Seek Magic’s up-to-date, hip exterior is fused with heavy 80s’ synth pop vibes, and also has clear influences pulled from psychedelia, progressive rock, hip-hop, new wave, new age, and musique concrete. The whole album is filled with snippets and fleeting glimpses of other artist’s musical styles – timbres that are recognisable but not immediately discernable. These influences are thrown at you, perplexing the listener with a multi-layered collage of pastiches, collected from popular music history. There are diverse guitar timbres used that are immediately associated with other artists; metal style guitars with heavy chorus effects ala Metallica circa “Nothing Else Matters”, jangly Police style up-stokes, flange-ridden funk guitar, reverb and delay tinged melodies heavily reminiscent of The Cure. The synth timbres too, as the other dominant instrument on the album, are evocative of the work of Vangelis, Mike Oldfield, and 80s’ synth pop bands such as Pet Shop Boys, Visage and Yazoo. Much of these influences are again 80s based, but within Seek Magic they appear less hard, jarring and prominent than in the original work, covered with a calm, despondent, almost prosaic blanket.
That Memory Tapes use pastiche elements is not to say that Seek Magic is a simple pastiche in itself – for in many ways as a collected work it is unlike anything I have ever heard before. It is almost like pure music, not music to sing or dance to, but music that just is, whose main purpose is to exist, to just be music. It encourages you to be fascinated by it, to observe its strange twists and turns and its beautifully constructed sonic events. It demands that you pay attention to it – albeit subtly and politely. It mainly achieves this through its diversity, not just the diversity of its influences, but through its instrumentation and techniques. As well as innumerate guitar timbres, there is a plethora of synths used throughout this record. Much of these are (again 80s inspired) analogue sequencer sounds such as saw and pulse waves, choral pads, gated synths and 8-bit filtered pulses. Many of these retain the delicate ethereal atmosphere of the album, though there is the occasional thick, overflowing saw-tooth that dominates the track, adding an intriguing, ominous energy. Assorted samples and “found sounds” are also used to great effect, with processes such as looping and filtering affecting dogs barking, crickets, and (my personal favourite) basketball bounces and the squeak of trainers on polished wood. Acoustic instruments are used too, such as a grand piano, and what certainly sounds like an acoustic drum-kit filled with cowbells and tight, polyrhythmic, post-disco beats.
Interestingly, vocal parts throughout Seek Magic take very little precedence. Fragile, thin, wispy vocals with heavy effects processing and overdubbing appear very low in the mix, almost bleeding into other parts. This is perhaps typical of alternative indie music, which often distances itself from the poppier heights of vocal production. Here though, the lyrics are very simple, repetitive and essentially rather unimportant. The vocals are simply another instrument to utilise, and providing the sentiment of the lyrics are essentially positive, as a listener you feel content. This is an album of musical poetry, not literal poetry.
This album presents the listener with an array of instruments, influences and feelings, moving from quiet and contemplative spaces to more exuberant and dynamic areas seamlessly. Memory Tapes is clearly the perfect vehicle for a very talented artist who has a deep understanding and appreciation of music and how to expresses himself through it. Seek Magic’s unique sound may well take a few listens for some to fully appreciate it, but once you let it in, it will truly touch you with its beauty, uplifting serenity and bittersweet nostalgia.
