🐣 DAVVN — WITHOUT YOU

The atmosphere of 'without you' is instantly lovelorn. The gleaming synth chimes, cold and chilly and soaked in reverb resonating into the air of the track, signify distance; and warm sounds, like the continuous rumble of bass beneath it, compelling body and mind with feeling, strong emotion muffling and submerging you; the ghostly disembodied quality of the vocals, layered and in their lavish languor close to your ear; the lyrics, "when she woke up today sun soaking her face listening with tears / something had changed today she'd face her fears." It summons the warmth of human emotion versus the cold cruelty of being denied what you desire, a detached sense of muted-howling loneliness versus hot-breathed intimacy.

Boston duo DAVVN (pronounced 'dawn') combine this feeling with crystal clear pop affectations that allow it to be conveyed in a non-heartbreaking manner, something palatable. So the exquisite flavour of that sentiment rolls along with jostling kinetic energy, ticking hi-hats and tumbling rapid-fire kick-snare combos characterise a compelling beat, and the vocals seem to shiver and soothe at the same time, melodious and melting with the hook specifically and its pitch-shifted repetitions – "you're leaving me here without you" – leaving its silken traces behind in your memory. What an illustration of longing, with its immediacy and beauty painting it bite-sized and delectable.

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• 🔔 It looks as though this is actually the duo's first ever song to appear on the internet. Keep your eyes on their SoundCloud for more.

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☟ DAVVN Internet Presence ☟
soundcloud ⚘ facebook ⚘ official site ⚘ twitter ⚘ instagram ⚘ spotify

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🐣 RAPHAËL D'HERVEZ — RÊVES

Until now Raphaël D'herves was better known as the brain behind French dreampop unit, Pegase, as well as the more electro Minitel Rose, but now he ventures into the music world under his own name, gracing our ears with a luscious debut called 'Rêves'. It's the beginning of an ambitious project in which D'hervez aims "mix Christophe (french singer from the 70's), contemporary R&B artist such as Frank Ocean, and classious french production (Air)."

The classious (classy) part is certainly right. The production is elegant, dripping with clarity and distinguished sheen; from the offset of the track it only takes one element to attract and bewitch the listener, and that is the handclap, the clopping delicious dolcelatte unaffected unpretentious untamperedwith handclap. From here, ahh, the jacuzzi satisfaction of those blomglomming heavenly vibraphone, the dusty percussive rasp of the bongo, the deep crisp simple bass groove, the antsy excitement of the shaker's roving rattle. The clear quality of the vocals as they weave catchy melodies throughout, warmly layered in the chorus. The sparkle of electric guitar arpeggios.

And towards the end of the track, the soaring violin, the rising tide of electronics, the glimmering decayed crescendo of it all, provides a magnificent finale to what started off so simply, each instrument each sound slotting in with precision to build the vision of D'hervez. Watching the video for the track, as each instrument gets its well deserved close-up, each one making up this audio treasure trove, you can see the pure love of sound, giving literal ocular illustration for what can be heard well enough: passion for making music.

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• 🔔 'Rêves' is taken from a forthcoming four-track EP by Raphael D'hervez called L'Oiseau Tonnerre, which literally means "thunder bird", out 2nd June on Nantes-based label FVTVR, of which D'hervez is the founder.
• 🔔 The video for 'Rêves' was directed by the artist's brother, Tristan D'hervez, filmed at the studio where the EP was recorded. In addition the track features Antonin Pierre on electric and acoustic guitar, Jordane Saunal on violin, with choral vocals supplied by Ana Benabdelkarim.

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📠
☟ Raphaël D'hervez Internet Presence ☟
facebook ⚘ soundcloud ⚘ twitter

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Y/N GUEST MIX 014 :: ULZZANG PISTOL'S YOUNGLIQUIDGANG FOXHOUND MIX

I love the internet. I just love it. For things like this, i.e. actually communicating with artists on a one-to-one level, it's just the best thing ever. There are a lot of other inventions that are quite useful, like toilets, airplanes, and various medical advancements, but the internet is just parfait. So I was chatting to Zeon Gomez aka Manila-based artist Ulzzang Pistol on FB & I asked if he wanted to make a mix and he said yes, so here we are.

But this is a mix with a difference: besides being the 14th Y/N Guest Mix, it's also a showcase of a collective part-founded by Zeon himself. "I make my own music by mixing J-pop influences with house, disco and dream pop, usually through the use of Japanese lyrics," in an email he tells me about what he does. "I don't know if you can label it as J-pop, but I'd like to call it that way I guess. I am also a Co-founder of the Manila-centric collective called YOUNGLIQUIDGANG, where I handle PR and Artist Management duties."

Youngliquidgang itself is a hotbed of creativity – a 12-strong (and still growing) group of young and talented Filipino music artists, mostly all electronic; "Basically," says Zeon, "YLG is inspired by a family/brotherhood kind of feel, where like-minded artists support each other into creating material and refining their talents." The collective was co-founded along with No Rome (aka Rome Gomez, his brother) and Keats Collective affiliate, MERLINDA/WALLS (Ethan Namoch, also making music as COEXIST). Zeon describes the simple story behind its conception: "We only wanted to make a community of electronic musicians around our university [De Lasalle-College of Saint Benilde], but it ended up being a nationwide collective after we decided to move out of the school's music scene."

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though we are generally like-minded we also have our little differences that we love and try to accept about one another

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From the downtempo soul of singer/musicmaker Hana ACBD and the cosmic blizzards of Local Disk (C:), to No Rome's lush glitterscapes and vapor-leaning R&B tracks from Colombo Beats, YLG is a varied bunch – but there's a bond between all of them that's less loose collective, more tight-knit gang (hence the name, I guess). "What connects us all together, apart from similar tastes in music," Zeon elaborates, "is this CULTURE we shaped inside our group, this family-like atmosphere, where we don't just meet on a artistic level but on a personal one as well, we sort of look out for each other." You can see this in the various remixes they do for each other's tracks, or in the way that vocals are offered up from one to another, etc.

"In short," he continues, "it's about love and respect, where we believe in the skill of others (especially the under-appreciated artists/talents)." Which is a lovely message that I imagine (or hope?) many others in the music community share and equally uphold; I mean, it was/is the YES/NO's raison d'être in the first place.

As for the mix itself, it's choc-a-bloc (bet you never thought you'd hear that ever again) with goodness from the fair isles of the Philippines, beginning with the moody 'ALWAYS' by MSN メッセンジャー (that's 'Messanger' in katakana btw) with its booming kicks, pitch-shifted vocals and classical ambience, continuing on a smooth journey of differing slices of electronic chill, and ending on a high with colourful dose of electro-pop The Valiant Vermin (self-described as: "Bedroom Project of some high school chick") with cute 'n' catchy rapid-fire vocals.

Zeon sums it up: "This mix goes to show that, though our artists are from different genres of electronic music, we share a form of cohesiveness or oneness with the vibe our tracks emit, to give a tag it'd be 'UNITY IN DIVERSITY', much like a family."

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• T R A C K L I S T •

1. MSN メッセンジャー – ALWAYS
2. What is Andromeda – If these trees could talk
3. MERLINDA/WALLS – Departure
4. SOUL_BRK – Nights
5. Local Disk (C:) – Event Horizon
6. Colombo Beats – Cater 2 U Edit
7. Hana Acbd – Like Butter
8. COEXIST – Fare Thee Well
9. Ulzzang Pistol – ??????????
10. No Rome – Heaven
11. The Valiant Vermin – Good Girls Sin

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Like Ulzzang Pistol on Facebook
Listen to Ulzzang Pistol on SoundCloud
Follow Ulzzang Pistol on Twitter
Check Ulzzang Pistol on Tumblr

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TAPE TRANSPORT PANOPLY EP

I received an email the other day and it was from a person called Anders Obel (you can call him Andrew, btw) - he was introducing me to the music that he had created under the name Tape Transport. I am very glad that he sent me the email because I've had a very nice time listening to this EP on repeat just now. He is from Norway, and I don't think I've ever written about someone from Norway before - there is a first time for everything.

Anyway, I was going to write about just one song but now I think I'll just write about the whole EP, called Panoply (coming from Greek meaning "a full suit of armour"), which Mr Tape Transport has self-released on Bandcamp for purchase on a name-yo-price basis. Not only is the whole EP worthy of praise, but there's a difficulty in picking a song that best represents his style, because it's as varied as it pleasant to the eardrums. To sum it up on a general level, I suppose you'd call it electro-pop but it's not as straightforward as that - there are dance elements in there, as well as a large chunk of experimentalism chucked in.

The song that stuck out most, on first listen, was 'You Are Mine', whose skiffly beat jitters away in the summoning up of dance energy and the steering of organically modulating synth bass and chords that rise up and down. Rapidly chopped-up vocal samples give extra oomph to the energy here, almost an R&B vibe - and it's very well done. Likewise, 'Flick The Switch' creates a dancey vibe, but with a more laid-back half-time rhythm thanks to an understated beat - here synth chords stab intergalactically and create glorious walls of noise alternately. That rhythmic, house-like twinging of chords occurs on pretty much every song on Panoply, which ain't a bad thing; nope, it adds retro dancefloor appeal to all five quite-differing tracks.

That said dance-hearted rhythm commands the chords in opener 'Crushing Waves', sending them from muffled depths to exalted heights of ear-piercing treble, adding synth horns for a triumphant atmosphere - kinda perfect for a first song. The beatwork at the beginning was certainly a promising sign when I first listened to it, intricate sounds coming together and layering for maximum excitement. There's REAL electric guitar here, too, sounding like the perfect accompaniment to the song - it's not easy to make real instruments and synth get along sometimes, but Tape Transport's got it down.

But it's a more chilled out affair for 'Look At The Stars (And The Stars Look Back)', which utilises a chiptune-style arpeggio and that twinging chord rhythm again against a lo-fi beat. Again, there's real guitar here: single, muted, reverbing notes that resonate beautifully. Towards the end of the song vocal samples pop up and the arpeggio plays in reverse - it grows ever ambient, with gentle bells, before fading away entirely. A similar ambience imbues closer 'Bedtime Story 夢は現実のもの', with a fizzing, glitched-out, up-tempo beat that upholds delicate glockenspiel sounds and soft synths; at about 1:42 a gently crashing cymbal adds to the urgency of the beat. Little things like this make the whole song quite a joy to listen to, like a genuine journey into dreams, the purpose of bedtime stories (the Japanese btw means 'dreams into reality' or similar). Muffled marimba provides a lullaby-esque outro.

With a good ear for creating dynamic soundscapes, and skilled switching between pretty, ambient atmospheres and upbeat, dancey vibes, Tape Transport's Panoply is more than just a "chill" journey: it's a deeper side of intelligent, glitchy dance music, multi-faceted enough so that it's an original voyage with each listen.

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Listen to Tape Transport on Soundcloud
Hear more Tape Transport on Myspace
Follow Tape Transport on Twitter
Check Tape Transport on Tumblr
Watch Tape Transport on YouTube

NEON BUNNY (야광토끼) OH MY PRINCE (왕자님)

I feel like crying because my laptop has become so slow that I end up waiting rather substantially when switching between windows, tabs, waiting for pages to load. Has it finally come to getting a new laptop? Probably not. a) I am impoverished. b) I don't want to waste something that kind of works. So anyway, with that aside over with, let's get on with it.

Today it is something a bit different to what you might be used to me posting. After seeing a program about TV in South Korea last night I decided that it would be interesting to have a look about South Korean music today. Wow. I have spent all day looking so far and I've barely eaten, just been sitting here clicking and getting frustrated at my slow laptop (yes when you need more than one tab on a browser open a fast laptop is preferable) and some of the music I've found is really nice. One thing I discovered was this song. A lot of places are classing it as K-pop and I suppose that's right: it's pop (basically) and it's K - Korean. Makes sense.

On the other hand, some people are saying it's K-indie. Korean indie. Who knows. Given that she's an independent artist, I'd say the latter to be honest. It's by a girl who goes by the name of Neon Bunny (real name: Lim Yoo-jin) and it's called 왕자님 ('Oh My Prince' ... I think). She's had to my knowledge only one album out, Seoulight, released in 2011 and a mini-album or closer to an EP last year called Happy Ending. She used to be in indie band The Black Skirts and recently, like this month, collaborated with electro artist Smells on the recent-ish song 'Listen To Your Heart'. Anyway that's all a whirlwind of information that probably doesn't mean very much to you.

So once you've listened to the song, you can see what I mean about it being pop. It sounds poppy, that's for sure. However it's more the retro-style kinda 80s pop that people like College are making - yes indeed, this song is kind of an upbeat version of the kinds of songs you'd find on the soundtrack for Drive. It's all there: the beefy drums whose snares I very much like, the soft analogue synth arpeggios, palm muted reverbed 'n' chorused guitars even make an appearance. What's different is the stuttering screech of synth chords in the verse and the ornamentation of the beat, lavished as it is with open hi-hats and the occasional clap. Neon Bunny's vocals are perfect, too, spreading a catchy melody veiled ever-so-slightly with far-off reverb.

It might not be totally "out there", but things don't need to be "out there" to be good. And this I do believe is good. It's really nice to listen to, has a catchy melody and a thumper of a beat supported by saw-wave bass synth that judders your brain. It's all pleasant though, a brightly coloured ride through a sunny sky. I'd be very happy to hear more from this artist. For the moment, though, this is just right for summer - and so it should be, it was released around this time last year. But this summer's better cause it's actually nice weather.

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Like Neon Bunny on Facebook
Follow Neon Bunny on Twitter

AUSTRA HOME [VIDEO] // BEAT AND THE PULSE

When I heard the first few bars of this song I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen. I have to admit I hadn't heard of Austra before, so I had literally no idea what expect.

In 'Home', we're graced with singer Katie Stelmatis's vocals which are controlled-yet-teetering-on-the-verge-of-tears, suiting the lyrics, "You know that it hurts me when you don't come home at night". What's most evident in the song is how it turns from a potentially regular piano-driven Marina and the Diamonds kind of affair, into one that seems to be aping house music more than anything else.

And it's great: not too hectic, refrains cut up and placed like samples in strategic locales of the song, nice voice, good beat, catchy melodies, interest during the last half of the song with ethnic-style sounds. This is definitely something that I could get on board with.

Have a listen below. The video, whilst I'm not sure exactly how it relates to the song (am I stupid?) at all, is interesting too.

Then I saw that the band had released a video on YouTube even more recently than this one. But it actually turns out it's an old video for a song called 'Beat and the Pulse' from their first album - Feel It Break (2011) - edited because of nudity or whatever. Naturally, I found the original video. It's weird. See for yourself. Webbed hands an that.

But the music. This is a much more electro-fuelled song, with bulging synths and ghostly vocals that float over the top of the pounding drums. The song title definitely has it right, there's both beat and pulse in the vibe of this one. There is, however, a more basic sound to it that new song 'Home' has definitely dusted away and tuned up for a more interesting and multi-faceted sound that suits what they seem (at least) to be aiming for stylistically with their dream-like realist electro-pop. Nice!

'Home' comes from upcoming album Olympia, out 17th June on Domino.

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Like Austra on Facebook
Visit Austra official site
Follow Austra on Twitter
Watch Austra on YouTube
Learn about Austra on Wikipedia

JAI PAUL JAI PAUL

It was more than two years ago when I first heard Jai Paul. I heard his song 'BTSTU' at this point - it was in fact released in 2007 - and it was a breath of fresh air.

Then there was nothing. A long void of nothing. And then like the old adage where you wait for one bus and then loads of buses arrive, he drops an album. Today, Sunday 14th April. How exciting! Maybe he saw the sunny (and warm!) weather outside and thought that it was just time to release it already.

Called nothing more than Jai Paul and with no songs with actual titles, aside from 'BTSTU' (Track 16), 'Jasmine' (Track 9) and a surprise cover of 'Crush' by Jennifer Paige (Track 7), it's a delightful foray into a mad and disjointed world of kooky electro pop.

At times it is muscle-bound and distorted, best heard in the clashing clatter of the synth in 'Track 10' and the heavier, more beefy parts of the magical 'Track 16' ('BTSTU' - such a tune; it even has its own Wikipedia page), as well as in the drippy waterfall blips of 'Track 2'; at other times, it is quite the opposite as in 'Track 9' ('Jasmine'), where the synth and beat create a conjugally gentle funk, in the smooth and rhythmic sounds of 'Track 3' with a great low, twisted horn-synth sound in there somewhere, and also in 'Track 7', which is a genius minimalist-funk cover of 'Crush'.

There's a guitar solo in that 'Crush' cover that reminds me so much of Prince that I can't help but think that Jai Paul might be a little bit influenced by him. There are yelps dotted around some of the songs that make me think much the same. But perhaps it's just wishful thinking. I got Prince on the brain.

The vocals, in fact, suit the at-times strange and off sounds of the album (like in 'Track 4', also in the weird samples - sounds like Ron Weasley - of the first song, and the monster attack of 'Track 8'), with a tone that's purposely unpolished, loaded with echo but filled with soul, too. Dreamy.

What else to say? It's a joy to listen to. It's all raw and exciting stuff. The man from Rayners Park, London has made a pulchritudinously squiffy and offbeat addition to the music world with his soft electro funk pop. So damn happy there's more than just a couple of songs floating around now - being signed to XL Recordings should mean only good things for Jai Paul.

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Like Jai Paul on Facebook
Follow Jai Paul on Twitter
Visit Jai Paul's official site
Learn about Jai Paul on Wikipedia
Listen to Jai Paul on SoundCloud
Hear more Jai Paul on Myspace
Watch Jai Paul on YouTube

HAIM DON'T SAVE ME CYRIL HAHN REMIX

This man just cannot stop making excellent remixes - the songs he chooses to remix are as a surprise as ever. Yes, it's Cyril Hahn again and this time he's remixed Haim track 'Don't Save Me'. Starting with a more feel-good than the awesome heartbreakingness of his previous efforts (due, in part to the massive, known-by-all pop songs he chose to remix), this wonderful remix quickly dives into the layering and warm textures that we all know and love him for. This one certainly has more of an electro indie pop edge than his others, but that is of course to do with the choice of band, the LA-based all-girl Haim, and song - we can only assume that he builds the music around the vocal track, so he would have to go for something that fits naturally.

Hence the majorly distorted sawwave synth that provides the main electronic hook beneath the beat, and hence the intro, too. He caters for the vibe, or feel, of whatever track he happens to be remixing, whilst remaining quite at liberty to put his own stamp on it too, what with that synth so high pitched and faraway-sounding that ends up soaring after each successive drop into the chorus. Ooh yes, listen below:

This is a direction I didn't exactly think that Cyril Hahn would be going in; honestly I thought he would stick to the recent-years' worth of pop songs - and pure pop songs only. However, remixing a song by Haim shows us that his talents do not lie with just one genre in particular and it also shows us his personal taste in music - you don't actually get to see this with other artists or bands unless they also remix stuff, or unless you ask them. It marks a relatively big step for Cyril Hahn, in my opinion, who has now left people guessing what he'll do next - a clever way to create a good amount of intrigue over a well-deserving artist.

One question: how far away are we from a Cyril Hahn album, or even an EP, featuring his remixes? I for one would be ecstatic to learn some wonderful fact like that.

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Cyril Hahn • Facebook / SoundCloud / Twitter / Tumblr
Haim • Facebook / Twitter / SoundCloud / YouTube / Official site

EL GUINCHO NOVIAS FEAT JAVIERA MENA

This is a lovely little song from El Guincho featuring Chilean indie pop star, Javiera Mena. The song 'Novias' itself was released on El Guincho's 2010 album, Pop Negro.

Also known by his real name, Pablo Díaz-Reixa, El Guincho is a Spanish musician who utilises skills in playing instruments and in samples to create something that's a cross between tropical sounds, electro-pop and Afrobeat. 'Novias', this time around featuring the lovely Javiera Mena (who's in the picture to the right; you can see her in full below - I just thought you might need to know what she looks like), is no exception to this style.

You would not really find this style of music in the UK. Typically, anything remotely Latin-sounding has been reserved solely for our Spanish and South American cousins, and has largely been ignored by us here. Could it possibly be the language that puts people off? Maybe. Could it be the sound, in general? Maybe.

But think of the song below playing on a lovely summer's day in merry old England. Think of sitting out on the grass and putting this song, on some old school boombox if you have one (you hipster), or just on your iPhone (you loser) - how much would it add to that calypso summer mood that prevails whenever the white star of the sun beams down unhindered light from a massive blue sky bouncing off the individual blades of grass making htem shine like little green fingers of flexiglass and there's this little breeze brushing past you every few minutes keeping the heat from ever broiling you too much and there are trees and birds and bees alive all around you.

...You know that kind of day? This song would make a more-than-relevant part in anyone's summer playlist.



Why did I not know about this, like, two years ago?

It's immensely happy, as joyful as it is modest and unassuming. The Afrobeat, dancehall drums lock in with a bass that's a wonderful show of reggae influence - both thumping behind the main crux of the track, in this instance, Javiera Mena's rich, warm vocals. The honky-tonk synth sounds that make up the melody are lovely, too, providing a chilled beach vibe throughout the track. I've listened to the original and have decided that this version, the one above, is much better - if not just for Mena's voice.

The tropical sound then overflows with even more percussion, sounding like a container filled with musical instruments is being shaken in some gigantic maraca by the god of music. It's a really great song, and something that should be made more audible in such sun-deprived countries as ours. You should definitely grab some sunshine with El Guincho and Javiera Mena.

Since his 2008 album, Alegranza, El Guincho has been a pretty prominent artist - clearly not too much in English-speaking countries (not in the UK anyway). For this song he joined forces with captivating Javiera Mena (above), the electro-pop princess of Chile, who's been making music since since 2001 or something like that, and broke through into indie/pop fame with first studio album, Esquemas Juveniles (2006). This was a lovely mix - let's hope they team-up again!

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• El Guincho's Myspace page
• Here is his official site
• And his YouTube page/profile

• On the other hand, we have Javiera Mena's Myspace
• Her official site
• And here you can follow her on Twitter
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WHEN SAINTS GO MACHINE CHURCH AND LAW OUT TODAY

What a song. This has been my favourite song of the last two weeks. Nothing but pure electro goodness in here, coupled with an amazing voice and lyrics to boot, this is a joy to listen to every time I put it on. If you haven't already heard it, with the last post I did regarding this song, and even a review of their album, please do hear it now. There's a great deal of energy and warmth in this song, something that isn't at once infectious, but I found that the more I listened, the more I loved. It's a perfect song for the coming months, too - it would match a balmy summer evening so well. Just the right balance of dance and chill.

I can't believe I hadn't heard of When Saints Go Machine before, but now here they are. I feel much better for knowing who they are now. I look forward to their imminent, widespread fame.

Here's the kaleidoscopic video for 'Church And Law' again:

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WHEN SAINTS GO MACHINE - KONKYLIE • ALBUM REVIEW

When Saints Go Machine is a new band for me, but they've been hiding their electro pop selves in Denmark since 2007. This album is their second, using German label !K7 to broaden their reach past Scandinavia.

Firstly, having listened to 'Church And Law' - the first single from Konkylie, released 6th June - about ten times more than I had done previously, and comparing it with the rest of the album as a whole, I can say that it's an absolute belter. The quaint introduction bursting into the bass hook that pulls you fantastically through the song, and the exceptional chorus - steeped with softness and warmth - add up to deliver an astounding number. The line "Hardened by church and law / The spell that binds us all", sung with a great deal of shivering passion, is something that resounds well after the song is finished. Yes, this is one to stick on repeat.

Just as I thought Konkylie was going to adhere to the same tempo of songs throughout, especially after the not-so-smooth 'The Same Scissors', the house beat of 'Jets' kicks in, with a tireless bass groove that drives it forward and provides much needed halfway-mark energy. Moving on then to the similarly paced 'Kelly', beginning a charm offensive with clunking xylophone synth and a wonderful opening line - "First time Kelly kissed a boy..." - its layered voices evoke a sunny almost tropical spirit, nostalgic as it is filled with happiness. The fade out at the end, and the vocal melody throughout, is very 80s pop, and this track exhumes its smiling body to dance with it at a colourful bar.

However, I'm unsure about some of the pseudo-strings and orchestral sounds that pop up here and there. This is most noticeable on the album's final two tracks; 'Who Made You Stand Still' (slightly spooky and out of place for the band, with parts that remind me of the soundtrack to The Machinist); and 'Add Ends'. However, we might excuse the latter, given its position as the final song, for trying to end on a classical chillout high descending into a hot night sound of chirping synths like insects and fragments of strings. Sadly not a strong song, fading away instead of burning out.

Despite that, it's a solid album overall. When Saints Go Machine's vocals have a distinctive tremolo-falsetto quality (and sounds more than a bit like Antony Hegarty), a definite highlight of their sound, and which arguably is at its best in 'Church And Law'. This instantly listenable feature saves the day in Enya-esque 'Add Ends', and displays a nice virtuosity in 'Parix' - a genre-bending song with ultra-trance synth and 80s marimba plinks combined with a firm, assertive, slow-motion dancehall beat. Konkylie's modern beats infiltrate a nostalgic spirit, producing an album that is half amazing, half not bad.

Saved by several strong songs, namely the first four ('Konkylie', 'Church And Law', 'Parix', 'Chesnuts') and my second favourite, 'Kelly', Konkylie is a decent second album that needs a few listens to get into. Not every song is great, but it's a smooth ride and a pretty, scenic journey that you'll be glad to have taken the time to have embarked on.

Listen to When Saints Go Machine on Myspace
...or on SoundCloud

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