Caught in the Carousel

Magic Bullets

Rising out of the ashes of The Cosmos, San Francisco's Magic Bullets formed in early 2004. With a combined love for such post-punk outfits as the Talking Heads, The Fall, The Sound and Orange Juice, the sextet immediately began writing and recording the material that would make up their auspicious debut A Child But In Life Yet A Doctor In Love.

Mostly recorded by Bart Thurber at House of Faith in Oakland (with additional recording done at The Atomic Garden in East Palo Alto with Jack Shirley), the band's premiere effort is a jumpy blend of cerebral post punk and spasmodic new wave. That being said, whether it's the sneaky rhythms or the idiosyncratic melodies, there are a lot of reasons why A Child But In Life Yet A Doctor In Love is one of the most refreshing albums in recent memory. "Lay Low" sounds like Bows & Arrows-era Walkmen, "Tender Throes" harkens back to The Cure's Pornography and on "Will Scarlet" guitarist Corey Cunningham's brittle, swooning riffs suggest Johnny Marr, while singer Philip Benson's sphinxian lyrics come in bursts of poetic beauty.

The key, it seems, to Magic Bullets' winning gameplan is that they know how to make enigmatic art pop that keeps its many mysteries intact. And at the helm of this mystery you'll find the deliciously hermetical Benson. A rubbery wolf of a frontman, he stalks through each number with a predatory elasticity. Falling somewhere between Bowie and Byrne, Benson comes from the long-forgotten school of esoteric frontmen, those inscrutable sorts who under even the most fixed of gazes, simply become more perplexing. And the more perplexing they become, the more you want to figure them out.

If you want to figure Benson out, good luck. Amidst the watery rhythms of "Yesterday's Seen Better Days" or the new wave march of "Heatstroke," Benson's voice comes in engaging, but inscrutable layers. And that's the way it should be. Part of what made Michael Stipe so appealing on those early R.E.M. albums was that even when you thought for sure you knew how he was, you knew deep down that you really had no idea. Especially lovely here is the closer "Spent Nights," a blast of post-punk balladeering that finds Benson in as close to we get to an unguarded moment: "So go on, act like a child/You know you're difficult to be around/When your eyes get wild." He should know about those wild eyes—it's how he sees the world and then reads it back to us. Who wouldn't get excited?

Magic Bullets

The ever-cheeky Corey Cunningham (Guitar, Wurlitzer) and Matt Kallman (Wurlitzer, Farfisa) were sent by their fellow Magic Bullets to respond to our Consummate Top Ten.

Top 10 Albums That We Might Put On When We Stay In On A Friday Night

1. Altered Images--Pinky Blue
"We put this one on one night incredibly loud at 2 a.m.." -- C
"But that was Monday." -- M

2. Madness--Absolutely
"I think 'Baggy Trousers' is about as much fun as you can put into one song." -- C
"Why more people don't talk about the 'nutty sound' is pure madness! Get on the beat, Pete!" --M

3. The Clean--Compilation
"I left Compilation behind with a girl years ago. I must have reaaaally liked her!" -- M

4. Teardrop Explodes--Kilimanjaro
"You should make sure you get the U.K. version. The U.S. version is a bit different and mixed-up."-- C
"The Cope-man cometh, the Cope-man never does anything ever again better-eth." -- M

5. The Comsat Angels--Waiting For A Miracle
"Ryan and I huddled around his record player listening to this album over and over and air-drumming like crazy one night! Then Phil walked in and asked us if we were on drugs." -- C
"And now my record smells like you guys air-drumming over it. Thanks." -- M

6. The June Brides--There Are Eight Million Stories
"Listen to 'The Instrumental' and you realize you don't have to go out at all." -- C
"Corey loves this band. I think I'm too busy eating Taco Laco each time they come on, so I take his word for it." -- M

7. The Wedding Present--Tommy
"Perfect when you are trying to crowd-surf your hallway or stage-dive off your kitchen counter." -- C
"Possibly the greatest record I've ever heard." -- M

8. Haircut 100--Pelican West
"Favorite Shirts' has elicited some of the goofiest white-guy dancing some of us in MBs have ever attempted." -- C
"If MB recreates an album cover, this one's in the running (probably between this and Huey Lewis' Sports)." -- M

9. The Bodines--Played
"I'd much rather listen to this than that awful self-titled Bunnymen LP." -- C
"I love the BoDeans!" -- M

10. Pylon--Gyrate
"They must've been amazing live." -- C
"No, rock n' roll, no!" - M

Magic Bullets' A Child But In Life Yet A Doctor Yet In Love is out now on Words On Music.

Magic Bullets
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