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 | ||||
| Released | September 9, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, alternative rock, post-punk, noise pop | |||
| Length | 51:40 | |||
| Label | Matador Records[1] | |||
| Producer | Mitch Easter[2] Helium | |||
| Helium chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe 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
editAllMusic 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
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [12] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[13] |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.5/10[14] |
| Spin | 8/10[15] |
Personnel
edit- 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
edit- ^ "The Magic City". store.matadorrecords.com.
- ^ a b "Helium | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "Helium: The Dirt Of Luck/The Magic City + No Guitars reissues/Ends With And Review". pastemagazine.com. May 24, 2017.
- ^ "Helium: The Dirt of Luck, The Magic City, Ends With And Album Review". www.austinchronicle.com.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 227.
- ^ a b "MAGNET Classics: The Making Of Helium's "The Magic City"". July 31, 2017.
- ^ Jones, Joyce (November 21, 1997). "HELIUM: ABOVE THE CROWD" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ^ "Mary Timony feels pumped about Helium revival". June 9, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "The Magic City - Helium | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ "They're a Gas". New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. December 1, 1997 – via Google Books.
- ^ McKeough, Kevin (31 October 1997). "HeliumThe Magic City (Matador) (star) (star)Helium leader..." chicagotribune.com.
- ^ "The Magic City". EW.com.
- ^ "Helium: Ends With And / The Dirt of Luck / The Magic City / No Guitars". Pitchfork. 24 May 2017.
- ^ "Reviews". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. November 16, 1997 – via Google Books.