I am sorry to say this but I
think that most are not going to be completely blown away by The
Magic Numbers' Those The Brokes. With their second full length,
which is the follow-up to last year's stellar self titled debut, the band
has shifted gears and instead of giving people another set of immaculately
crafted melodic indie pop they have slowed things down and removed a bit of
the bubblegum that was present in the debut. I think it was a
brilliant move to roll out something different and I am more then satisfied
with the album but I have a feeling that there will be a lot of people who
are ultimately disappointed that all 13 tracks are not instant sing-a-long
types. Don't get me wrong though as there are a few tracks like
Take A Chance, This Is A Song, and the beach worthy Undecided
that inspire some immediate humming but in general the disc is full
of slow moving songs that require some patience, especially with a number of
run times that exceed five minutes. I know the band's debut album had
a number of longer songs on it but they were so upbeat and full of energy
that they felt like were three minutes long. It's too bad that isn't
the case on Those The Brokes but for those of you that are willing to
spend some time with it you will see that it is far from disappointing and
is one of the best albums of the year.
:The
Magic Numbers - Undecided:
I love how this song confuses the hell out of me. The mood of
it feels like the more bubblegum pop inspired songs from the debut album but
at the same time it's less energetic and more focused on grooving then
anything else. The best part is that it is that type of groove that
makes you imagine yourself out on the beach with a bunch of friends as the
sun is setting in the background. The vocals show a hint of something
that would have been on the debut as well but they are completely backwards
as Michele takes Romeo's spot in the lead and vice versa. It is
strange, refreshing, lovely and a whole lot more; check it out now.
:The Magic Numbers - Most Of The Time:
After I listened to the album all the way through this was the first song
that I chose to revisit. I think I chose to go back to this song first
because it is an interesting blend of the band's melodic indie pop sound
from the debut album and the slight beach vibe that pops up at different
times in Those The Brokes. On the other hand even with the
beach vibe undertones this feels like a natural evolution for the band's
sound and I think that familiarity also contributed to me wanting to go back
to this song first. As usual Romeo and Michele are beautiful here and
I am convinced that even if the music was awful they could still make it
listenable. This one is recommended for less adventurous TMN fans.
Those The Brokes is only available in the UK right now but if you
need it, and you should, then you can get it
here or you can wait until the disc
releases in the US. Visit the band on
Myspace for some more new songs.
-
John Laird -
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