B! Machine
# B! Machine

B! Machine is a synthpop band from San Francisco, California.

The band was formed in 1996, consisting of the sole founding member, writer and musician, Nathaniel Leigh Nicoll. The current line-up of the band varies but typically consists of Nathaniel Nicoll, Mike Hayden, and James Wong. The meaning behind the name B! Machine has been veiled behind cryptic remarks since its inception.

## History

Nicoll formed Doctors With Knives with Mike Hayden after the singer for a prior band "left unexpectedly." After a number of limited releases, Nicoll released Dorlotez-vous on cassette tape as Halflife before forming B! Machine.

## 1996–2000

B! Machine's first project, Must Kill, was recorded in 1996–97. This debut, however, was shelved and left uncirculated until after the release of B! Machine's second full-length project Aftermath, which was distributed by A Different Drum in 1998. Following on the heels of Aftermath, B! Machine signed with A Different Drum. In 1999, they released the full-length CD Infinity Plus which featured production by Jarkko Touhimaa of Neuroactive. Infinity Plus, which spawned the singles "Temple" and "Opal", was well received, with the album peaking at #25 and the "Opal" CD5 peaking at #26 on the CMJ RPM Charts in the U.S.

## 2001–2009

In the 2000s, B! Machine released three full studio albums: Hybrid, The Evening Bell, and Falling Star. A special 4-disc box set of Falling Star was also released. A collection of alternate versions of previous songs was released as Alternates and Remixes. In addition, a 6-disc anthology of B! Machine songs was released as The Machine Box.

## 2021–2022

In March 2021, the B! Machine website came back online at a new domain name, announcing a forthcoming full-length album entitled Snake Charm Girl would drop in the spring of 2022. "Half The Time", the first digital-only single celebrating the album, was released March 22, 2022 on Bandcamp. Snake Charm Girl was released digitally on August 5, 2022, through Bandcamp with a limited edition double CD available from Poponaut.

## Discography

### Albums

* Aftermath (1998)
* Infinity Plus (1999)
* Hybrid (2001)
* Alternates And Remixes (2002)
* Machine Box (2002)
* Machine Box (Disc Six - Bonus Disc) (2004)
* The Evening Bell (2004)
* The Evening Bell (Limited Edition 4-Disc Set) (2005)
* The Falling Star (2007)
* Snake Charm Girl (2022)

### Singles

* Temple (1999)
* Opal (2000)
* Opal (Limited 2 CD Edition) (2000)
* Umbrella (2001)
* Angels (2004)
* Forget (2005)
* The Other Girl (2009)
* A Certain Sadness (February, 2010)
* Half The Time (2022)
