MOG

First and foremost, I'd like to thank my agent for never letting me experience this call waiting thing. I thank my 2 assistants; without you two, i wouldn't know what day of the week it is. my publicist for getting me in touch with those orphans...i couldn't have made the front page without their help! my dog's stylist, and lastly, my spiritual advisor for always reminding me that the sun will come out tomorrow (even though i clearly told the manicurist french tips. ugh.).

Le album review The Magic Numbers: “Those the Brokes” by Roxy Satarzadeh 6 out of 10 When I first put on this album, my immediate reaction was to bob my head and tap my feet. Having never heard of the band prior to this and being a fan of foot tapping and instances that call for the trophy Glockenspiel, I found most of the album pleasant, but not riveting. “Pleasant” was the theme that really persevered through the end of this thirteen track album in-spite of the qualms I may have had with it. Hailing from grayer parts of England, The Magic Numbers are a brother sister quartet consisting of Romeo (lead guitar, vocals)and Michele Stodart(bass, vocals), and Sean (drums) and Angela Gannon (glockenspiel, percussion, melodica, vocals). Since many of you don’t live under a rock as I sometimes do, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have heard their name come up somewhere. Forming 2002, the Magic Numbers have opened for heavy-hitters such as U2, Brian WIlson, Sonic Youth and the Flaming lips, and the Who. Heck, you may have even caught them at smaller, less-known festivals like Glastonbury, Coachella, Bonnaroo, or SXSW. As you can see, they’ve been around without really being around. What they may lack in quality they make up for in quantity. Not to say they weren’t pleasant... Casting rays of breezy, easy, seventies-inspired rock, they released their sophomoric effort “Those the Brokes” in the UK in October, 2006. The first single “Take a Chance” landed them a number 16 spot on UK charts, just one spot shy of their first single “Forever Lost” which debuted off their self-titled first album, back in 2005. “Take a Chance” is by far my favorite track off the album with it’s infectious melody and tight hooks-a fast-paced throwback to Snow Patrol whom they count as one of their chief influences. I could not get it out of my head for days, but that’s meant in a good way. In keeping with “Take a Chance”, the first third or so of the album consists of cute-sy harmonies and vocals, courtesy of Michele and Angela, pretty guitar rifts, and epic drum build-ups. Imagine the Cardigans, throw in some heart-ache and regret, and you got tracks “Undecided” and “Carl’s Song”. The up-tempo poppy-ness starts to wear of in the remainder of the album, replaced instead by a folksier sound that makes every song about a minute and a half too long. By this point I started get annoyed by the redundancy of the chorus’s, and I started to think “Ok the songs are catchy and cute. You’re a brother-sister quartet. I get it.” If Mary-Tyler Moore and John Denver were to meet at some cafe, tracks “Let Somebody In” and “Most of the Time” are what would be playing in the background whilst they sip their lattes. With hints of Travis and Air Supply, the album as a whole gives off feel good-vibes, but upon closer listening, reveals less-than feel good lyrics about break-ups, make-ups, and chance. In the end, you won’t hate them, but you shouldn’t expect a “Lovefool” off this album. You might, however, walk away with a head-ache from all that head-bobbing.