 | This article possibly contains original research .(July 2017) |
| Before the Waves | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 8, 2014 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Alex Aldi | |||
| Magic Man chronology | ||||
| ||||
Before the Waves is the second and final album and major label debut by the Boston band Magic Man. It was produced by Alex Aldi [1] and released on July 8, 2014 by Columbia Records. [2] The first single, "Out Of Mind", and the accompanying music video were released May 19, 2014. [3]
In an interview with Sound of Boston, Sam revealed that the sample at the beginning of "Texas" was discovered while digging for records; it was "one of the best things we ever found in those record bins." [4] The band "worked with a bunch of different producers and had a really good connection with Alex [Aldi]", who helped craft the album and track listing in the studio. [5] The drummer, Joey Sulkowski, and bassist, Gabe Goodman of Magic Man at the time did not record (their parts are performed by Larry Gorman and Daniel Radin, respectively). [6]
The artwork for the album and all singles from it are photography by Tobias Hutzler, a British art student whose previous work the band had come across online. [4] The series, commissioned by Sony for the album campaign, [7] uses long exposure to capture the movement of flares and glow sticks in tidal pools and the ocean. [8] The also directed the lyric video for "It All Starts Here", which was originally uploaded to Vevo and YouTube on June 26, 2014 and features footage from the same photo shoot. [9]
Magic Man previously used one of Hutzler's photos for the cover of their EP You Are Here.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Substream |   [10] |
| Slug |   [6] |
The album was met by positive reviews. GQ called the album "12 Tracks of Alt Joy", saying it is "full of solid electric beats, hazy (good hazy) vocals, and synth." [1]
The Boston Globe wrote, "The songs, particularly first single 'Paris,' unfurl with an emphasis on keeping everything light and airy. Frontman Alex Caplow has a similar sweep in his voice, the kind of majestic croon that suggests it will sound perfect in stadium-size sing-alongs", later adding that, "The album puts Magic Man in the same league as other electro-leaning pop bands, from St. Lucia to Sir Sly." [11]
Conversely, SLUG Magazine called them "a summery band—disposable, frothy and lacking true substance or musicianship. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but beneath the transparently '80s-sounding disposable melodies, these tunes lack depth and memorable choruses," and questioned the seriousness of the band, citing the fact that two of the artists on the recording were not members of the band. [6]
Substream Magazine gave the album 4 out of 5, saying, "The album has an energetic sense of urgency, inspiring the listener to never spend one minute sitting still, but to go out and experience everything life has to offer," and further adding, "Besides the story-like lyrics, Before the Waves would not be the polished product it is without the magical sounds of their ever present synth, which adapts to fit the mode of any song." [10]
Sound of Boston gave the album an 8.3 out of 10, noting that "Before the Waves thrives in a classic indie-pop space: a portrait of the best parts of youthful bliss."
All tracks are written by Alex Caplow and Sam Lee
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Texas" | 3:37 |
| 2. | "Apollo" | 3:33 |
| 3. | "Paris" | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Catherine" | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Chicagoland" | 4:22 |
| 6. | "Honey" | 3:43 |
| 7. | "Tonight" | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Every Day" | 3:39 |
| 9. | "Out of Mind" | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Waves" | 3:43 |
| 11. | "Too Much" | 3:56 |
| 12. | "It All Starts Here" | 5:09 |
| 13. | "South Dakota" (Hidden track) | 2:52 |
"Tonight" was featured on the soundtrack to the 2014 EA Sports game FIFA 15 . [12]
On April 8, 2016 Before the Waves (Remixes) was released, which consists of remixes of "Paris", "Out of Mind", and "Tonight" by artists including Walk the Moon, Tokyo Police Club, and The Griswolds. [13]
The movie: The song Out of Mind was played at the end of The Outcasts movie.
Rush is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released on March 18, 1974, in Canada by Moon Records, the group's own label, before it was released internationally by Mercury Records later that year. Recorded five years after the band's formation, this first release shows much of the hard rock sound typical of many of the popular rock bands emerging earlier in the decade. Rush were fans of such bands as Led Zeppelin, Yes and Cream, and these influences can be heard in most of the songs on the album.
Ladytron are an English electronic band formed in Liverpool in 1999. The group consists of Helen Marnie, Mira Aroyo, and Daniel Hunt. Reuben Wu (synthesizers) was a member from 1999 until 2023. They have released seven studio albums: 604 (2001), Light & Magic (2002), Witching Hour (2005), Velocifero (2008), Gravity the Seducer (2011), Ladytron (2019) and Time's Arrow (2023). They also issued the live album Live at London Astoria 16.07.08 in 2009 and the compilation album Best of 00–10 in 2011. They have produced remixes for artists such as Dave Gahan, Erasure, Goldfrapp, Apoptygma Berzerk, Placebo, Blondie, Gang of Four, Christina Aguilera, Nine Inch Nails, Bloc Party, Kings of Convenience, Soulwax and Róisín Murphy.
Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened as Meat Beat, Manifesto or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens that was formed in 1987 in Swindon, United Kingdom. The band, fronted by Dangers, has proven versatile over the years, experimenting with techno, breakbeat, industrial, dub and jazz fusion while touring the world and influencing major acts such as Nine Inch Nails, the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy. Some of the band's earlier work has been credited with influencing the rise of the trip hop, big beat, and drum and bass genres.
Gregory A. Hawkes is an American musician who is best known as the keyboardist and founding member of the American new wave band The Cars. Hawkes is credited with helping popularize new wave and synth-pop in American popular music as a member of The Cars. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest keyboardists of all time.
God Module is an American dark electronic band founded in 1999 from Orlando, Florida. Since 2006 they have been based out of Washington state. God Module is currently signed to Metropolis Records.
Tracks of Life is an album by the American musical group the Isley Brothers, released in 1992. The group was made up of Ernie Isley and Marvin Isley backing up brother Ronald. The album peaked at No. 140 on the Billboard 200 and No. 19 on the Top R&B Albums chart. "Sensitive Lover" was released as a single.
The Framework was a new-wave inspired indie-rock band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in late 2006. In January 2007, the band's song "She Thinks I'm Famous" was a finalist in the Radiostar Songwriting Contest sponsored by Mix 99.9. Shortly after forming, the band received press in high-profile publications, including Metro Daily and InsideE Magazine. The Framework headlined both Canadian Music Week and NXNE in Toronto in 2008 and were named one of five top acts by InsideE Magazine.
the WANDAS are an American rock band based out of Boston, Massachusetts, composed of Keith McEachern, Brent Battey, Ross J. Lucivero, and William Bierce.
Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin is the eighth studio album by Brian Wilson, released on August 17, 2010 by Walt Disney Records as part of the Disney Pearl Series. The album consists of covers of ten George and Ira Gershwin songs, bookended by passages from Rhapsody in Blue, along with two new songs completed from unfinished Gershwin fragments by Wilson and band member Scott Bennett.
Typhoon is an American indie rock band based in Portland, Oregon. Led by singer-songwriter Kyle Morton since its founding in 2005, the band is anchored by bassist Toby Tanabe, guitarist Dave Hall, drummer Alex Fitch, and violinist/vocalist Shannon Steele and has been noted for its large size, boasting up to fourteen members in its past. They have released five albums and two EPs, also contributing to a number of compilations. Their most recent album, Underground Complex No. 1 was released on April 15, 2022.
"Easy" is an electropop/new wave song performed by Canadian band Dragonette. The song was written and produced by Dragonette for their second studio album, Fixin to Thrill (2009). It serves as the album's final single. The track was remixed by a number of producers, including Fabian and Buffetlibre, and the latter of which appeared on Dragonette's remix album "Mixin to Thrill".
"The Wave" is a song performed by Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow. It was released as the second single from the band's second studio album Happy to You (2012) on 14 May 2012, through Axtone, Columbia, Downtown and Universal Republic. The song was written and produced by the band. Musically, "The Wave" is an electropop song with marching band influences and autoharp, military drum and piano instrumentation. It features Swedish musician Gustav Ejstes on autoharp and the Swedish Army drum corps on military drums.
Capital Cities is an American pop duo from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2008 by Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian. Their debut EP was released on June 7, 2011, with lead single "Safe and Sound" which became their first, and only, top ten hit single. The band currently consists of Ryan Merchant, Sebu Simonian, Manny Quintero on bass guitar, Spencer Ludwig on trumpet, Nick Merwin on guitar and Channing Holmes on drums.
"Doin' It Right" is a song written and performed by French electronic music duo Daft Punk and American musician Panda Bear of the band Animal Collective. It is a track on Daft Punk's fourth studio album Random Access Memories (2013), and was the last to be recorded for the album. The song was distributed to American alternative radio stations on 3 September 2013 as the third single from Random Access Memories. Prior to this, it appeared on record charts in France, the United States and the United Kingdom due to digital downloads of the album. "Doin' It Right" received a positive critical reception, with some reviewers opining it as the group's best work out of the entire LP.
Magic! is a Canadian reggae fusion band based in Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist/producer Nasri Atweh, guitarist/keyboardist Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer, and bassist Ben Spivak. Active since 2012, the band is signed with Latium, Sony, and RCA Records, releasing their debut studio album Don't Kill the Magic in 2014, their second studio album Primary Colours in 2016, and their third studio album Expectations in 2018. They are best known for their hit single "Rude", which charted at No. 1 in several countries worldwide, including the US and UK.
"Midnight" is a song by British rock band Coldplay for their sixth studio album, Ghost Stories (2014). It was written and produced by band members Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin, with production assistance from Paul Epworth, Daniel Green, and Rik Simpson, and co-production from Jon Hopkins, who also received songwriting credits. A music video was released on 25 February 2014 as teaser for the then-unannounced album, while a promotional 7-inch vinyl single was pressed by Parlophone for Record Store Day on 17 April 2014.
Magic Man was a two-piece American major label electronic rock band from Boston, formed in 2010 by Alex Caplow (vocals) and Sam Lee. They later added high school friend Gabe Goodman (bass) and college friends Justine Bowe (keyboards) and Joey Sulkowski (drums), enabling the New England–based group to become a full-fledged band. They released the EP You Are Here in September 2013, followed by their first major full-length release, Before the Waves, on July 8, 2014, under Columbia Records. On July 10, 2015, Magic Man announced the departure of Goodman, Bowe, and Sulkowski, returning to their original two-piece lineup.
"The Only Way Out" is a 2014 song by British rock band Bush, released on 9 September 2014, through Zuma Rock Records. Produced by Jay Baumgardner and recorded at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California, it was the lead single from their sixth album Man on the Run. According to songwriter Gavin Rossdale, the song is "a good gateway into the record ... it gets a bit wider and probably a little darker. This is just the right way in."
55 is the debut studio album written and produced by New York City-based electronic music duo the Knocks and was released via Neon Gold and Big Beat on March 4, 2016. It features vocals and collaborations from the likes of Fetty Wap, Cam'ron, Wyclef Jean, Carly Rae Jepsen, Matthew Koma, Magic Man, Alex Newell, POWERS, Phoebe Ryan, Justin Tranter, Walk the Moon, and X Ambassadors.
Pile is an American indie rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Starting as the solo act of Rick Maguire in the late 2000s, Pile has been a collective since the release of Magic Isn't Real in 2010. To date, Pile has released seven full-length albums. In recent years the band has gained increasing popularity, becoming a prominent part of the Boston indie rock scene and frequently touring through both the US and Europe. While remaining outside of the mainstream, the band has been repeatedly recognized for captivating a particularly enthusiastic and dedicated fan base. Their sound has been described by The Village Voice as a "distinct blend of melted guitars" with "howling-wolf vocals and shred-free guitar harmonies".
