I’m not gonna lie – my expectations for this album wasn’t very high. Jon Siejka’s new AOR project/band’s debut album didn’t impress me all that much and not because the songs were embarrassingly bad – they weren’t – but because I found the whole experience bland. I know that AOR, especially AOR of this century, has a tendency to be both slick, poppy and safe but that album took safe to a whole new level, as far as I’m concerned. Firstly, keyboards dominated the soundscape on New Eyes (2018) on a big scale and guitars were more or less a background instrument. Secondly, neither drums or bass had much of an impact to the sound. Also, the production was way too sterile and lacked both bottom and dynamics – and with a great singer like Siejka, why all that autotune? Well, the band is now current with a new effort and while I’m sure this will be AOR all the way thorough, I keep my fingers crossed that they have brought out a more organic and less glossy product than the last one.
Although opener “Oh No” might be just a little too laid-back and melancholic for an opening track – the verses are even soft – the tune is on the upbeat side. It’s a pretty smooth, standard AOR track where the pre-chorus and chorus gets a bit bigger and more in-your-face and even though there are enough keyboards here, the slightly more prominent guitars gives the tune a bit of a punch. A pretty good number with a catchy chorus. “Long And Lost Lonely Nights” brings the guitars up yet another notch which makes for a chunky Hard Rock vibe in the slick AOR structure – more punchy and a bit rougher than anything on the last album. Still, the melody arrangement is still smooth and slick and the refrain is direct and catchy. Good one.
Leading single “Zombie Breath Surprise” has a title that made me think that we were about to get treated with a Hard Rock-slammer and sure, the tune opens surprisingly rough with a gritty guitar riff and the guitars are placed at the front which takes the music into a heavier direction, more Hard Rock laden. Still, this is an AOR song and the melody arrangements are still quite slick. The chorus might be a bit Bon Jovi ish and even though it’s catchy, it’s not really hit-laden – and that’s not a bad thing. This is exactly what I look for in an AOR tune and this track might just be Magic Dance’s best song to date. Good job.
With that, Magic Dance goes back to the sound of the last album with “Cut Me Deep”. The tune holds a soft opening with glossy and saccharine keyboards where the tempo goes in mid-pace albeit with an upbeat rhythm. Even though the track mixes balladry and more uptempo rhythms, the tune is straight-forward and brings on a very slick outlook and a melancholic vibe. It’s a decent track with sugary melodies but effective chorus and a hooky main-melody. “When Your World Comes Down” is uptempo pop-rock with an overlying Scandinavian AOR influence. It’s a pink n’ fluffy little number but the crunchy guitar that comes up for air once in a while brings on a slight Rock touch. Musically, it reminds me of a poppier and glossier One Desire. An ok track that doesn’t make much of a fuss.
There’s a laid-back mood over “Change Your Life” even though the song’s tempo is up and the whole atmosphere is even taciturn. The song is more a Pop song than an AOR number and even though it’s a direct and straight-forward tune, there are no real hooks or prominent catchiness when the chorus turns up and the song never really makes a lasting impression. “I’m Still Holding On” is upbeat and straight ahead AOR/Pop/Rock in the vein of Work Of Art – the whole sound is particularly Swedish here. It’s both glossy and silky but never mawkish or buttery, it holds a straight-forward beat, great keyboard arrangements, a strong main-melody and as the icing on the cake a bang-on-target, catchiness deluxe chorus with a world of hit-potential.
Even though “Changes” comes across as both laid-back and a bit soft-ish with subtle keyboards everywhere it brings out a heavier expression, especially rhythmically. However, when the chorus arrives the guitars takes over more and more and the guitar solo is of virtuoso class. On top the glossy melodies are all still there and said chorus has lots of pop-hooks and an instant catchiness. A good song, no more, no less. Latest single “Restless Nights” goes for a more Melodic Rock sound with a slice of AOR-gloss. We get some nice Def Leppard guitar-lines, a punchy crunch in the rhythm-section which brings on a juicy live-feel. The groove is stompy and the chorus comes with shitloads of hooks and an immediate catchiness that screams hit. Best song on the album without a doubt.
More Swedish AOR-sounds comes out of “Til Your Last Breath”, a swinging pop number with an almost danceable beat. The tune is glossy as hell – with some added sugar – but the groove is addictive, the hooks are everywhere and the chorus is totally irresistible – and enormously catchy. I can’t help but I really like this. They end the trip on a mainstream note with “I Can’t Be The Only One”, a streamlined number that sounds as if were taken right from 1984’s pop-charts – and all the “oh oh oh” certainly adds to that. The new-wave-like chorus might be radio friendly as can be but the truth is the tune is completely forgettable – if I hadn’t taken notes while listening I wouldn’t have remembered squat. Not the premium way to close an album.
I wasn’t impressed by the last album and that gives for this album as well. Look, this one is slightly better than the last – this time there’s a couple of really good songs and it’s not as synth laden as its predecessor but the sound is too impersonal and many of the songs just won’t hang with me at all. I mean, it’s not crap but it’s just too forgettable. Also, even though the guitars are more prominent and the rhythm section do kick away at times, the whole production is again way too slick, polished, safe and tailored to be exciting enough and the fact that many of the songs are too samey doesn’t really help either. And yes, the vocals are autotuned on a big scale this time as well. I don’t hate the album at all but the urge to play it doesn’t show all that often either.
4/10
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Tracklist:
1. Oh No
2. Long And Lost Lonely Nights
3. Zombie Breath Surprise
4. Cut Me Deep
5. When Your World Comes Down
6. Change Your Life
7. I’m Still Holding On
8. Changes
9. Restless Nights
10. Til Your Last Breath
11. I Can’t Be The Only One
CD & Festival reviews 