Boston based indie low fi pop duo, Magic Man, has bestowed onto the world a debut LP, Real Life Color. Their myspace claims that the album was written in various parts of France when members Sam and Alex were participating in volunteer farming. Damn, I was totally thinking about going to France and doing that. Then I forgot.
Swell Song, the album’s opening is an inviting instrumental that is true to its name, slowly swelling into the first lyrically driven song, Monsters. Very early on the listener is introduced to the texture this album sits comfortably in throughout. Programmed bass kicks, wandering synthesizers and most notably, an overall sonic environment as thick as molasses.
Now we cut to the chase. Do you like The Postal Service? Yes? Then go download this album for whatever price you choose using the link below. Now ask me a question. Do you like pigeonholing bands in your reviews? Answer, no. And don’t ask me if I’m a hypocrite, enough with the questions.
But it’s undeniable; The Postal Service cannot go without being named in this review, multiple times. And that’s because after exploring Real Life Color, I can’t help but feel that the Service did most of this stuff already.
If you listen to this album, you will hear some songs that take a step out of the P.S. aesthetic. Songs like Layers, Next, and Darling (Reprise) move in an avant-garde realm with hints of Animal Collective. To my ears, this is where Magic Man starts hitting home runs. And I mean that; Darling (Reprise) is going on the next mix I send to a girl I’m trying to impress with my knowledge of new music. See Radical Honesty.
In the end Magic Man pulls of this indie electro pop thing very, very well. The production of the album is flawless. The vocals are fantastic. In fact, I think it’s an improvement from whine of Ben Gibbard. Magic Man has obviously shown a lot of talent with this debut LP, but it is always my preference to fall for a band I have trouble pigeonholing. So I return to the question that will likely determine how much you enjoy this album.
Do you like The Postal Service? I don’t, but I still give this album a 7.1 because I still believe it is a cut and a half above a lot of things floating around in the underground.
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