“I’m the last one you might expect to be here to interject,” Mike Quinn sings in “The Devil Has A Heart,” near the end of “Magico,” his first solo album. It’s a sentiment with which you’ll likely agree if you’re familiar with Mike. He’s been a consummate team player with bands like Okay Paddy and And The Moneynotes who always seemed to hint at a distinctive individualistic streak that might best be explored solo. If we look at “Magico” as an interjection, then, it should be taken as a welcomed interruption. The 10 songs are homespun observations and musings, peppered with snapshots of life’s little moments and politely proffered advice. Fans of Quinn’s previous work within band contexts will delight in some of the quirk, both musically and lyrically, but he never ventures too far afield -- tunefulness always tethers the tracks to the here and now.
“Magico’s” lo-fi production -- a technique that in lesser hands might come off as a forced stylistic put-on -- serves the songs well, which draw from a deep well of folk, indie and country rock. You might notice hints of Bob Dylan or The Band, or more modern artists like Pavement, and Quinn deftly swirls these influences into his genre-less approach. It should also be noted that his fondness for wordplay is evident, not only in what he wrote but how he sings it: witness his ability to get inside a word and playfully stretch it out, like “stanchion” and a three-syllable “terribly,” both in opener “Big Shit.”
It’s not all fun and games, though; “Magico” is an album with soul, and you’ll hear that occasional unrestrained emotionalism in a song like “When I See You Coming,” “Magico’s” closing track.
Quinn, who recorded the album in the summer of 2010 at Gold Bar, his home studio, has historically been surrounded by superb and forward-thinking musical companions, and that’s the case again on “Magico.” Contributors to the record include his longtime collaborator -- and cousin -- Pat Finnerty (Okay Paddy, And The Moneynotes), as well as Shane O’Hara (Lewis & Clarke, The Minor White), Nick Krill (The Spinto Band) and Pappy Biondo (Cabinet).
“Magico” is something of a multimedia project, with a series of videos corresponding to each song to be released. The videos are the work of filmmakers Andrew Fitzgerald and Pat Ganley, who in addition to their long-form work have also created videos for defunct but missed bands The Teeth and Okay Paddy.
“The last one you might expect”? Quite likely. But magic is all about exceeding expectations, and the same goes for “Magico,” an album that defies definition and delivers the sublime.
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Releases:
MAGICO
[PQR010 - Digital] - Out Now
Cover Art:
Hi Res / Web Res
Select Press: coming soon
Mp3 :
Big Shit mp3
Video: