The Courtesy Tier, Brooklyn-based duo and experts in the multiplication of sound, have completed their full length record, “The Resolution.” Sauntering beats and freewheeling vocal/guitar melodies of “Standing Near” introduce the bight but haunting nature of the album. A rush of distortion, recurring arpeggios, and syncopated percussion on “Rescue” transition into “Peaches” which steers “The Resolution” into a harder direction, while “Alright Mama” decelerates the record into a beautifully crafted, poignant lullaby. Light drums proceed into guitars that alternate between ringing and grungy on “Morning Run”. “Hey Bee” commences with vibrant vocals that are joined unexpectedly by sultry riffs and heavy-hitting backbeats. Howling and echoing “Calling Out” fades into the final track, “Home,” which rounds out the record, returning to the peacefully melancholy mood. “The Resolution” is a masterfully made album that balances bluesy, balladic, and buoyant. Come out and celebrate the release of “The Resolution” on May 26 at Pianos. –Meijin Bruttomesso
We've always been big fans of Luke Temple, and it's good to see that, together with the Here We Go Magic crew, the man is keeping at it with increasingly beautiful records and videos. The band's new album "A Different Ship" (stream it here) will be out on May 8, and betrays at least a partial return to Luke Temple's more intimate and melodic sound from his solo repertoire - in this regard, lend a ear to "Hard to Be Close," "Alone but Moving" and "Over the Ocean". This is welcome news for fans like us who always thought that in most HWGM material Luke's noteworthy songwriting skills seemed a little sacrificed on the altar of textural experimentation. This doesn't mean that the band's signature hypnotic, impressionistic sound is lost - it's just that these two elements work together better than they did in past records, and this is what makes this album one of the NYC highlights of the year so far. Indeed, this collection also features songs more in line with the band's past releases ("Make Up your Mind", "I Believe in Action"), which follow on the steps of brainy-pop icons like Brian Eno and The Feelies, but there's definitely a balance here, also betrayed by the almost perfect alternation of melodic songs and less traditional ones.The just released video of "How Do I Know," telling the story of a rejected dancing robot that ends up revitalizing an older man's appreciation for life, seems to reflect on this brain/heart, mechanic/organic dichotomies and somehow bring them to unity. - PDG
