Out of all the critically successful new albums coming out this year, a theme seems to be emerging: many of the best albums have come from side projects and supergroups. From The Gutter Twins' Saturnalia and The Raconteurs' Consolers of the Lonely to Destroyer's Trouble in Dreams, the supergroups and solo projects have reigned supreme, and there appears to be many more of these albums to come.
Magnetic Morning have come along to add to the ranks with their self-titled EP, released in conjunction with Record Store Day to show their support--and roots within--the indie underground. The group consists of guitarist Adam Franklin of Swervedriver and drummer Sam Fogarino of Interpol, and although the short Magnetic Morning EP only gives listeners a taste of things to come, the EP boasts some beautifully lush, ambient compositions.
Magnetic Morning starts off with "Cold War Kids," an atmospheric and layered song that loops around situational lyrics ("You and me / Cold War kids"). "Cold War Kids" starts an album that will verge on the edge of experimentation, but won't quite get there; if anything, Magnetic Morning are too subdued for a band that slabs on the reverb and noise. Nevertheless, "Cold War Kids" is a great beginning, and hearkens back to a time when slow and methodical meant dreamy and beautiful. I suppose we can thank the Swervedriver influence for that, because there's certainly a shoegaze ambience to this album that is not afraid to borrow from the past.
The EP continues with "Yesterday's Flowers," a bombastic song with reverberating piano chords, pounding drums, and Franklin's lazy-yet-conscious vocals. "Yesterday's Flowers" is spacy, but still seems grounded; although the piano parts float around in the background and barely hold the song together, the drums and acoustic guitar riffs come to the forefront and take over.
"The Way Love Used To Be" is a tight and accessible Kinks cover that the band revisits in an exciting way. The guitars and percussion take over the dreary backdrop of reverb, and Franklin sings "I know a place where we'll be alone / And we'll talk of life / The way love used to be," suggesting a postivity that puts the ambient noise in a completely different context. "The Way Love Used To Be" is certainly the EP's strongest song, giving the band a potential single and a worthy addition to a future full-length release.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Sounds like an interesting side project Kevin. Nice review too. I'll have to check this one out.
-Glen
2 - josh hunting
A very odd review overall. The writer appears to like the songs but calls them dreary. The lyrics of the KInks cover suddenly place the ambient backing in context - like, umm, huh? And "the basic elements of a potentially good song" are lost (on Don't Go To Dreamstate) and this listener is confused..? The track's very ambient nature is what makes it so enthralling and I don't think a Jack Johnson-like stripping down would make it better at all.
This review falls short - the writer needs time to develop and could do better despite a promising start. 4 out of 10.