Magic Castles
Magic Castles
Album · Rock · 2012 · 'a' Records
Armed with an endorsement from The Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe, a Farfisa organ, and enough psychedelic drones to zonk out an entire cast of lava lamp–worshipping retro-delia music fans, Magic Castles tilt toward the windmills of our minds with a style reminiscent of The Massacre, Spacemen 3, and many other hardcore stoner bands. There's a deliberately primitive approach at work, with atonal guitar leads surfing above the repetitive Velvet Underground-like rhythms and chord patterns, so listeners can enjoy the amateurish qualities without queasiness. There's a hypnotic noise to "Death Dreams," a gentle wandering to "Now I'm a Little Cold," and a monk-like holiness to the eight-minute "Ballad of the Golden Bird," where all the group's aspects come to the fore: drones, chants, and basement psychedelia. This Minneapolis-based sextet has self-released three out-of-print albums since 2006, and this "double album" makes a strong case for Magic Castles' divine inspiration.
Magic Castles
Magic Castles
Armed with an endorsement from The Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe, a Farfisa organ, and enough psychedelic drones to zonk out an entire cast of lava lamp–worshipping retro-delia music fans, Magic Castles tilt toward the windmills of our minds with a style reminiscent of The Massacre, Spacemen 3, and many other hardcore stoner bands. There's a deliberately primitive approach at work, with atonal guitar leads surfing above the repetitive Velvet Underground-like rhythms and chord patterns, so listeners can enjoy the amateurish qualities without queasiness. There's a hypnotic noise to "Death Dreams," a gentle wandering to "Now I'm a Little Cold," and a monk-like holiness to the eight-minute "Ballad of the Golden Bird," where all the group's aspects come to the fore: drones, chants, and basement psychedelia. This Minneapolis-based sextet has self-released three out-of-print albums since 2006, and this "double album" makes a strong case for Magic Castles' divine inspiration.
