It’s been nine years since The Magic Numbers released their eponymous debut, all twee-indie folk-pop. It’s also nine years since the group have managed anything that could possibly compare with that first outing.
Those The Brokes, released in 2006, and 2010’s The Runaway suggested a band struggling to expand its sound. String sections, fuzzy guitars and entire prog-style progressions were shoehorned into an aesthetic that is best kept simple and pared down. Alias is more of the same: it’s a fitting title, given the identity crisis The Magic Numbers are wrestling with.
‘Thought I Wasn’t Ready’ sounds like some sort of Broadway showtune; ‘E.N.D.’ is an ill-advised venture towards disco. Other tracks are muddled, as if – in the absence of one clear idea for a song – they decided to use about four.
To be fair, the album has its moments. The Americana of lead single, ‘Shot In The Dark’, is certainly impressive, and the lush vocal harmonies that first caught the ear are still present and correct. There is the occasional point where you think they might really be onto something, but then you realise it’s a 20 second coda to a six minute song. In the end, this 11 track, 51 minute record would have benefited hugely from being 15 minutes shorter and sharper.
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