Temple mixes experience, new beats in Here We Go Magic

The album was made using just a 4-track recorder.

By Tom Carbone

Published Feb. 5, 2009

Sufjan Stevens has credited Luke Temple, the Brooklyn native behind Here We Go Magic, as having one of the most beautiful voices in pop music.

A compliment like that could be shrugged off as simple politeness, but coming from Stevens makes it feel a bit more personal and sincere. Departing from his normal solo singer-songwriter duties, Temple recorded this self-titled debut at home in just two short months using a stream of consciousness method of recording. Using only a cassette 4-track recorder, a few analog synths and a mediocre microphone seems like it wouldn't produce much success for Temple, but taking his previous experience as a singer-songwriter and blending it with a newer electronic sound leaves us with a self-titled debut record that is simply astonishing.

The first track, "Only Pieces," begins with a sort of tribal-esque drum pattern that is almost hypnotic to the ears. The instrumentation is unlike anything fans have heard by Temple in the past, but his lyrical content is somewhat similar. "What's the use in dyin', dyin', if I don't know when?/There are only pieces, pieces, pieces of me, what's the use in dyin', dyin', if I cannot see," Temple sings over the drifting, relaxing beat. His songwriting skills certainly haven't been lost on this first album.

The intensity does not stop there. The next track, "Fangela," is probably the best song I've heard all year. The song is best described as a blend between earlier Simon and Garfunkel and Animal Collective (interesting, I know). The ecstasy of "Fangela" is sure to catch the ears of anyone with an interest in pop music. It's already caught the attention of many blogs, and Here We Go Magic is destined to be one of the most blogged-about bands in 2009.

While these first two tracks still share similar elements of Temple's earlier work, there are a few tracks on the album that are very experimental and noisy. For example, "Ghost List," is full of drone and ambience, a big surprise for the album. Normally this would feel out of place, but Temple seems to make it fit together appropriately.

Another song that is unlike the rest is the concluding track, "Everything's Big," a lo-fi tune that combines keys, strings and a simple strumming acoustic guitar. Temple's voice is more like his earlier days on this track and he uses his noticeable croon to its fullest ability.

Despite taking a fairly notable departure from his previous work, Temple has created a very impressive brainchild this year. Between his method of recording and the album's sonic qualities, Here We Go Magic has a very distinctive style to it and will definitely go down as a great record in 2009.