The Magic City (Helium album)

The Magic City is the second and final studio album from American indie rock band Helium.[2][3] It was released in 1997 on Matador Records.[4][5]

The Magic City
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 9, 1997
Recorded1997
GenreIndie rock, alternative rock, post-punk, noise pop
Length51:40
LabelMatador Records[1]
ProducerMitch Easter[2]
Helium
Helium chronology
No Guitars
(1997)
The Magic City
(1997)

Production

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The album was produced at Mitch Easter's Fidelitorium studio, in North Carolina.[6] It was recorded in six weeks.[7] Its sound was influenced by psychedelic and progressive rock,[8] notably King Crimson.[9]

Critical reception

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AllMusic called the album "a rich, colorful array of sounds ... that blends lo-fi indie-rock with '70s prog rock."[10] Magnet wrote: "The album is a Pet Sounds chamber-pop-meets-progressive-rock indie masterpiece, created long before any lo-fi-loving cretin would ever admit to loving Yes’ Close To The Edge, Genesis’ Nursery Cryme or watching Keith Emerson throw daggers into his eight-foot-high synthesizer."[6] New York Magazine praised Timony's "loopy, pensive guitar lines, deceptively offbeat song structures, and quirky vocal style."[11]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Vibrations"2:46
2."Leon's Space Song"2:59
3."Ocean of Wine"4:04
4."Aging Astronauts"3:08
5."Medieval People"4:08
6."Lady of the Fire"2:19
7."Lullaby of the Moths"3:09
8."Revolution of Hearts, Pt. 1 & 2"8:01
9."Ancient Cryme"3:55
10."Cosmic Rays"3:58
11."Devil's Tear"2:46
12."Clementine"2:31
13."Blue Rain Soda"1:50
14."Walk Away"5:59
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [10]
Chicago Tribune    [12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [5]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[13]
Pitchfork Media8.5/10[14]
Spin8/10[15]


Personnel

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  • Mary Timony - Guitar, Vocals, Chamberlin, Keyboards
  • Ash Bowie - Bass, Drums
  • Shawn King Devlin - Drums
  • Mitch Easter - Guitar, Mandolin, Percussion, Pedal Steel, Vocals (background), Producer, Engineer, Slide Guitar, Mixing
  • Andrew Emmett - Violin
  • Ken Wilmot - Trumpet
  • Chris Stamey - Editing, Pro-Tools

References

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  1. ^ "The Magic City". store.matadorrecords.com.
  2. ^ a b "Helium | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Helium: The Dirt Of Luck/The Magic City + No Guitars reissues/Ends With And Review". pastemagazine.com. May 24, 2017.
  4. ^ "Helium: The Dirt of Luck, The Magic City, Ends With And Album Review". www.austinchronicle.com.
  5. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 227.
  6. ^ a b "MAGNET Classics: The Making Of Helium's "The Magic City"". July 31, 2017.
  7. ^ Jones, Joyce (November 21, 1997). "HELIUM: ABOVE THE CROWD" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  8. ^ "Mary Timony feels pumped about Helium revival". June 9, 2017.
  9. ^ Lindsay, Cam (May 5, 2017). "Mary Timony Airs Out Helium's Mystical '90s Classics". CLRVYNT. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "The Magic City - Helium | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  11. ^ "They're a Gas". New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. December 1, 1997 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ McKeough, Kevin (31 October 1997). "HeliumThe Magic City (Matador) (star) (star)Helium leader..." chicagotribune.com.
  13. ^ "The Magic City". EW.com.
  14. ^ "Helium: Ends With And / The Dirt of Luck / The Magic City / No Guitars". Pitchfork. 24 May 2017.
  15. ^ "Reviews". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. November 16, 1997 – via Google Books.