Here We Go Magic, “Be Small”

Here We Go Magic
Be Small
SECRETLY CANADIAN
6/10

For Be Small, Here We Go Magic decided to forgo the big-name studio help and try their hand at production duties themselves. Whereas famed producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Paul McCartney, Beck) developed a deep, natural tone for 2012’s A Different Ship, this new record boasts a decidedly and deliberately affected sound. The album’s eleven tracks are drenched in thick, delicate layers of tonal electronics and vocal melodies clearly inspired by Brian Eno. Fortunately, the record does not pretend to mimic the behemoth musical icon, but instead borrows and adapts Eno’s signature sound to further develop the band’s own. Admittedly, this style can exhaust, especially when the band’s optimism and playfulness overwhelms (“Candy Apple”). However, catchy and intelligent songs persist throughout, like the title track or the intimate and beautiful “Ordinary Feeling,” both of which showcase the band’s musical prowess and evolving production skills. What stings about Be Small, though, is that its incredibly catchy and glossy sound suggests an emotional quality that the album at times lacks.