Magic Man have just released their debut full length CD Before The Waves, and it’s loaded with energetic, synth-pop fun. Just when you thought this kind of music had died out after the 1980s, Boston’s Magic Man comes on strong with this force of nature album.
Vocalist Alex Caplow has one of those ever so distinct voices, one that rises high enough to be noticed while remaining thick with feeling and expression. With sweet backing vocals from Justine Bowe, swirls of synth melody, chunks of bass, driving drums, and tuneful guitar lines, these songs sound like they’ve already been launched into the stratosphere and we’re all watching something on its way to a bright destiny.
“Texas” opens this new album with a jaunty synth line and a galloping rhythm section. Caplow races through the tune with a burst of energy that can’t be denied. The rhythm section beneath him is full, empowered, a running brace of groove that never stops. The tune slows down a bit to reveal greater sensitivity from Caplow as he nails the feeling of the song while drummer Larry Gorman and bassist Daniel Radin keep the song rocking and full.
“Apollo” has a fuzzy synth line that knocks down all in its wide path. The support beneath the synth has to be huge, and it is. Drums and bass guitar hold it up with a muscular groove that does the song’s heavy lifting. You can dance to this one while feeling the anthemic power. Caplow looms larger than life here. His smooth, easeful vocal glides over all with tremendous lift. His is a personality that cannot get lost in the waves of sound going on around him, making him the ideal front man for this band.
“Paris” has a colder, darker keyboard melody bouncing through its sonic landscape Catchy, gripping, it makes the perfect fodder for Caplow to prance his haunting vocal around. Contrasting his smooth, sensitive vocal with a spring coiled action synth line works wonders to make both more appealing. The obvious hit single for this band, “Paris” sounds like something that should be jumping out of your car’s sound system while you’re cruising down the highway.
Relying more on the electric guitar for its running background rhythm, “Catherine” skips to a merry beat. Sam Lee tosses out some catchy riffs while his band mates offer up their specialty, huge chunks of synth and bass, motivational drumming, and Caplow’s cagey vocal melody.
Abounding with a springy synth line, “Chicagoland” bops along its own skippy beat. The fun, catchy nature of this song makes you want to dance to its bossy beat while following the band’s clever use of technology. This one has a wall of synth sound supported by the usual lift from the rhythm section. It all glides by with a confident ease that dazzles the ear.
“Honey” oozes sweetness. Its breezy appeal comes from a subtle vocal line gliding over a swishy, washy synth line while another programmed keyboard hits brittle percussive notes. That layering makes it hard to not listen to this intriguing ear candy. A swirl of keyboard wraps around Caplow’s warm vocal approach to create cotton candy for the ear. It’s another Magic Man creation that will make you want to listen carefully to discover how they came up with this number.
“Tonight” features a pushy repetition of percussive keyboard notes over a more soft, squishy melody. Drummer Larry Gorman keeps a clever interval of tom tom underneath the whole affair while the contrasting boy-girl vocals keep the ears glued to an interesting chorus. “Every Day” feels like it’s possessed by the 1980s band Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark. It has a similar pulse emanating from its wide, bossy synth line. Making these wide, all-encompassing synth lines the basic rhythm of a song insures it will gather up all in its path, forcing them to dance, party, tap their toes to a larger than life presence.
“Out Of Mind” is a synth-groove processional. A tight partnership between a synth line, and other programming, with a busy rhythm section makes this number travel with caravan strength. Sam Lee’s guitar makes a wiry appearance that leaves one wondering how this band could be even better if they brought up their other instruments in the mix. “Waves” has a more prominent drum beat than most of the tracks on this album. It’s also another track that makes one wonder if Magic Man is only using a portion of their talents. Their recent appearance in Boston found them rocking out harder than they do on this debut album. The other instrumentalists were more prominent in their Pavilion show, and the combination of driving rock musicianship with an abundance of keyboard work was astonishing.
“Too Much” is another with more propulsion from the drum set and bass guitar. The keyboards and synthesizers are more restrained here, and that gives the number a little bit more of a rock edge. Closing out with “It All Stars Here,” Magic Man return to the synth-pop style they began this album with. Caplow is as engaging as ever, an affect he achieves without ever trying to engage. He just puts his smooth, boyish vocal out there, and it draws all to him. A repartition of brittle keyboards run, embraceable, over a speedy groove, and it’s another piece of Magic Man ear candy.
Magic Man is certainly a band on the rise. Their performance last night in Boston testified to that. They could gain an even wider audience if they let their other instruments rise up in the mix to form a partnership with their keyboards and synthesizers rather than hide below the washy waves as support.
