Sonhos sempre foram, são e serão objetos consumo intenso, de contínuos estudos, de permanentes válvulas para todo e qualquer sentimento, e é, exatamente por eles que o duo Magic Wands concebe sua música.
Ouvi-los é algo como estar em um eterno sonho, flutuando as vezes, amando em outras, delirando na maioria das vezes. Dexy e Chris tornaram-se exímios manipuladores de sonhos, desde quando "Magic, Love And Dreams", primeiro EP deles veio ao mundo, até o novíssimo, "Abrakadabra", lançado pela Etxe Records há pouco mais de dez dias atrás.
"Abakadabra" é doce, é cintilante, sutil e apaixonante. Rótulos como dreampop, shoegaze, podem ser logicamente aplicados, mas o que mais se destaque no álbum são os delírios sonhadores, causados pela mágica entre Chris e Dexy.
Faça apenas um favor a você mesmo, e veja, nem é preciso estar de olhos fechados para isso, sonhe, sonhe, sonhe acordado e....boa viagem.
***** Interview with Magic Wands *****
Q. When did Magic Wands start? Tell us about the history... and perhaps your early influences?
Chris: Magic Wands really started when Dexy and I got together our first group of songs which was the Magic, Love and Dreams EP. When we started we were into being very simple with everything. It was just the two of us recording the music and it was done to cassette tape. At the time we listened to a lot of pop music from the 80s since we lived close to an old record store that sold 7”s for only a quarter. We would take $10 and come home with all these records, Tears for Fears, Simple Minds, Human League, stuff like that. We really liked Stacey Q, and the first two Madonna albums. A lot of reviews from then said we sounded like Blondie, and we both like Blondie, but we never would just put on a Blondie record and listen to it. Besides the 80s stuff we were listening to, we also listened to a lot of music from the 40s, all that “Swinging’ on a Star” kinda moonlight romance Big Band music. That, and a ton of old 60s surf music, The Ventures, The Pyramids, Dick Dale…
Dexy: creating music that took us & the listener away from reality, that was the idea.
Q. Who/what are your current influences?
Chris: These days my playlist is all over the place. I love the Eloise Trio. I like a lot of Hawaiian steel guitar music. Jeff Au Hoy is incredible. When I’m working on something that’s not music, I love Vivaldi, his violin concertos especially. I really like Louis Armstrong Hot Fives and Sevens when I’m feeling jazzed up. Steven Halpern is really great when I’m relaxing. And sometimes I’ll just listen to Jimi Hendrix “Peace in Mississippi” one time really, really loud and that’s all the music I need to hear for half the day.
Dexy: I’m into tropical island music & classical with the occasional 80s throwback, talking heads, new order, Ministry
Q. Make a list of your 5 records of all time…
Chris:
!. Dick Dale Bandito
2. Fender IV Margaya
3. Sandy Nelson Casbah
4. Pharos Pintor
5. The Pyramids Penetration
Dexy:
1. The Cure, Head on the Door
2. The Smiths, Meat is Murder
3. Cocteaus Twins, Four Calander Cafe
4. The Cleaners from Venus, Midnight Cleaners
5. The Cranes, Wings of Joy
Q. How do you feel playing live?
Chris: It’s the most fun you can have without laughing.
Dexy: Playing live can be both stressful and euphoric
Q. How do you describe the Magic Wands sound?
Chris: Lovewave, dream pop, rock and roll, hocus pocus
Dexy: silver and violet electricity
Q. Tell us about the process of recording the stunning Abrakadabra album. What made bringing this album to life distinct from past Magic Wands full-lengths?
Chris: We had an amazing time recording Abrakadabra with our friend Phil. The recording was almost entirely done at his studio in downtown Los Angeles. We really tried to push our writing further than we’d done before. We wrote the record mostly as we recorded it. A lot of the songs we’d make the music first and then Dexy would get inspired and write the lyrics. There was a more “Smiths” thing to this record too, especially with the guitars. We were going for a small but huge sound which probably makes no sense. We worked for about 2 months most days, noon until whenever we decided to finish, usually around 11 or 12 at night. We did a lot of songs we didn’t put on the album either.
Dexy: Their was no vision for this album other than I wanted to make something that didn’t sound like an American LA band in 2018 or over-produced. I was thinking more like what would we sound like if we were a band in a basement in the UK in 1987
Q. You've joined a favorite label of ours, Etxe Records, tells what that's been like for you.
Chris: We just started working with Etxe but they are great and already have been really helpful with us getting the new album out.
Dexy: I think this partnership was written in the stars & synchronistic. I’m glad we found each other, having a label that gets what you do & are also talented musicians is good combo.
Q. What´s the plans for future?
Chris: We’ve been touring Europe a lot lately so the plan is to go back there again soon, probably by the end of the year. Also we’ve started recording another album which we plan to finish in the next two months, and we’re looking at touring South America which we're excited to do—we’ve never been before.
Dexy: Trying to live in the moment & create the future we want.
Q. Any parting words?
Chris: Dream on, dream on, dream on, dream until your dream come true
Dexy: If you are looking for treasures, swim deep, these days only the trash floats to the top.
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Thanks
