A Psych- Surf Rock Album Release from Magic Machine

A wild new album release from Magic Machine has recently dropped, and this thing brings together some of the best elements of what I would consider to be Surf and alternative rock, cinematic and theatrical undertones, psychedelic sounds and approaches, and a garage feel and aesthetic.

Each individual track brings something a little bit fresh to the table, and there are loads of surprises around the corners of this release, so I would heavily suggest listening to this thing from start to finish.

The record starts with "Pieces of My Brain" which gives off a kind of old western vibe with insanely twangy guitars that are just lightly fuzz toned, giving a little bit of edginess but loads of melody, vocals that are drenched in a megaphone like effect that adds more of the theatrical feel and still comes across with that surf rock songwriting style and performance.

The guitar work across this record is absolutely standing and is one of the most addictive aspects about the entire thing. Again, there's a lot of surf elements to it, so that also brings the twangy tonalities to life, and there's so much color and flavor embedded in the veins of this record that songs become very infectious and bright.

The whole thing does boast a lot of sonic drive. When they want to get a little heavier and dirtier, they do. This first track is an amazing introduction to the record because it sort of gives you some of the staples that you can expect to hear throughout the rest of it.

However, having said that, I again would suggest you listen to the entire thing from start to finish because listening to only one or two tracks from this release does not give you the full spectrum of what the album has to offer.

As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of surprises around its corners.

Tracks like "Trouble On My Mind" come through as an absolute whirlwind of thriving energy and tone.

You have rolling snares, high intensity, and loads of guitar melodies. At times, the guitars themselves sound almost like they're horn sections. For them to be able to pull things like that off, they are really experimenting with their sounds and their tones, which makes the record so outside the box at times that it sort of slaps you in the face.

Another element about this album that really hits hard is the energy level overall. The record feels almost as if it was recorded live on the floor, and everyone involved was feeding off of each other the entire time.

It's like watching a live performance. The songs put you right there in the moment, and that energy wraps itself around you and pulls you right into the songs.

Now, the album is called Rainbow Road, and three tracks on the record are titled the same: parts one, two, and three.

Each one of these is completely different than the next but still connects.

The first part is theatrical to me. It's got pianos, the sounds of birds chirping, the drumming is just outstanding, giving you lively, almost jazz approaches, and it's just a track that you don't expect.

That's another thing about the record. By the time you get halfway through it, you just begin to expect the unexpected.

All three of the rainbow road tracks on this record jam out with the same sort of melodies but in different approaches.

I found this to be super intriguing, and it really does showcase how experimental the band really is.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a heavy level of psychedelic rock flowing throughout this record as well. It's a very tripped-out album, but everything falls right into place.

These guys can bring together elements of color and edginess, subtlety and rambunctiousness, all in one shot.

One of my favorite tracks on the record is actually the closing one called "Mrs. Magic", which is a song that literally captures this amazingly vintage aesthetic. A lot of this is due to the organs and keys, but also the guitar work. There is so much inspiration from classic rock and pop infused throughout the record as well, that it reminds you of certain bands you grew up listening to.

This track makes me think of the Beach Boys.

So, throughout the record, there are vocals, and they are treated almost like an instrument themselves. The vocalist gives an animated sort of theatrical feel with his approach, and it gives things a different overtone at specific times throughout the play through of the album.

I never found myself getting too wrapped up in the lyrical content here, but more in how the vocals were actually performed. They do feel a bit robust at times, and other times they are a little bit more subtle, but they seem to match the energy levels and tones with the guitars a lot of the time.

This was a very cool record and something completely refreshing.

It's been a long time since I've heard an album that infused so many psychedelic and surf rock elements in one and was able to capture vintage aesthetics the way that these guys did it.

Everything was really quite an experience, and if you listen to the record from start to finish, you can tap into that full experience the way it was meant to be heard.

This is an album that you're supposed to put on headphones or just turn up loud and listen to all the way through.

So, take a deep dive into this and remember where you heard it first.

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