mp3/CD Review: Here We Go Magic by Here We Go Magic

Here We Go Magic's first album is a satisfying indie rock work that pushes the boundaries of traditional pop structures with interesting production and music while most of its songs stay comfortably enough within those pop boundaries to be accessible to most listeners.

There are some tracks that go outside these boundaries such as

"Babyohbabyijustcantstanditanymore", "Ahab", and "Nat's Alien" but these are more instrumental jams/experiments than regular lyric based songs. Ahab in particular is very cool and reminds me slightly of Pink Floyd's "Any colour you like" with the addition of some chanting the background.

The other tracks, especially "Tunnelvision" (which definitely sounds a little like Thom Yorke) and "only pieces" are quirky but infectiously catchy indie-pop songs. "only pieces" is probably my favorite track off the entire album which combines harmonic vocals, acoustic guitar playing, and a tastefully used synth arpeggio to create a beautiful sound.

The album didn't blow me away but it was pretty good. I expect even better work from these guys in the future.

My favorite Bird-influenced indie band from Texas of 2008

Rook is the latest album from the curiously bird-themed, Austin Texas band, Shearwater (also the name of a stiff-winged seabird). I'm not familiar with any of their earlier stuff so I have nothing to compare it to but the first song I heard from Rook (also a bird) was the snow leopard in which Jonathan Meigburg's angelic falsetto made me think immediately of Thom Yorke. Even the music in the snow leopard reminds me of a Radiohead song (Pyramid Song; tell me if you disagree). I've heard people call Meiburg's vocals overly dramatic but seriously fuck them, they're just jealous.