Magic Lantern
High Beams

"Sunny review for some psychedelic good stuff from Not Not Fun Records part 1/3"

Chapter 1: Magic Lantern - High Beams (2008)

Not Not Fun Records is a sort of asylum where many young artists, who were profoundly struck by '68, are confined. They didn't live through those years as "young artists," but have nonetheless chosen to make this movement their lifestyle, a new generation of talented hippies working with contemporary means.

Of the three projects I’ve decided to share, Magic Lantern is the only genuine band. "High Beams" is an excellent album, wildly trippy to just the right extent (we're in the same vein as Comets On Fire, for instance). Cascades of guitars with a distorted and highly acidic sound, vortexes of fuzz intertwine with organs to send the listener into a delightful state of refreshing trance, like diving into water after taking (at least) an hour of sun, a somatic pleasure.

I recommend listening to this work with headphones while lying on a hammock in the coolness of your garden, but also blasted at full volume during a session of action painting with your neighbors. It perfectly suits any of the most aimless recreational activities; it would be a shame to listen to it sitting on a chair, perhaps enjoying a cup of tea. It is joyful and one of those uplifting albums that can change your mood in five minutes. Listen to "Deathshead Hawkmoth" to believe it, the euphoria of having killed that insect that was causing so much annoyance...

High Beams, mescaline in the air.