MAGIC LANTERN/ SUN ARAW

MAGIC LANTERN- HIGH BEAMS (2008)download

Magic Lantern, a noise rock band from Long Beach, California have been cooking up a superb flavor of psychedelic drone delicacy. They are darlings of the beloved Not Not Fun records, whom, in my humble little opinion, are putting out some of the most far out rock music this country has heard in a LONG time. This is some seriously high caliber shit! Pack a bowl and get ready to blast the fuck off!

Not Not Fun are doing an extraordinary job of not only releasing high potency musical drugs for our listening pleasure, but doing so with a serious sense of style. They sell big beautiful LPs as well as cassettes (yes!) which serve as EP style releases. Each cassette has two full sides of experimentalism and creation exploration by the artist, usually something a little different from what is on the records. Cool.

www.notnotfun.com

SUN ARAW- BEACH HEAD (2009)
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Sun Araw is the side project of someone from Magic Lantern, I am not sure who (they are extremely cryptic folks). This album takes the flavor of High Beams, turns down the fuzz, and shoots it a few thousand miles further into the stratosphere and into some kind of cosmic jungle safari. It also, I should note, maintains consistency in incredibly sick album covers from the ML crew. Sun Araw are my favorite act on the Not Not Fun catologe. Eat up.

More from Sun Araw...

SUN ARAW- BOAT TRIP E.P./ LEAVES LIKE THESE CASSETE TAPE

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GENTLE GIANT- OCTOPUS (1972)

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Some music is a piping hot stew of truth and soul that can be very potent to those who have acquired the taste and the fumes of which are repulsive to the desensitized masses who care not to take a taste. It is a combination of time and sound, sure, but it has very little in common with much music you hear while walking through life.

This music, besides preforming whatever function the listener intends it to perform, and besides acting as a gaping illuminated gateway (metaphorically speaking) to nameless emotions and inspirations, somehow art-ic-u-lates the inexpressible ecstaticities of being. The album above is one example of the level of communication that can be achieved when pretense and expectation are erased and things like style and genre are relative to the music, as opposed to music that is a product of its style or genre.

On the shores of actuality you will find ample company. There is much amusement along the boardwalk in the carnival of human folly, and there many hollow conversations to be had. People like to talk about other people, places, things, and, most of all, the past. This can aggravate me and I sometimes have the urge to ship off and try my luck in the ocean of unforeseen happenings.

I sometimes do not enjoy living according to the unspoken code of moral and public decency. Music is the most dangerous, most beneficial, cheapest, most expensive, weakest, most powerful and most addictive drug there is.

My heroes dance on tightropes over this convulsing mess we call society and the media (and more importantly the ugly flowers that bloom from their influence) and the music they create transcends from its sublime origin to the ears of us hopeful land lubbers. We get a little higher the more we listen.

What do you wish and where do you go? Who are you? Where are you from, will you tell me your name? Rest awhile, call me your friend. Please stay with me I’d like to help.