Magazine
Real Life

THE REVIEW

Perhaps a little overrated by critics, but certainly too underrated by the public, the Mancunian band Magazine, along with Ultravox!, represent one of the leading groups of the very first British New Wave. Along with the group led by John Foxx, they embodied the link between punk, 70s art-rock, and "what new things were to come after", but unlike their Scottish cousins, they showcased more pronounced pop and melodic traits.

The interest in this debut album lies more in the brilliance and originality of the arrangements than in the songwriting, which is rather conventional; after all, the lineup consisted of members who would leave a mark: Dave Formula's keyboards anticipating synth-pop, Barry Adamson's distinctive bass (also with the Bad Seeds later on), who as a solo artist released albums and soundtracks highly praised by critics, and finally John McGeogh (R.I.P. 2004), one of the guitarists who contributed most to creating the "80s style" for his instrument, remembered especially for the commendable work done on three of Siouxie & The Banshees' best albums. The weak link in the chain was Howard Devoto's voice (ex-Buzzcocks), neither powerful nor flexible, although at least he had humor and an awareness of his own limitations. His greatest contribution was rather as a lyricist: poetic, personal, reflective, and often witty.

Nearly thirty years after its release, "Real Life" features some tracks that suffer from the inexorable passage of time, like the successful single "Shot By Both Sides", guitar-driven and energetic, which sounds a bit banal and predictable today, or "Recoil", overly straightforward pop punk saved only by a "comical" ending, or the excessively pompous "Burst". On the other hand, there are other tracks still enjoyable despite their age, like the opening "Definitive Gaze", with a eccentric quasi-reggae rhythm and the dreamlike melodic keyboard opening unexpectedly following it, "My Tulpa", featuring another reggae-like rhythm with distantly pop guitar inserts, the shadowy "Motorcade", with a bassline that Simon Gallup from The Cure must have definitely listened to, "The Great Beautician In The Sky" which charmingly sounds like a village band occasionally disturbed by the synth, while the concluding "Parade" is a romantic ballad (though the lyrics take the opposite direction) featuring elaborate arrangements of sax, piano, and keyboard. On the positive side, we also have the psychoanalytical "The Lights Pours Out Of Me", later covered by Peter Murphy and Ministry.

Almost completely devoid of the darkness and depression typical of the upcoming English New Wave, imbued with a certain quirky humor that would rarely be adopted by the neo-romantic dandies, the influence of this album wasn't among the greatest, even though figures like Momus and Thom Yorke have declared being inspired by Devoto's way of writing lyrics. While far from being a masterpiece, "Real Life" remains an interesting testament to the significant changes taking place in the music of those years and deserves to be listened to again.