Review Summary: Success in the city
Truth be told, nobody gives much of a sh*t about underground gems unless they know somebody in the band, or they are actually musically talented. If we all looked into every subterranean up-and-comer that sounds like our favourite bands, the wishlist would be a mile long. There is a tonne of good music being made that we sadly miss every year, but it is impossible to get everything. That being said, if you're a fan of Cocteau Twins or Goldfrapp, there is a really good album that you
have to hear.
Yep, this album is gorgeous. “Machine Is My Animal” slides between your auditory legs so easily and gives you waves of smoky dream-pop sensuality. Bordering on a tag of heavy spacey Shoegaze and the hot blissed-out sound of Electronic Pop, this Australian duo has shown some impressive talent. Opening with single,
BMX, the band has jumped in feet first. Strong vocals with mellow guitar leads and synth foundations grab your attention, especially with such a wonderfully emotional tempo change at the end which sounds simply celestial.
The album channels a beautiful Shoegaze sound that ebbs through the nine tracks giving rise to wistful highlights like the psyche-f*cked electro noodling of
Control and innocent vocal exhibition of title track,
Machine Is My Animal. It's no wonder the duo is involved in film scores as
Skeletons boasts post-rock spunk that is both stimulating and relaxing. Such buzzing movements show an earnest maturity in electronic assemblage, creating a lush chilling atmosphere without being swathed in layers of cloudy eccentrics or lo-fi resonance.
The album definitely has weaker moments like the twinkling obsessiveness of
Narrow Bend In Time and indifferent filler tracks that summarize the album but fail to bring anything new, especially the final cut,
Sky Rider. It has retrospective tributes to Goldfrapp which is completely fine, since the twist given by the band is sufficient to craft a new approach to mellow ecstasy educed electronica. The potential is there, the sound is refined, the songwriting is clever (did I mention
Stranger than Fiction), all City of Satellites have to do is put it all together and flip out a few similar standard discs and there can be success in this city.
City of Satellites’ “Machine Is My Animal” is out 21st January 2010 via Hidden Shoal Recordings
