Here We Go Magic
Encyclopedia
Here We Go Magic is an American
indie rock
band based in Brooklyn, New York. Formerly the moniker of folk
singer Luke Temple
. Temple signed to Western Vinyl
in 2008, followed in 2009 by the five-piece group's signing to Secretly Canadian
.
as Here We Go Magic in February 2009 on Western Vinyl
, described by Pitchfork Media
as "hazy electronic textures, endlessly-spiraling lyrical loops, occasional forays into extended sections of ambience and noise". Temple recorded the album at home on a 4-track recorder, describing the recording: "I just had one tom, one microphone, a synth and an acoustic guitar. I didn’t have a full drum kit or normal bass, it was just all synth stuff that I did myself."
Temple has since expanded the project into a band with musicians Kristina Lieberson (keyboards), Michael Bloch (guitar), Jennifer Turner (bass guitar), and Peter Hale (drums), and they were signed by Secretly Canadian
in September 2009. They toured in 2009 with Grizzly Bear
and The Walkmen
. The second album Pigeons
is set for release on June 8, 2010. The first single off Pigeons, "Collector", was rated "Best New Music" by Pitchfork Media on March 18, 2010. The band performed at the SXSW festival in 2009 and again in March 2010, and just completed tours of North America with White Rabbits
and Europe with The New Pornographers
. In summer 2010 the band played at multiple major festivals including PrimaveraSound
, Bonnaroo
, Pitchfork, The Great Escape, Latitude
, Bestival
, and Glastonbury
, where Thom Yorke
said they were his favorite act of the festival.
They ended the year 2010 touring with the Canadian band Broken Social Scene
.
, saw it as an album of two distinct sides, "one full of hummable, groove-inflected bedroom folk, and the other populated by cascading waves of ambient white noise". Tim DiGravina, reviewing the album for Allmusic described it as "everything but the kitchen sink, stream of conscious composition...taking on a couple different and somewhat incongruous genres, from Afro-beat pop to freak folk to outright noise collages".
The expanded line-up has been described as "psychedelic electro-folk" and walking "the line between ambient hypnotica and melodic indie rock". The Independent
, reviewing "Collector" also identified a krautrock
influence, stating that the band "channel propulsive krautrock and 1980s indie rock to great effect". Allmusic writer Jason Thurston described the band's sound as an "ethereal collage of indie folk, Baroque pop, plains country (and whatever else strikes their fancy)".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band based in Brooklyn, New York. Formerly the moniker of folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer Luke Temple
Luke Temple
Luke Temple is an American pop-folk singer-songwriter, born in Manchester, Massachusetts. He is an alumnus of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. While living in New York, making a living by painting murals in wealthy New Yorkers' apartments, he released a four song self-titled EP,...
. Temple signed to Western Vinyl
Western Vinyl
Western Vinyl is an independent record label based in Austin Texas. It was founded in 1998.-Bands and Artists Associated with Western Vinyl:*Anomoanon*Appendix Out*Balmorhea*Bexar Bexar*Botany*Bonnie Prince Billy*Callers*Carter Tanton*Chas. Mtn....
in 2008, followed in 2009 by the five-piece group's signing to Secretly Canadian
Secretly Canadian
Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana. It was started in 1996 by Chris and Ben Swanson, Eric Weddle, and Jonathan Cargill. Their first release was a re-issue of an album by June Panic...
.
History
After previously releasing two folk albums under his own name in the mid-2000s, Luke Temple released a self-titled albumHere We Go Magic (album)
Here We Go Magic is the eponymous 2009 debut album from Brooklyn-based indie rock band Here We Go Magic, although at the time of its recording it was a solo project of Luke Temple.-Background and recording:...
as Here We Go Magic in February 2009 on Western Vinyl
Western Vinyl
Western Vinyl is an independent record label based in Austin Texas. It was founded in 1998.-Bands and Artists Associated with Western Vinyl:*Anomoanon*Appendix Out*Balmorhea*Bexar Bexar*Botany*Bonnie Prince Billy*Callers*Carter Tanton*Chas. Mtn....
, described by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
as "hazy electronic textures, endlessly-spiraling lyrical loops, occasional forays into extended sections of ambience and noise". Temple recorded the album at home on a 4-track recorder, describing the recording: "I just had one tom, one microphone, a synth and an acoustic guitar. I didn’t have a full drum kit or normal bass, it was just all synth stuff that I did myself."
Temple has since expanded the project into a band with musicians Kristina Lieberson (keyboards), Michael Bloch (guitar), Jennifer Turner (bass guitar), and Peter Hale (drums), and they were signed by Secretly Canadian
Secretly Canadian
Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana. It was started in 1996 by Chris and Ben Swanson, Eric Weddle, and Jonathan Cargill. Their first release was a re-issue of an album by June Panic...
in September 2009. They toured in 2009 with Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear (band)
Grizzly Bear is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band, composed of Edward Droste , Daniel Rossen , Chris Taylor and Christopher Bear . The band employs traditional and electronic instruments...
and The Walkmen
The Walkmen
The Walkmen are an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater—Paul Maroon , Walter Martin , and Matt Barrick —and two from The Recoys, Peter Bauer and Hamilton Leithauser . All but Bauer...
. The second album Pigeons
Pigeons (album)
Pigeons is second album from Brooklyn-based indie rock band Here We Go Magic and was released via Secretly Canadian in June 2010.-Critical reception:...
is set for release on June 8, 2010. The first single off Pigeons, "Collector", was rated "Best New Music" by Pitchfork Media on March 18, 2010. The band performed at the SXSW festival in 2009 and again in March 2010, and just completed tours of North America with White Rabbits
White Rabbits (band)
White Rabbits is an American six-piece indie rock band based in Brooklyn, NY, originally from Columbia, Missouri. The band released its debut studio album, Fort Nightly, on May 22, 2007. They currently record for TBD Records.-History:...
and Europe with The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a...
. In summer 2010 the band played at multiple major festivals including PrimaveraSound
Primavera Sound Festival
San Miguel Primavera Sound, commonly known as Primavera Sound or simply Primavera, is an annual music festival which takes place in Barcelona, Spain in late May and, in some years, early June...
, Bonnaroo
2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival
The 2010 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was held on June 10–13, 2010. The line-up was announced Tuesday, February 9, although the original line-up release date was scheduled for February 2. It was broadcast live on YouTube...
, Pitchfork, The Great Escape, Latitude
Latitude Festival
The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006....
, Bestival
Bestival
Bestival is a four-day music festival held at the Robin Hill country park on the Isle of Wight, England. It has been held annually in late summer since 2004. The event is organized by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank and is an off-shoot of his Sunday Best record label and club nights. The initial...
, and Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, where Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
said they were his favorite act of the festival.
They ended the year 2010 touring with the Canadian band Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
.
Musical style
The first album, recorded by Temple on a 4-track recorder, has been described as "stream-of-conscious lyrics and swirls of psychedelic, lo-fi noise", and "insistently repetitive grooves and densely layered loops". NPR Music stated that its "colorful swirl of synthesizers and guitars ranges from electronic folk to psychedelia to lo-fi acoustic". Erik Adams, writing for The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
, saw it as an album of two distinct sides, "one full of hummable, groove-inflected bedroom folk, and the other populated by cascading waves of ambient white noise". Tim DiGravina, reviewing the album for Allmusic described it as "everything but the kitchen sink, stream of conscious composition...taking on a couple different and somewhat incongruous genres, from Afro-beat pop to freak folk to outright noise collages".
The expanded line-up has been described as "psychedelic electro-folk" and walking "the line between ambient hypnotica and melodic indie rock". The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, reviewing "Collector" also identified a krautrock
Krautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
influence, stating that the band "channel propulsive krautrock and 1980s indie rock to great effect". Allmusic writer Jason Thurston described the band's sound as an "ethereal collage of indie folk, Baroque pop, plains country (and whatever else strikes their fancy)".
Discography
- Here We Go MagicHere We Go Magic (album)Here We Go Magic is the eponymous 2009 debut album from Brooklyn-based indie rock band Here We Go Magic, although at the time of its recording it was a solo project of Luke Temple.-Background and recording:...
(2009), Western Vinyl - PigeonsPigeons (album)Pigeons is second album from Brooklyn-based indie rock band Here We Go Magic and was released via Secretly Canadian in June 2010.-Critical reception:...
(2010), Secretly Canadian - The January EP (2011), Secretly Canadian