Background
As you may have read in my previous review of this two part EP, The M Machine, formerly Pance Party, are an electronic duo (used to be trio) based in San Fransisco, California. They made their name known when their debut EP "Promise Me A Rose Garden/Glow" was released on OWSLA, and remained #2 on Beatport for an entire week. A teaser for their "Metropolis EP," now split into two parts, went viral. The first part, "Metropolis, Pt. I" released in April 2012, with the second installment, "Metropolis, Pt. II," releasing almost a year later in February 2013. "Metropolis" as a whole is based on the sci-fi film "Metropolis" and tells the story of the dystopian city of Metropolis. On The M Machine's website is an illustrated story that goes along with the EP, the second part of which lines up with the second half of the EP and can be found here.
Review
Listen to "Metropolis, Pt. II"
"Metropolis, Pt. II" builds upon what the last part of the EP started and concludes the two-part EP in an epic fashion. The sounds that this second part feature feel more refined than the first part, and the ideas presented feel like they flow better. "The Palace (feat. Blake Hazard)" opens up the second part of this epic with some lo-fi chords and a cutting synth lead, with Blake Hazards's vocals balancing on top. This makes way for some synth-driven and percussion-heavy dubstep that's not commanded by heavy bass, as is usual of dubstep music. The rest of the song continues in similar fashion. "Ghosts in the Machine (feat. pennybirdrabbit)" is next, with a slightly-downtempo house-esque track that features an alien lead and realistic drums. If there was one thing I didn't expect from The M Machine, it was "Tiny Anthem," a very slow (for EDM, at least), almost relaxed track with unaccredited vocals and a very synthpop sound that belongs on a Madeon record. "Moon Song" starts off huge with incredibly dissonant, mechanical chords that scream "the moon is right here, right now. Look at it!" More mysterious vocals accompany the track as it builds into more chords, and then into a driving futuristic percussion-heavy electro groove. The moon chords return as the song ends. "Schadenfreude," which is defined as "satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune" by dictionary.com, continues the trend of unnamed vocalists but this time with all the minimalist electro goodness that I've come to expect from The M Machine, even though technically this has a moombahton beat. Syncopated machine bass hits riddle this track, and in combination with the strange synth sounds make for an enjoyable, danceable track that also feels a bit more threatening than usual. If there was ever a 9 minute epic, "Luma," which also closes out the album, is it. It starts off with a beautiful piano piece, which makes way for a reverb-heavy arpeggio. This finally leads into the first hint of house music, a spacey plucky arpeggio on top of some spacey drums. We're treated to a wacked-out drop full of lazy lasers and a driving drum groove. We get cool chords and a cinematic half-time breakdown, and the song ends with more arps and uplifting chords.
"Metropolis, Pt. II" is a fantastic way to close out the Metropolis epic that The M Machine have created. There's no doubt that in terms of creative electronic club music, "Metropolis, Pt. II" is at the forefront. It is curious, however, the slight shift in style from part one to part two, but this can be accounted for by the year gap in release. It's only natural for an artist's style to evolve as they grow musically. It's in no way a bad change, though, and the second part of the EP is a perfect follow up to the first half. With "Metropolis, Pt. II," The M Machine prove that they can finish what they started and conclude not just an EP, but a story. 9/10
Notable Remixes
The M Machine | Metropolis Remixed
Interested in a whole bunch of awesome remixes from Metropolis, both parts one and two? You're in luck, there's a whole album of them picked by The M Machine themselves, so you know they're quality. Check out my review of the remixes (linked above)!
Sources
Wikipedia | The M Machine
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