowly at first, confounding my senses for a time, before finally winning me over. With time and repeated listening, the album became one of my very favorites of 2011.

When Saints Go Machine have just announced their sophomore album, Infinity Pool. Surprisingly, the album’s first single, “Love and Respect,” features Killer Mike offering a strong and exciting contrast to Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild’s delicate falsetto, while a heavy hip-hop beat, distorted bass line, and pitch-shifting synths push and pull throughout.

Here, as with Konkylie, I was initially unimpressed, wanting more from both Killer Mike and Vonsild. But after a second listen, and then a third, I’ve remembered that wanting more isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

When it comes to When Saints Go Machine, I’ve grown used to not trusting my first impressions. Infinity Pool will be released by !K7 Records, on May 28th.

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