Selfmachine

"Selfmachine"
Single by I Blame Coco
from the album The Constant
B-side "Stunned"
Released 11 July 2010 (2010-07-11)
Format 12" single, digital download
Recorded 2009
Genre Synthpop, indie rock, New Wave
Length 3:49
Label Island
Writer(s) Coco Sumner, Klas Åhlund
Producer Klas Åhlund
I Blame Coco singles chronology
"Splash"
(2010)		 "Selfmachine"
(2010)		 "Quicker"
(2010)

"Selfmachine" is a song by English band I Blame Coco from their debut album, The Constant. Produced by Klas Åhlund, it was released as the album's second single in digital format on 11 July 2010, with a 12" vinyl released the following day. The single was remixed by both Sub Focus and La Roux, and was added to BBC Radio 1's B List playlist on 9 June 2010.[1] The track was featured in the eighteenth of the fourth season of Gossip Girl, titled "The Kids Stay in the Picture" and aired 18 April 2011.[2]

Contents

Critical reception

Nick Levine of Digital Spy awarded the song four out of five stars, calling it "a percolating electropop ditty with intriguing lyrics about a 'lonely robot in a wasteland', a nice bit of SAW-style vocal trickery—yes, really!—and a chorus melody that flirts with brilliance."[3] Ben Weisz of musicOMH referred to the song's "glorious synth-pop" as "ubiquitous", adding that "[t]he dystopian depth to the lyrics is rarely encountered in something so catchy and danceable."[4] Alex Denney from the NME commented that the track "recreates The Killers' clubby output, right down to the twinkly smattering of keys."[5]

Chart performance

Having been predicted to debut within the top forty by Digital Spy,[6] "Selfmachine" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number sixty-four on 18 July 2010, falling out of the top 100 the following week.[7] In Germany, the single peaked at number fifty-six and spent ten weeks on the chart.[8]

Music video

The music video for "Selfmachine" premiered on YouTube on 7 June 2010.[9] It features Sumner and a group of teenagers performing playing around in an empty, waterless swimming pool. Throughout the video, the teenagers are seen playing with a transluscent sheet which is propelled into the air at various stages too. In the latter half of the video, Sumner is seen in slow motion releasing water from her hands.

Track listing

  1. "Selfmachine" – 3:54
  2. "Selfmachine" (Sub Focus Remix) – 4:09
  1. "Selfmachine" (La Roux Remix) – 4:16
  2. "Selfmachine" (Chew Fu Remix) – 6:26
  3. "Selfmachine" (Pangea Remix) – 4:23
  4. "Selfmachine" (Jackwob Remix) – 5:03
A1. "Selfmachine" – 3:54
A2. "Selfmachine" (Sub Focus Remix) – 4:09
B1. "Stunned" (Coco Sumner, Paddy Byrne, Sam Dixon) – 3:36
B2. "Selfmachine" (La Roux Remix) – 4:16

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Belgian Tip Chart (Flanders)[12] 3
Belgian Tip Chart (Wallonia)[13] 43
UK Singles Chart[7] 64
Chart (2011) Peak
position
German Singles Chart[8] 56

Release history

Country Date Format
United Kingdom 11 July 2010[10][11] Digital download
12 July 2010[14] 12" single

References

  1. ^ "Radio 1 Playlist – B List". BBC Radio 1. BBC Online. 9 June 2010. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5qRWQ9sLm. Retrieved 13 July 2010. 
  2. ^ "Gossip Girl Music | Season 4 – Episode 18". The CW. http://www.cwtv.com/music/gossip-girl/season-4/episode-418. Retrieved 3 May 2011. 
  3. ^ Levine, Nick. "I Blame Coco: 'Self Machine'". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/a244356/i-blame-coco-self-machine.html. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
  4. ^ Weisz, Ben. "I Blame Coco – The Constant". musicOMH. http://www.musicomh.com/albums/i-blame-coco_1010.htm. Retrieved 6 May 2011. 
  5. ^ Denney, Alex (5 November 2010). "Album Review: I Blame Coco – The Constant (Island)". NME. IPC Media. http://www.nme.com/reviews/i-blame-coco--3/11703. Retrieved 6 May 2011. 
  6. ^ Levine, Nick (13 July 2010). "Now that's what we call a bumper chart bulletin!". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/thesound/a242899/now-thats-we-call-a-bumper-chart-bulletin.html. Retrieved 13 July 2010. 
  7. ^ a b "Chart Stats – I Blame Coco – Selfmachine". The Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=49320. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
  8. ^ a b "Chartverfolgung / I Blame Coco / Single" (in German). Media Control. PhonoNet GmbH. http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/I+Blame+Coco/?type=single. Retrieved 25 February 2011. 
  9. ^ "I Blame Coco – Selfmachine – OUT NOW". YouTube. 7 June 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j6VoW6vv9Y. Retrieved 13 July 2010. 
  10. ^ a b "Self Machine – Single by I Blame Coco". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/self-machine-single/id377021462. Retrieved 3 May 2011. 
  11. ^ a b "Selfmachine (Remixes) – EP by I Blame Coco". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/selfmachine-remixes-ep/id377858976. Retrieved 3 May 2011. 
  12. ^ "I Blame Coco – Self Machine" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=I+Blame+Coco&titel=Self+Machine&cat=s. Retrieved 12 January 2011. 
  13. ^ "I Blame Coco – Self Machine" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=I+Blame+Coco&titel=Self+Machine&cat=s. Retrieved 12 January 2011. 
  14. ^ "Selfmachine [12" VINYL]: I Blame Coco". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003SXEDRW. Retrieved 3 May 2011. 
I Blame Coco
Albums
Singles
"Caesar" · "Selfmachine" · "Quicker" · "In Spirit Golden"
Featured singles
Other singles
Related Articles