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Avg: 4.0 (76 ratings)
- Date Released: September 9, 1997
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Matador
50,000,000 elvish fans can't be wrong.
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We Say...
After 1995's well-recieved Dirt of Luck, which explored the Madonna-whore complex through an impressionistic (but scratched) lens and an impressive array of distortion pedals, Helium leader/songwriter Mary Timony fully gave in to her baroque side, coding her lyrics in fantastical language and flexing her fanciful prog-guitar style. The mythologies on 1997's The Magic City — of unicorns and ladies of the fire and "ancient crymes" — hadn't been conceived with such floridity since Genesis lost Peter Gabriel, but were executed with stompbox crackles of indie rock and spaceship aspirations of Can. (However, on the small- to mid-level touring circuit, Helium eschewed the costume-and-fog machine conceit; Timony's stage presence is notoriously deadpan.) Adding Polvo's Ash Bowie on bass (songwriting-wise, the elvish knight to her maiden fair), the band explored styles from the Middle Ages (the proper jingle-clang of harpsichord introduces "Devil's Tear" and "Blue Vein Soda") to the future (on "Medieval People" and the arpeggios-in-space, eight-minute epic "Revolution of the Hearts Parts I & II"). Timony's haunting, softly raspy alto linchpinned her guitar flourishes, and lyrics like "All of our friends in LA love me more than you" serve as checkpoints: this isn't a parallel universe in 1452. It's the late '90s, and sarcasm rules, even in fantasy land.
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They Say...
The No Guitars EP suggested that Helium was expanding their sound past the wonderful, angular indie rock of The Dirt of Luck, and The Magic City confirms that suspicions. A rich, colorful array of sounds, The Magic City blends lo-fi indie-rock with '70s prog rock. Mary Timony is a sharp songwriter, and she balances her instrumental excesses with remarkable introspective lyrics. Surprisingly, the sitars, keyboards, and harpsichords are not indulgences -- they're integral to the sound of the record, making The Magic City sound alternately fantastical and frightening. It's an impressive leap forward, confirming Helium's status as one of the '90s' best indie-rock bands.
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| 01. |  |
Vibrations |
2:48 |
|
| 02. | |
Leon's Space Song |
3:01 |
|
| 03. | |
Ocean Of Wine |
4:06 |
|
| 04. | |
Aging Astronauts |
3:11 |
|
| 05. | |
Medieval People |
4:10 |
|
| 06. | |
Lady Of The Fire |
2:21 |
|
| 07. | |
Lullaby Of The Moths |
3:11 |
|
| 08. | |
The Revolution Of Hearts Parts I & II |
8:03 |
|
| 09. | |
Ancient Cryme |
3:57 |
|
| 10. | |
Cosmic Rays |
4:00 |
|
| 11. | |
Devil's Tear |
2:49 |
|
| 12. | |
Clementine |
2:33 |
|
| 13. | |
Blue Vain Soda |
1:52 |
|
| 14. | |
Walk Away |
5:59 |
|
14 Total Tracks, 52:01 Total Length
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Credits
- Chris Stamey - Editing // Chris Stamey - Pro-Tools // Helium - Producer // Helium - Main Performer // Mitch Easter - Guitar // Mitch Easter - Mandolin // Mitch Easter - Percussion // Mitch Easter - Pedal Steel // Mitch Easter - Vocals (Background) // Mitch Easter - Producer // Mitch Easter - Engineer // Mitch Easter - Slide Guitar // Mitch Easter - Mixing // Shawn - Drums // Ash Bowie - Bass // Andrew Emmett - Violin // Viceroy - Drums
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