No longer ‘Forever Lost’, The Magic Numbers are on their own journey.
by Eric FitzGerald
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THE Magic Numbers released their fourth album ‘Alias’ in August. It is their most mature work to date. There is a lush sound on the record and the lyrical themes are dark; most of the material was written as Romeo Stodart was coming out of a long-term relationship. The themes may be melancholy but the music is a joyous melting pot of influences. ‘Thought I wasn’t Ready’ has the classic Phil Spector 1960’s wall of sound, ‘Wake Up’ takes its cue from Mercury Rev’s Deserters Songs. There is some fine guitar shredding on ‘Shot in the Dark’ with a Neil Young energy on the outro. The recent single ‘E.N.D.’ could be The Magic Numbers first disco tune.
Romeo tells Limerick Post that the band rehearsed the songs at length before going into the studio in order to get those terrific “as live” performances in every song before adding strings and orchestration to complete the album.
“It has a lot more conviction than the other records, in rounding off the songs and making the songs sit well in the album.”
‘Alias’ is the band’s fourth album. It is ten years since they recorded the first album.
“It’s pretty crazy to think it is already ten years. I wish we had released more records in the time. But such is life.”
The Magic Numbers as musicians and people are a very different group from when they started out. As well as the four albums released by the band, bassist Michele Stodart made a country music inspired solo album in 2012, ‘Wide Eyed Crossing’.
Her brother Romeo has recorded guitar and banjo with Spiritualized and joined Damon Albarn’s project Africa Express which unites artists from around the globe with African musicians. “I played guitar with Damon Albarn on the Africa Express project. I got to tour in Africa with Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass. We jammed for 12 hours a day with a stream of African musicians and we did the performance at the end that was all improvised.”
Romeo describes the performance as a “crazy four hour show of massive amazing highs and real lows,” as the band would at times muddle its way in no particular direction and then out of nothing create amazing crescendos of sound.
Romeo who was brought up in Trinidad before moving to London via New York, returned from his travels in Africa rejuvenated and ready to make a new Magic Number’s record. The break from his own band helped him to realise why he is on this quest. “A reaffirmation of what it is you are in music for. That you are on the right track.”
The extra curricular activity has fed into The Magic Numbers new record ‘Alias’, the band’s best work since the huge commercial success of the band’s eponymously titled debut album and mega hit single, ‘Forever Lost’.
“We are a very different band now. When I wanted to make this record I wanted to be sure that we weren’t repeating ourselves. When you start playing music you just want people to hear it. Of course you need an audience to do that but then when you have achieved some success or whatever, you realise at the same time why you are doing it. It is your own thing, it is your own journey. I think the longer you are making music and you still enjoy it and love it, then you learn more and more.”
The upcoming Limerick show is a full electric show. They played an acoustic gig here two years ago. Alongside the new album the band will revisit previous material.
“On the acoustic tour we realised which of our songs were the strongest. We are doing new arrangements of the older songs, like ‘Take a Chance’ has this whole new intro which makes the song better. You will see a different group that still has those things that you loved.”
Romeo recommends that you get to the gig early and catch their support band The Goat Roper Rodeo Band. They are two brothers and a friend from North Wales.
Romeo says they are, “the real deal” and the Irish crowd will like them: “Great singers great songs. They are the kind of guys that will just break into song in a pub, you know.”
With special guests The Goat Roper Rodeo Band, The Magic Numbers play Dolan’s Warehouse on Monday December 1.
