Yesterday, I woke up to a frosting of snow on the ground. This morning, I found out that the wind chill factor was -18 degrees Celsius so it was time to throw on the long johns, toque and scarf for the regular grocery run. Nothing like living in my area to remind me that winter is truly not over until about May.
I discovered the rock band Ms.Machine some months ago and according to one article on the website Chorareii, their first self-titled album in January 2021 is "...cold and solid for both its Nordic-inspired sound and its gender claims". The band formed in 2015 and calls Tokyo its home. Ms.Machine's members are vocalist/lyricist SAI, bassist RISAKO and guitarist/composer MAKO.
Listening to one of the tracks from "Ms.Machine", "Nordlig Ängel" (which probably came out as a single sometime in 2020 according to the release date for the YouTube video) strikes me like a malevolent icicle: jagged, sinister, clear and hard. Now, I have even less knowledge about the various sub-genres within contemporary rock music than I do with techno, but according to another site in Japanese, Ms. Machine has an industrial beat with Hardcore roots and SAI's vocals are grounded in Witch House and Dark Wave. With "Nordlig Angel", I feel that there is that bridge being drawn between goth rock and the harder forms of techno, but again I'm straying into territory that I'm not very knowledgeable about although it is a fascinating song to me.
Also, to quote from that Chorareii article: Ms.Machine (@ms.machine) is the band of three women who decided to rip out everything dark and unfair that they kept inside and unleash it ruthlessly through punk. Despite embodying anger and non-conformism, his music is not fast-paced or chaotic. It’s firm, hard, structured, with spaced verses and heavy, cyclical rhythms that immobilize. Ms.Machine does not shout her complaints at you heatedly, but holds your gaze coldly and decisively, without you daring to look away until what they have to say slowly sticks with you.
You can check out the link above to Chorareii to read the interview with the band.
Yeah, I've been reading comments to the effect that Ms.Machine's music may not be for the commenters but they probably have their fans.
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