The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
Well, I suppose after teasing it a while ago, it's about time that I finally talk about the band that I have been abuzz about for a handful of months. I actually thought that I was going to write something up with the recent set of reviews
Then I thought, you know what? I possibly could be getting tired of this one ... but somehow today, I fell in love with it all over again, so let me write a bit about TMN and their eponymous album
The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers REVIEW: A
I first got turned on to TMN by the song, Forever Lost ... I don't really remember where it was that I heard it first. I mean, it could have been my endless iTs fishing expeditions, or I could have been listening to WOXY or KCRW at work or something ... or maybe the OC. But when I first heard that song, I was like, damn, that is the kind of music that I was looking for
No, not sisters and brothers music ... or the widespread use of the melodica, although admittedly both would be true... but very good songwriting, great understanding of vocal harmonies, and just great basic pop in the vein of 60s style pop, R&B with some rockabilly (think early young Elvis-ishness), country elements and soul/disco beats
I think that one of the interesting things about TMN is the sound of their singer/guitar player Romeo ... it sounds kind of like Yusef Islam/Cat Stevens, but his voice can really tell a story and that is something that I really can appreciate. It's so awesome how he uses his vocal tones, loud and soft, and other styles to really get across the stories of the songs
I guess that's one of the cooler aspects of this album, a lot of stories to be told ... and I cannot think of too many albums where I go, yeah the songs are traditional in the sense that they tell a story, convey a mood, as well as entertain
And about entertaining, the songs on the album are deceptively simple in that you can get your ears around them quite easily, but just when you think you have patterned them out, there will be this great breakdown that you never expected ... one notable one is the rockabilly of "Long Legs" which flips from high lonesome country to rockabilly into a great soulful R&B/disco breakdown
I don't know really what else to say, as you all know, I've been really hooked on their live performance at MBE, available on KCRW either in RA audio or video. So many different styles speckled into it, it's almost a shame that only college radio, public radio, and no one else besides the musically snobby have picked up on it ... because it totally could be huge among just about anyone.
The song that I really love right now is "Love's a Game" ... it just has that traditional 60s R&B style which I have always loved, putting down great pop to a simple blues hook. There are so many great songs here, and none have that feel of filler ... so yes indeed, this is one you can play through all the way because there is such a great variety to it
If you want to wade into TMN, I would recommend "Forever Lost", "Love's a Game", then try on "Love Me Like You", "I See You, See Me", and "Don't Give Up the Fight" ... or I suppose you could just DL the performance from MBE and give it a test drive. If you like it, welcome to the bandwagon, you're probably going to love this album
We think this one is probably the best debut we heard this year ... and definitely worthy of an A