Fredericksburg.com - MAGIC BULLET BAND'S AMBIENCE IN NEED OF A NEW TRAJECTORY

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Reviews


New This Will Destroy You album is no more groundbreaking than their previous release, and does not sound much different
Date published: 2/21/2008

BY ADDISON HERRON-WHEELER

The latest, self-titled album from Magic Bullet Records' This Will Destroy You is not much different from their first effort, "Young Mountain." It contains seven lengthy songs that start out slowly and eventually crescendo into a mighty peak.

While listening to just one track from the album is strikingly epic, after a while it becomes apparent that each track on the album follows the same formula. The group is great at capturing a mood and carrying it through--the only problem is, it is the same mood with every song.

For some people, this may make ideal listening. In my opinion, however, it gets just plain boring after a while. One slow, atmospheric song is chill and fun to listen to; seven are kind of nerve-racking.

Furthermore, TWDY are not the first band to make this kind of music. Their sound is a little too close to that of Explosions in the Sky--a band that got incredibly big in the underground scene last year for their offbeat brand of slow and beautiful rock 'n' roll.

Basically, this is a good album to put on in the background when attempting to do homework or to complete some other task for which you need a soothing, rising sound. But for serious listening and rocking-out pleasure, or to find something truly weird and original, look elsewhere.

In fact, you need look no farther than to other bands on Magic Bullet Records, such as Sparrows Swarm and Sing, or Aughra, which take the whole ambient thing in the directions of bluegrass on one side of the spectrum and techno on the other.

In short, there are plenty of artists out there who do what TWDY is doing, only with a much more original and compelling style.

Addison Herron-Wheeler is a senior at James Monroe High School.



Date published: 2/21/2008



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