Songs get stuck in your head, which is an (nearly) indisputable fact. With their first full length release, Melt, the band Young Magic have crafted an entire album that, from start to finish, is one big earworm. They gifted a tape version of the album to Wealth Underground Farm at the end of their visit and I'm nervous that we are going to pretty soon play it until it no longer works. Not only do they make beautiful, captivating music but Young Magic, featuring Melati, Isaac, (Michael, the third member of the band, was not on this tour due to Visa issues), and their tour companion Ashley were incredibly pleasant people. They ended up missing their sound check as the time spent chatting and eating a meal heavy in collard greens went by rapidly. We probably could have continued sitting around the table for much longer if they did not have a show to get to.
Later, that night we reconnected at the Doug Fir on Burnside. I arrived in time to catch the end of Imaginary Cities and wished I could have caught more of their set. Quilt played and if I closed my eyes I could have sworn I was listening to Jefferson Airplane and the year was 1967. They were excellent and a perfect compliment to the more poppy psychadelic sound of Young Magic, who played last. Their first album, Melt, is good listening on a record player but, like an awesome movie, is better experienced live. Even though they were performing as a two piece due to visa issues and, as a result, used a lot of pre-recorded music their live set came off as spontaneous and organic. Catherine, a friend of Farm to Artist, described the music as transcendent and, along with the moving images on the screen behind the band, there were moments when I felt lifted by the music. It feels like Young Magic is tapping into an energy stream with their music and I'm thankful they are willing to share that energy with us.
Thank you Young Magic for a pleasant day. To hear more from the band you can check them out online on
Facebook or on their
bandcamp page.
