Live Review: Magic Castles @ 9:30 Club, 8/22/12

In the days leading up to the Brian Jonestown Massacre show at the 9:30 Club, I scanned the world wide web to bone up on my Magic Castles knowledge, seeing as they were to begin the evening on that wonderful Wednesday evening. As it happens, the Minneapolitans were hand-picked by the one and only Anton Newcombe, which gave me confidence in their awesomeness even before I listened to a single song of theirs. Digging deeper, I listened. And it all began to become clear.

Clearer still, friends, when the band took the stage and began to play. It all made perfect and crystalline sense as to what exactly Magic Castles was doing on this bill. They had already started to play when I walked up to the club, under dark, cloudy skies, and the pulsating drone and mesmeric sounds drew me as so many moths had been drawn to a million lights. It proved a match made in musical Utopia, this pairing of Minnesotans and the rambling assemblage that comprises the BJM on any given day. Breathy, slightly off-kilter vocals sounded so very good against huge waves of beautiful, raw noise. What a pretty, pretty mess they made indeed, my loves.

It was, at times, like having thoughts removed from my head and replaced with nothing but the songs of Magic Castles, surgically and without protest. I felt as though complete, coherent thoughts were but a memory, and all that existed was this time, this place, and this band. Their set passed so quickly, I felt as though I had hardly begun to hear what they could do. The proclamation that there was but one song left caused a sinking sensation in my stomach, though it was a dandy way to go out, that "Emory's Memories" ditty, all kicky and trippy and magical.

When it was all over, I caught my breath and tried to process what I had just witnessed. I was all sorts of impressed, and hope to see this band of mystics again in the near, near future.

mp3: Emory's Memories (Magic Castles from Magic Castles)

[photo copyright Megan Petty]