"Don't let the sun be the one to change you baby
I wanna learn how to love, if I'm to know
Cause I wanna go where the people go
Cause I'm forever lost..." - Forever Lost
I have the funniest ways of finding new music. I first heard of The Magic Numbers from Blender magazine, when it pegged TMN's album as the CD they were "totally gay" for. I didn't jump on the opportunity at that moment, but I did download "Forever Lost" and "Mornings Eleven" for future reference.
The Magic Numbers consist of 2 pairs of siblings, Romeo & Michele Stodart and Sean and Angela Gannon. Romeo is the catalyst; the band begins with him. He is the main songwriter and has co-produced this record. He is also the lead vocalist, and his delivery comes across as warm and charming. The melodies and, more notably, the harmonies conjure up comparisons to The Lovin' Spoonful. The lyrics are meaningful as well, speaking of heartbreak and love lost enveloped by sunny day harmonies. Very Beach Boys-like. 
From L to R: Sean Gannon, Angela Gannon, Romeo Stodart, Michele Stodart
When I first started listening to "Forever Lost" and "Mornings Eleven," I found them to be incredibly addicting. I'm a sucker for a good lyric and melody + harmony, so The Magic Numbers was a good catch. After a few more listens to their debut, I was drawn to "I See You, You See Me," a token he said/she said. Not in the argument sense, but the song is split between Romeo Stodart and Angela Gannon, who comes up from the land of background of vocals to take joint lead. The result is a story being told by two people. It's definitely a shining moment on the album when Angela takes lead vocal.
This is a good debut; promising. The harmonies are lovely, and Romeo has some impressive lyrical chops. I'm sure that another one of the songs off this album will embed itself into my musical memory; it's that sneaky. This is a band that I will keep an eye out for.
7/10.
Get these, I'm serious: Mornings Eleven; Forever Lost; I See You, You See Me
2 comments:
I kept seeing this band mentioned in the margins of music mags for months...literally. No major feature articles, just those little highlighted snippets found in those little colored boxes buried at the bottom of page corners. I forgot about them...thanks for the reminder!
i was kind of excited to see them in that "little corner," because i knew who they were, for once!
no prob! hope you like em!
Post a Comment