Tragic Magic, also stylized as tragicmagic, is an album by the American band Madder Rose, released in 1997.[2][3] The band promoted the album by touring with Junior Cottonmouth.[4]
| Tragic Magic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Label | Atlantic[1] | |||
| Producer | Billy Coté | |||
| Madder Rose chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe album was produced by bandmember Billy Coté, who also wrote most of the lyrics.[5][6] It was Madder Rose's first album with bass player Chris Giammalvo.[7] The band added elements of funk and hip hop to its sound.[8] Later editions of the album contain different opening tracks, "Narco" and "Jailbird".[9]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [10] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[11] |
| The Evening Post | [6] |
| Los Angeles Daily News | [12] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [13] |
| The Republican | [14] |
Entertainment Weekly wrote that the album "is frustratingly half-baked and suffers from near-funereal pacing... Fortunately, Mary Lorson's lighter-than-air vocals counter even the most sedative of tracks."[11] The Washington Post thought that "the melodies are sturdy... It's tunes like 'Hung Up in You', more than the revisited folk-hop sound, that provides most of the album's appeal."[15] The Los Angeles Daily News praised the "innovative, bass-heavy sound and standout songs."[12] The Republican opined that "the seductive grooves of 'My Star', and the mildly appealing '(She's a) Satellite', are two of the only salvageable moments here."[14]
The Dayton Daily News stated: "Sometimes laid-back jazzy, sometimes spacey coffeehouse pop, always lyrically introspective, there really isn't a bad cut here."[16] Guitar Player called Coté a "vibey and tasteful popster," writing that he "dials in a music store's worth of tones-pristine arpeggios, scritchy wah washes, fuzzy flashbacks, surf solos, hypnotic noir motifs."[5]
AllMusic wrote that, "as if to signal that they were still hip, Madder Rose incorporated heavy elements of trip-hop on Tragic Magic, and while that gambit failed for some of their peers, the band manages to blend the dance and guitar-pop well."[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Star" | |
| 2. | "Real Feel" | |
| 3. | "Float to the Top" | |
| 4. | "Hung Up in You" | |
| 5. | "Delight's Pool" | |
| 6. | "(She's a) Satellite" | |
| 7. | "Peter and Victor" | |
| 8. | "Best Friend" | |
| 9. | "Scenes from 'Starbright'" | |
| 10. | "Midnight on the Dot" | |
| 11. | "Don Greene" | |
| 12. | "Not Perfect" |
References
edit- ^ Frampton, Scott (Aug 1997). "Madder Rose by Any Other Sound". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 48. p. 18.
- ^ Blush, Steven (October 4, 2016). New York Rock: From the Rise of The Velvet Underground to the Fall of CBGB. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 9781250083623.
- ^ "Madder Rose Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ "Junior Achievers". Ticket. The Sacramento Bee. August 1, 1997. p. 3.
- ^ a b Obrecht, Jas (Oct 1997). "Tragic Magic". Guitar Player. Vol. 31, no. 10. p. 111.
- ^ a b Houlahan, Mike (14 Aug 1997). "Madder Rose: Tragic Magic". Features. The Evening Post. p. 24.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 423.
- ^ Wirt, Jon (September 12, 1997). "Madder Rose Tragic Magic". Fun. The Advocate. p. 7.
- ^ Thrills, Adrian (29 Jan 1999). "Madder Rose: Tragic Magic". Daily Mirror. p. 48.
- ^ a b "Tragic Magic". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Tragic Magic". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ a b Shuster, Fred (4 July 1997). "Sound Check". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L22.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 704.
- ^ a b O'Hare, Kevin (July 13, 1997). "Madder Rose, 'Tragic Magic'". The Republican. p. E6.
- ^ "Madder Rose 'Tragic Magic'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ Rollins, Ron (27 June 1997). "Recordings in Brief". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 19.