B! Machine

B! Machine
B! Machine
Origin	United States
Genres	Synthpop, new wave
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Wishduck, A Different Drum
Members	Nathaniel Nicoll

B! Machine is a synthpop band from San Francisco, California.

The band was formed in 1996, consisting of the sole founding member, writer and musician, Nathaniel Leigh Nicoll. The current line-up of the band varies, but typically consists of Nathaniel Nicoll, Mike Hayden, and James Wong. The meaning behind the name B! Machine has been veiled behind cryptic remarks since its inception.

History

Nicoll formed Doctors With Knives with Mike Hayden after the singer for a prior band "left unexpectedly." After a number of limited releases, Nicoll released Dorlotez-vous on cassette tape under the name Halflife before forming B! Machine.

1996–2000

B! Machine's first project, Must Kill, was recorded in 1996–97. This debut, however, was shelved and left uncirculated until after the release of B! Machine's second full-length project Aftermath, which was distributed by A Different Drum in 1998. Following on the heels of Aftermath, B! Machine signed with A Different Drum. In 1999, they released the full-length CD Infinity Plus which featured production by Jarkko Touhimaa of Neuroactive. Infinity Plus, which spawned the singles "Temple" and "Opal", was well received, with the album peaking at #25 and the "Opal" CD5 peaking at #26 on the CMJ RPM Charts in the U.S.^[1]^[2]

2001–2009

In the 2000s, B! Machine released three full studio albums: Hybrid, The Evening Bell, and Falling Star. A special 4-disc box set of Falling Star was also released. A collection of alternate versions of previous songs was released as Alternates and Remixes. In addition, a 6-disc anthology of B! Machine songs was released as The Machine Box.

2021–2022

In March 2021, the B! Machine website came back online at a new domain name, announcing a forthcoming full-length album entitled Snake Charm Girl would drop in the spring of 2022. "Half The Time", the first digital-only single celebrating the album, was released March 22, 2022 on Bandcamp. Snake Charm Girl was released digitally on August 5, 2022, through Bandcamp with a limited edition double CD available from Poponaut.

Discography

Albums

Aftermath (1998)
Infinity Plus (1999)
Hybrid (2001)
Alternates And Remixes (2002)
Machine Box (2002)
Machine Box (Disc Six - Bonus Disc) (2004)
The Evening Bell (2004)
The Evening Bell (Limited Edition 4-Disc Set) (2005)
The Falling Star (2007)
Snake Charm Girl (2022)

Singles

Temple (1999)
Opal (2000)
Opal (Limited 2 CD Edition) (2000)
Umbrella (2001)
Angels (2004)
Forget (2005)
The Other Girl (2009)
A Certain Sadness (February, 2010)
Half The Time (2022)

References

^ Comer, M. Tye (28 February 2000). "RPM" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 61 (655). Great Neck, NY: College Media, Inc.: 27. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
^ Comer, M. Tye (2 October 2000). "RPM" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 64 (685). New York, NY: College Media, Inc.: 27. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

External links

[cmj-02-00-1] Comer, M. Tye (28 February 2000). "RPM" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 61 (655). Great Neck, NY: College Media, Inc.: 27. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 13 January 2022.

[cmj-10-00-2] Comer, M. Tye (2 October 2000). "RPM" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 64 (685). New York, NY: College Media, Inc.: 27. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

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