Le Diamant Brut: Beautiful Supermachines & Choir of Young Believers
What’s the Deal: What exactly is a Beautiful Supermachine? If you’re thinking of an iPad or an mp3-playing personal device for sexual gratification (see OhMiBod), you’re way off base. According to singer, songwriter and guitarist for the Austin rock group Beautiful Supermachines, David Williams, and a recent interview he did with Spinner the title “refers to the beauty you can find in failed systems.” But, Williams’ musical technique is anything but a “failed system.” He’s honed his craft in groups playing everything from Texas punk to underground hip-hop over the years, and now the recipe he and his machines are delivering is more of a classic indie sound with kick of bigger rock and roll to spice it up and a poppy hook now and then.
Since it’s right around the anniversary of the release of their debut album, Shut Up, we’d like to call your attention to a few stand-out numbers from that recording, like “Oakland 2008.” The song is unlike much of the rest of their catalog because of its softer pace and sentimental side. It’s an infectious song with guitars and piano moving affect around lyrics about gun violence. The inclusion of a little horn on “The War Against Cliché” goes a long way and gives the song an extra burst to make it shine.
Something Interesting: The Beautiful Supermachines are playing the From The Mind of Adi showcase at Mohawk on May 26th.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “The Stadium Moves” and “Consumed”
Beautiful Supermachines [MySpace]
What’s the Deal: We’re bringing you another international band you should know this week. Choir of Young Believers are a sometimes haunting folk rock group from Copenhagen, Denmark. Their members rotate, but always include singer/songwriter/guitarist Jannis Noya Makrigiannis, and can also mean a backing choir of what we can only assume are indeed young believers. We know that their Danish homeland believes in them, so much so that they’ve backed the band to score some No. 1 hits and at least one Danish Music Award.
Choir of Young Believers sometimes performs as a duo, with Makrigiannis, a guitar or piano, and cello. At other times, they bring in up to eight people, filling the stage with strings, horns, even percussion and bells. The Choir maneuvers between layered pop bursting with sound like “Action/Reaction” and bare and tender folk full of moods and slight colors as in “Under the Moon.”
Something Interesting: They’ve only been releasing albums since 2007, and they’ve already accrued some rather impressive mentions and reviews from Rolling Stone to NPR. On the rare occasion that they engage in a US Tour and pass through Austin, we suggest clearing the day’s activities to make room for these Danes.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Next Summer” and “Why Must It Always Be This Way”
Choir of Young Believers [MySpace]
