Since they first appeared in 2008, Here We Go Magic has been in search of their identity. Front man Luke Temple’s first recordings under this name were lo-fi to their core and the band’s self-titled debut relied heavily on psychedelic flair and folk sensibilities. But by the time their second album came out, 2010’s Pigeons, things had changed quite a bit. Here We Go Magic wouldn’t be just another bedroom recording project, rather they seemed to embrace the challenge of working in a real studio incorporating influences like krautrock and making use of sound collage in their work.
A Different Ship is the third LP from these Brooklynites, and once again it seems Temple & Co. are as restless as ever. In most cases, that’s not necessarily a quality you want to project on a record, but Here We Go Magic seem oblivious to this, happily meandering from one point of reference to the next, and more often than not doing a respectable job. Not to be overlooked are the contributions of producer and Thom Yorke associate Nigel Godrich who does an excellent job tying this variety of sounds into a coherent whole.
The album kicks of with the cacophonous kling and klang of ‘Intro’ before rolling smoothly into ‘Hard To Be Close’ a song that highlights the similarities between Temple and Paul Simon, an artist he is compared to time and again. ‘Make Up Your Mind’ is similarly indebted to the bygone sounds of Americana, but it’s not Paul Simon that I recall when I hear it, the lockstep drumbeat and splashes of guitar more closely resemble the Eagles in their heyday. ‘Alone But Moving’ is a well-titled song, evoking a lonesome drifter on the open road, with Temple lamenting, ‘Alone but moving, that’s good enough for me’.
The second half of the album is much more direct than the first, relying less on wide open spaces and more on determined drum beats and electronics. Lead single ‘How Do I Know’ puts the band’s love of krautrock rhythms on full display, it’s reminiscent of ‘Collector’, the lead single from Pigeons.
The apparent restlessness that marks A Different Ship quickly melts away with repeated listens. Here We Go Magic aren’t restless, rather they have an array of musical tastes, and they want to pay homage to each. This ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ approach serves the band well. Why should they have to focus in on a specific sound or genre now that they’ve been around for a few years? Why not continue to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks? Luckily for Luke Temple and his mates quite a bit stuck this time around.
Grade: B
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