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I’ve
listened to this one enough times to know that it’s better than
I ever expected it to be. Why the skepticism? Well, for
starters my skepticism started with the first spin of
Tonight!. I just couldn’t buy that I was hooked on
something this soft. There is nothing wrong with soft music (and
really, this isn’t even that soft), that’s for sure, but pop
rock with a hard edge usually causes dismissal more than a
head-bobbling effect, which is exactly what Tonight! did
time and time again. As far as power and heaviness, let’s just
say Magnet School probably equals the Foo Fighters or any
hard-edged pop rock radio band, except this Austin quartet, in
my majestic opinion, plays it much smarter. So smart indeed
that I doubt a record like Tonight! could make it into
the charts, but that’s mostly because this ain’t you typical all
hooks all the time band.
No sir, no.
Magnet School have this undercurrent that to my untrained ears
tells me that these were musicians in the hardcore scene, then
evolved into the most straight ahead post hardcore realm, only
to brilliantly step up to some sort of post something that is
not really all that hardcore, and not all that poppy either; but
is still both at the same time.
Starting with
the vocals, either guitarist Michael J Wane or guitarist Mark
Ford (not to be confused with the Marc Ford from the Black
Crowes) plays it smoothly, “In Never Lose That Feeling” (a
Swervedriver cover, so you know they know their British music)
he (whoever of those two) delivers it wholesomely, like he is
one of the Beach Boys or something, while on one of the many
highlights “Angeldust” there is more singing with verses that
work towards culminating choruses.
Musicwise,
Magnet School rocks hard, but the band, who produced the record,
has surely been pretty careful with the tones. The guitars for
instance are on the light side, and when they rock distortion is
kept to a minimum. Live, Magnet School gotta be much harder,
with all those hard moments here doubled or tripled in volume
and thickness. There are ten songs here, all
about rocking. No balladry, go check some Nickelback for that.
And lyrically (though I always care very little about lyrics)
most of this stuff seems to fall into the personal relationships
camp. I give my seal of approval. This is a solid record, its
subtle melodies do the trick slowly and that’s the problem I
would see with them breaking into the big leagues. So good luck
having hits. I know is not about that. Plus, I’ve been wrong
many many times. Very very often.
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