The M Machine team up with Blake Hazard on "The Palace."
When a group makes its first big splash with a release on Skrillex's OWSLA label, you might have a pretty good idea what they're going to sound like (hint: WOOOOMPPP). For the second half of their two-part album, Metropolis Pt. II, dropping next month, San Fransisco's The M Machine continue to lean into dubstep's harder edges on tracks such as "The Palace." (SKRRRONKKK)
Listen to The M Machine featuring Blake Palace's "The Palace" after the jump.
"The Palace" will be familiar territory to fans of Skrillex's lighter work, such as his collabs with Ellie Goulding -- a panoramic spread of manipulated bass and squealing, pitch-shifted synth notes laying a foundation for ethereal vocal acrobatics. In "The Palace," the vocals are provided by Blake Hazard of the Los Angeles indie rock outfit The Submarines. Hazard bears a resemblance to Goulding, come to think of it, albeit with a considerably less dramatic haircut.
Like the other tracks on Metropolis Pt. II, "The Palace" is part of a concept album about the dystopian city of Metropolis, and its cinematic quality is certainly evocative, image-wise. This isn't entirely your daddy's dubstep, however. Ben Swardlick, Eric Luttrell, and Andy Coenen build from a place of quiet reflection with an elegant piano riff maintaining a sense of calm before the bass magic kicks in. It's a less aggressive approach than you might expect, however, never straying too far from the baseline of chilled calm. Still, there's always room for a little bit of WEAAHHGGGGGG.
