Here We Go Magic
| Here We Go Magic | |
|---|---|
 Performing live in 2009 |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Secretly Canadian, Western Vinyl |
| Website | http://herewegomagicband.tumblr.com/ |
| Members | |
| Luke Temple Michael Bloch Peter Hale Jen Turner Kristina Lieberson |
|
Here We Go Magic is an American indie rock band based in Brooklyn, New York. Formerly the moniker of folk singer Luke Temple. Temple signed to Western Vinyl in 2008, followed in 2009 by the five-piece group's signing to Secretly Canadian.
Contents |
[edit] History
After previously releasing two folk albums under his own name in the mid-2000s,[1] Luke Temple released a self-titled album as Here We Go Magic in February 2009 on Western Vinyl, described by Pitchfork Media as "hazy electronic textures, endlessly-spiraling lyrical loops, occasional forays into extended sections of ambience and noise".[2][3] Temple recorded the album at home on a 4-track recorder, describing the recording: "I just had one tom, one microphone, a synth and an acoustic guitar. I didn’t have a full drum kit or normal bass, it was just all synth stuff that I did myself."[4]
Temple has since expanded the project into a band with musicians Kristina Lieberson (keyboards), Michael Bloch (guitar), Jennifer Turner (bass guitar), and Peter Hale (drums), and they were signed by Secretly Canadian in September 2009.[5][6][7][8] They toured in 2009 with Grizzly Bear and The Walkmen.[9] The second album Pigeons is set for release on June 8, 2010.[10] The first single off Pigeons, "Collector", was rated "Best New Music" by Pitchfork Media on March 18, 2010.[11] The band performed at the SXSW festival in 2009 and again in March 2010,[9] and just completed tours of North America with White Rabbits[12] and Europe with The New Pornographers.[13] In summer 2010 the band played at multiple major festivals including PrimaveraSound, Bonnaroo, Pitchfork, The Great Escape, Latitude, Bestival, and Glastonbury,[14] where Thom Yorke said they were his favorite act of the festival.[15] They ended the year 2010 touring with the Canadian band Broken Social Scene.
[edit] Musical style
The first album, recorded by Temple on a 4-track recorder, has been described as "stream-of-conscious lyrics and swirls of psychedelic, lo-fi noise",[16] and "insistently repetitive grooves and densely layered loops".[17] NPR Music stated that its "colorful swirl of synthesizers and guitars ranges from electronic folk to psychedelia to lo-fi acoustic".[18] Erik Adams, writing for The A.V. Club, saw it as an album of two distinct sides, "one full of hummable, groove-inflected bedroom folk, and the other populated by cascading waves of ambient white noise".[19] Tim DiGravina, reviewing the album for Allmusic described it as "everything but the kitchen sink, stream of conscious composition...taking on a couple different and somewhat incongruous genres, from Afro-beat pop to freak folk to outright noise collages".[20]
The expanded line-up has been described as "psychedelic electro-folk" and walking "the line between ambient hypnotica and melodic indie rock".[7] The Independent, reviewing "Collector" also identified a krautrock influence, stating that the band "channel propulsive krautrock and 1980s indie rock to great effect".[21] Allmusic writer Jason Thurston described the band's sound as an "ethereal collage of indie folk, Baroque pop, plains country (and whatever else strikes their fancy)".[22]
[edit] Discography
- Here We Go Magic (2009), Western Vinyl
- Pigeons (2010), Secretly Canadian
- The January EP (2011), Secretly Canadian
- A Different Ship (May 8th, 2012), Secretly Canadian
[edit] References
- ^ Barteldes, Ernest (2010) "Here We Go Magic", Phoenix New Times, April 15, 2010, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "Here We Go Magic Here We Go Magic", westernvinyl.com, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ Harvey, Eric (2009) "Here We Go Magic Here We Go Magic", Pitchfork Media, March 2, 2009, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "ATH Interviews: Here We Go Magic", austintownhall.com, June 18, 2009, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "Here We Go Magic Sign to Secretly Canadian for Second Album", Pitchfork Media, September 29, 2009, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "Here We Go Magic – “Collector”", Stereogum, March 11, 2010, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ a b Schwartz, Greg M. (2010) "White Rabbits + Here We Go Magic: 14 April 2010 - Austin, TX", PopMatters, April 21, 2010, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "Here We Go Magic Sign With Secretly Canadian", Altsounds.com, October 1, 2009, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ a b Mongillo, Peter (2010) "Here We Go Magic gets a second start with a new album", Austin360.com, April 10, 2010, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "Here We Go Magic Pigeons", secretlycanadian.com, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "Here We Go Magic "Collector"", Pitchfork Media, March 18, 2010, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ Pirnia, Garin (2010) "White Rabbits and Here We Go Magic Drum Together in Chicago" Spinner, April 26, 2010, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ Frisicano, Andrew (2010) "Here We Go Magic playing Zebulon, Maxwell's, SXSW, touring with White Rabbits, New Pornographers - 2010 dates", BrooklynVegan.com, March 4, 2010, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "Here We Go Magic - Collector", This Is Fake DIY, April 19, 2010, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "Review: Here We Go Magic @ Hoxton B&G, Sep 7th", musicmule.co.uk, September 8, 2010, retrieved 2010-10-20
- ^ Levy, Jared (2010) "Here We Go Magic To Release 'Pigeons' This Spring, Give Away New Track, "Collector"", Prefix, March 10, 2010, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ Cramer, Michael (2009) "Here We Go Magic Here We Go Magic", Dusted, February 25, 2009, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "Here We Go Magic: Kaleidoscopic Pop", NPR Music, April 20, 2009, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ Adams, Erik (2009) "Here We Go Magic: Luke Temple gets his sea legs", The A.V. Club, June 28, 2009, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ DiGravina, Tim "Here We Go Magic Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ "The Barometer: Big Star; Chew Lips; Here We Go Magic; Meth - Ghost - Rae; Pimary 1; Suede", The Independent, March 26, 2010, retrieved 2010-05-02
- ^ Thurston, Jason "Here We Go Magic Biography", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-05-02
