The Daily Spin, May 2
Magic Man | Before the Waves
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite song from each album right here.
If you want to suggest an album, good news! You can do so right here!
Album: Before the Waves (2014)
Artist: Magic Man
Link:
Triumphantly joyful, Before The Waves is a blessing to the indie rock scene, an album that was woefully passed over and has since moved well up my personal lists as a timeless entry into the genre.
As someone who adores FIFA music, this album is catnip. ‘Tonight’ was featured on FIFA 15’s soundtrack, and if you asked me, ‘Paris’ very easily could have made the roster as well. It’s perfectly structured for a soccer game, enough of a indie feel to differentiate from, say, a NBA 2K or Madden soundtrack, but it’s still got that driving force that EA tends to gravitate towards.
That goes for the whole album, really - it’s disappointing that this group ceased to exist without greater output, because what they did give us is really enjoyable, if not particularly inventive. It’s somewhere between Panama Wedding and Vinyl Theatre, hints of Passion Pit and Smallpools bleeding through. It’s indie rock with those tastes of electronic influence that can do so much for the genre. I love it.
Rating: 8.4/10
Best Tracks: Apollo; Honey; Waves
Worst Tracks: Every Day