Here We Go Magic

by Music for Kids Who Can’t Read Good on Mon, 2009/02/09 - 11:23pm Post to Twitter

Brooklyn artists continue to dominate 2009 for me the latest example being Here We Go Magic, the moniker for singer/songwriter, Luke Temple.  I’m not sure why I’ve gone this long without hearing about this guy, especially since Sufjan Stevens and Ben Gibbard have both expressed their admiration for his previous work.  On the debut album for Here We Go Magic, Temple creates a dense world of folk and lo-fi pop experimentation all tied together by his ethereal, otherworldy vocals.

The album highlight is “Tunnelvision” a song which is based on an acoustic progression that repeats throughout the song while layers of vocals build on top and Temple’s falsetto woos the listener.  The vibe I get from this song is something like an airy, transcendent incarnation of The Dodos. The flutters background vocals especially give the feeling of weightlessness on this track.  “Fangala” goes a slightly different direction, honing in on tropical / Afropop influences with the percussion and incorporating eerie synths and a lovely acoustic melody.  Listen to both below and get an advance download of the album at emusic.

MP3 Tunnelvision
MP3 Fangala

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Pitchfork has a nice recap of the Grammy’s, although I think the Jonas Brothers were less this and more this. Also, I thought Radiohead killed it.  if you haven’t watched their performance with the USC marching band yet, you should get on that.