Great Record.
― tarping, Wednesday, 15 May 2013 23:56 (ten years ago) link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WindomEarle.jpg
― MV, Saturday, 18 May 2013 22:40 (ten years ago) link
Just saw these guys at Origami Vinyl.
Short set list, which was nice, because it was not the best place to play at. I'm kind of wondering if Devon cut it short because of that?
Anyway, these guys are growing on me.
― c21m50nh3x460n, Tuesday, 23 July 2013 03:25 (ten years ago) link
I have to wonder what I would think of the album if I hadn't seen them live a couple of times first. Dude is intense, though- did he stare you directly in the eyes at any point in the show?
― CAROUSEL! CAROUSEL! (Telephone thing), Tuesday, 23 July 2013 03:30 (ten years ago) link
I first heard the album before I knew/read/saw anything about them. A couple of tracks immediately stood out. As in, I was totally entranced. Then read about them and heard interviews. And after that, I thought he sounded pretty intense.
I thought it would be a little uncomfortable watching them live due to that, but when I saw him/them live it was fine. But again, I think this wasn't a proper show, so I'm not sure if it is anything to go by. I was standing quite far, and even though it seemed like he was looking at me (which I'm pretty sure he wasn't), I couldn't get a proper feel for the performance.
Will definitely try to go to a proper show.
― c21m50nh3x460n, Tuesday, 23 July 2013 04:12 (ten years ago) link
This group actually reminds me of Underworld. In my mind there's a weird parallel between Devon Welch and Karl Hyde.... There's this polite tasteful coffee table house music and then this weird dude starts singing over the top.
Fucking love it though. I guess it also reminds me of Bjork (err that one with the swan cover) and Kate Bush (even Hounds of Love era) for slightly different reasons. Unafraid of singing nonsense at times, singular to the point of solipsism, etc. etc.
― fields of salmon, Thursday, 9 January 2014 06:40 (ten years ago) link
Love this album.
― ornamental cabbage (James Morrison), Tuesday, 15 April 2014 22:18 (ten years ago) link
It has this oddly melancholic vibe that almost makes me cry, and I don't even know exactly why that is.
He's quietly released a few singles since the album came out, also good.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 16 April 2014 02:42 (ten years ago) link
Any thoughts on the new album? Loving individual tracks, haven't fully formed an opinion on the whole - though I wish it had grown at least a little more from the previous album.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Tuesday, 20 October 2015 14:56 (eight years ago) link
I've only listened once so haven't rlly fully formed an opinion about it. Maybe it's not bad when the tunes on a record are kind of samey like they are in this one. It does have the oddly melancholic vibe that the last LP had but the consistency doesn't count against them as far as I'm concerned. Maybe more of that feel is a good thing and anyway thinking about it critically just makes me want to listen to both records a couple more times.
― davey, Tuesday, 20 October 2015 21:33 (eight years ago) link
nothing from the first album stuck for me but just heard "downtown" for the first time and got floored
― flopson, Sunday, 1 November 2015 20:00 (eight years ago) link
this is a good album but it would be a better album if his voice wasn't so jarring against the music
― boxedjoy, Sunday, 1 November 2015 23:22 (eight years ago) link
also heard Downtown for the first time recently and was amazed, love this album. the previous album didn't do a lot for me but they've subtly improved on everything. there's something really compelling about the way his voice stands out
― ufo, Monday, 2 November 2015 00:48 (eight years ago) link
Feel almost exactly the opposite, first album was really moving, this one iust treads water
― as verbose and purple as a Peter Ustinov made of plums (James Morrison), Monday, 2 November 2015 01:53 (eight years ago) link
I think this album is great but it is missing at least one song where the music/energy level picks up a notch, like "Childhood's End" on the last one, or their single from last year, "Your Eyes". They are good at creating tension with a few extra beats, but as much as I like the new one I think it wallows too much.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Monday, 2 November 2015 18:30 (eight years ago) link
I like the focus of this album a lot, only feel it kind of loses steam when it drifts away from the centre ("Downtown", the title track), agree there are no hits like "Childhood's End" or "Turns Turns Turns" but I'll take the intimacy of "Control" or "Silver Car Crash" over either of those songs
The thing that struck me hard about this band is just how disarming it is to hear Devon sing such clichés so forthrightly, at first it took me aback like "are you serious?" but the bluntness of it kind of turns into intensity with how economical everything about it is
― got a long list of ilxors (fgti), Monday, 2 November 2015 19:55 (eight years ago) link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLxuaaONzLc3e-2HISWA6ejXssHAn6GHZK&v=Gxip5MtS3LQ
This is good
― got a long list of ilxors (fgti), Wednesday, 4 November 2015 04:56 (eight years ago) link
I have never seen a studio audience gawk so libidinously
― got a long list of ilxors (fgti), Wednesday, 4 November 2015 04:57 (eight years ago) link
Reminds me of the Blue Nile.
― fields of salmon, Friday, 6 November 2015 17:02 (eight years ago) link
The Blue Nile were my first thought when I heard Downtown.
This one feels much more melodically direct than Impersonator, which fits better with the directness of the lyrics etc. It just makes for something really compelling with the weird sort of intensity.
I don't know that a track with a little more energy would really help it though, Downtown and the title track stand out as highlights to me because there's just a little more to them than the some of the others, but anything more than that would probably detract from how focused it feels.
― ufo, Tuesday, 10 November 2015 15:47 (eight years ago) link
"if you're lonely" has to be trolling with the lyrics rite
their shtick seems hard to pull off right. if everything isn't perfectly in place it all falls apart. but when it clicks its amazing
― pre millennial tension (uptown churl), Wednesday, 2 December 2015 04:27 (eight years ago) link
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21497-wait-see-ep/
This review kinda nails my feeling about this band. Really love Impersonator, liked the handful of in-between singles they did, think the new one is pretty good but not as good, and now the new EP just feels like they don't know how to get out of the corner they've painted themselves into.
I feel like this band is in the same place Low were at circa Long Division or the Transmission EP: the formula has revealed itself. In Low's case they nailed their early formula on their third album and then revealed themselves to be one of the greatest bands of the last 20 years by their sheer ingenuity—expanding their pallet while staying true to themselves. It's unclear so far if Majical Cloudz can do the same, or if they're going to go the way of Bedhead (great band, only messed with their formula in increments, faded away).
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 27 January 2016 02:36 (eight years ago) link
"downtown" is the best song ever tbh
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Wednesday, 27 January 2016 02:38 (eight years ago) link
it really is!
xp the EP seeming like that is probably because it's just album outtakes. it's ok but i'm glad none of the tracks on it made the album. Are You Alone? feels different enough to Impersonator that I think there's plenty of room for them to grow in the future, at least I hope
― ufo, Wednesday, 27 January 2016 03:47 (eight years ago) link
Apparently they broke up. Hopefully they are each as good on their own as they were as a duo--and thank god I don't have to keep buying records by a band called "Majical Cloudz".
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Friday, 11 March 2016 03:15 (eight years ago) link
I joked with them today that if anybody asks them why they broke up they could just say the "j" and the "z"
― got a long list of ILXors (fgti), Friday, 11 March 2016 05:43 (eight years ago) link
i was really looking forward to seeing where they'd go next so the break up's quite sad. Downtown is still incredible and i'll be very happy if either of them can make something as great as that. i'm excited for whatever solo material Devon releases this year at least
― ufo, Friday, 11 March 2016 15:19 (eight years ago) link
Devon Welsh released his solo album Dream Songs last week. Love the chamber arrangements on a few songs. "I'll Be Your Ladder" was a gut-punch for me, stirred up some of those same feelings I got listening to Impersonator for the first time. A very sweet, kind set of tunes. I hope people give it a listen cause he seems like a positive, genuine soul.
― eeyore cohen, Monday, 27 August 2018 17:01 (five years ago) link
really enjoying this, it's exactly what I'd want from a Welsh solo album - his songwriting hasn't changed and he's still such a powerful presence. despite the switch from electronics to largely live instrumentation the arrangements capture the same wonderful feeling as Majical Cloudz did.
Are You Alone? remains one of my favourite albums this decade, it's like someone stretched out the best minute of Hats over an entire album. I listened to it to go to sleep every night for about a year.
it is very disappointing to hear about the allegations against Matthew Otto though. https://pitchfork.com/news/devon-welsh-addresses-misconduct-accusation-against-former-magical-cloudz-bandmate-matthew-otto/ the Magical Cloudz breakup seems like it was for the best then
― ufo, Tuesday, 28 August 2018 05:53 (five years ago) link
Oh wow, had no idea about the allegations. That's distressing, people wanna go to his shows and don't feel safe, hopefully that can change. Never saw them live, sad Welsh isn't coming to my city, everything I've heard about him live makes me experience it.
Like the Blue Nile comparison, I really need to spend more time with Are You Alone. Always just default to Impersonator when I want that Majical Cloudz juice.
― eeyore cohen, Tuesday, 28 August 2018 14:45 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALUybEcCVLshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TubKksFHiH0
new Devon album True Love out October 11
the singles feel like a direct continuation from Are You Alone? so i'm looking forward to it (though I'm not sure if "War" is on it - the press releases seem to say it's on the record but then it's not on the tracklist?)
― ufo, Wednesday, 31 July 2019 08:27 (four years ago) link
On my first listen of the new album. Wasn’t crazy about the opening track but just about everything after that has been great—liking it more than his first solo album.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Monday, 14 October 2019 16:39 (four years ago) link
Oh but really not into that last track.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Monday, 14 October 2019 17:01 (four years ago) link