Love And Other Machines is the debut album by Ealing based synth pop singer musician and producer Mari Dangerfield. This album is made using lots of old synths, gadgets and Stylophones.
The album opens with Love Machine a gloriously effects laden slice of lover's synth pop, that's as in love with the idea of the machine as perfect lover, as she tries to distinguish between virtual reality and reality in her love life.
The Stars Were Wrong is obviously about not taking advice from stars on the internet or TV, over gentle beats with a glitchy edge, as she wonders about astrology with a sadness in her vocals this is searching for those eternal answers.
Arrow is a kitchen sink modern Ealing comedy about Hollywood myths, how will cupid's arrow find you in this modern world, how will you capture someone's heart, the backing vocals set among the deep echoing bass as the vocals have a rather speedy edge to them, as if she hopes to find a long term lover while speed dating.
Compass opens with sparse electronics that Mari sings over as she tries to figure out which way to move forward as the Stylophone adds musical punctuation to this tale and how it affects her feelings.
Virtually is about what it's like to be in a relationship online with someone you only know in the virtual world, what are they really like, the synth line almost sounds like the tapping of the keyboard, as we get lost in the digital sea, her vocals have an almost choral aspect, no matter how many platforms you interact on you still don't know them, a very modern conundrum.
Screen Time has the sort of laconic take on just how screen obsessed we are these days, that sounds similar to some of Lola Dutronic's songs. This builds and falls as she wonders how to live some part of life not being stuck looking at screen the whole time. Like most of the album there is a knowing sense of discomfort at the world we currently live in.
Webcam is a very lockdown song where you just want to be in the room with someone, rather than having a zoom call, or being treated like you're a webcam girl or boy taking fan instructions, so will you allow her to know you in the real world or not as the gadgets and gizmos create a world for you to navigate through.
Somebody is hushed vocals and gentle building synths on a song that has her wondering if you're the one, or if your just someone for the night, the multitracked backing vocals work texturally to add to the quandary she's in.
Hardwired to overthink everything with a typewriter like stylophone line, as this song of self-analysis digs deep into her psyche in hope of finding the answers.
Dear Admirer is an email or SMS to someone who can't get up the guts to say what they think to Mari, as she wonders what's stopping them, as she wants to be on that pedestal accepting the love and adoration she hopes she is worth.
Coping Mechanism is a slow swelling song about all the Coping Mechanisms that went out the window during the pandemic, as she hopes to get some of them back again so she can feel more secure like she did back in the day in 2015.
1 Like has swelling strings gorgeous backing vocals in a song about how you don't care if you only get 1 Like on a post, as long as it comes from the right person, here's hoping she can find that right person and keep making fun engaging synth pop records for a long time indeed.
Find out more at https://www.maridangerfield.com/ https://maridangerfield.bandcamp.com/album/love-and-other-machines https://www.facebook.com/MariDangerfield
