The Magic City (Helium album)

The Magic City is the second and final studio album from American indie rock band Helium.[2][9] It was released in 1997 on Matador Records.[10][5]

The Magic City
Studio album by
Helium
ReleasedSeptember 9, 1997
Recorded1997
GenreIndie rock, alternative rock, post-punk, noise pop
Length51:40
LabelMatador Records[1]
ProducerMitch Easter[2]
Helium
Helium chronology
No Guitars
(1997)		 The Magic City
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Chicago Tribune[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Entertainment WeeklyA-[6]
Pitchfork Media8.5/10[7]
Spin8/10[8]

Production

The album was produced at Mitch Easter's Fidelitorium studio, in North Carolina.[11] It was recorded in six weeks.[12] Its sound was influenced by psychedelic and progressive rock.[13]

Critical reception

AllMusic called the album "a rich, colorful array of sounds ... that blends lo-fi indie-rock with '70s prog rock."[3] Magnet wrote: "The album is a Pet Sounds chamber-pop-meets-progressive-rock indie masterpiece, created long before any lo-fi-loving cretin would ever admit to loving Yes’ Close To The Edge, Genesis’ Nursery Cryme or watching Keith Emerson throw daggers into his eight-foot-high synthesizer."[11] New York Magazine praised Timony's "loopy, pensive guitar lines, deceptively offbeat song structures, and quirky vocal style."[14]

Track listing
  1. "Vibrations" - 2:46
  2. "Leon's Space Song" - 2:59
  3. "Ocean of Wine" - 4:04
  4. "Aging Astronauts" - 3:08
  5. "Medieval People" - 4:08
  6. "Lady of the Fire" - 2:19
  7. "Lullaby of the Moths" - 3:09
  8. "Revolution of Hearts, Pt. 1 & 2" - 8:01
  9. "Ancient Cryme" - 3:55
  10. "Cosmic Rays" - 3:58
  11. "Devil's Tear" - 2:46
  12. "Clementine" - 2:31
  13. "Blue Rain Soda" - 1:50
  14. "Walk Away" - 5:59

Personnel
  • Mary Timony - Guitar, Vocals, Chamberlin, Keyboards
  • Ash Bowie - Bass, Drums
  • Shawn King Devlin - Drums
  • Mitch Easter - Guitar, Mandolin, Percussion, Pedal Steel, Vocals (background), Producer, Engineer, Slide Guitar, Mixing
  • Andrew Emmett - Violin
  • Ken Wilmot - Trumpet
  • Chris Stamey - Editing, Pro-Tools

References
  1. "The Magic City". store.matadorrecords.com.
  2. "Helium | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. "The Magic City - Helium | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  4. McKeough, Kevin. "HeliumThe Magic City (Matador) (star) (star)Helium leader..." chicagotribune.com.
  5. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 4: MUZE. p. 227.CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. "The Magic City". EW.com.
  7. "Helium: Ends With And / The Dirt of Luck / The Magic City / No Guitars". Pitchfork.
  8. "Reviews". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. November 16, 1997 – via Google Books.
  9. "Helium: The Dirt Of Luck/The Magic City + No Guitars reissues/Ends With And Review". pastemagazine.com. May 24, 2017.
  10. "Helium: The Dirt of Luck, The Magic City, Ends With And Album Review". www.austinchronicle.com.
  11. "MAGNET Classics: The Making Of Helium's "The Magic City"". July 31, 2017.
  12. Jones, Joyce (November 21, 1997). "HELIUM: ABOVE THE CROWD" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  13. "Mary Timony feels pumped about Helium revival". June 9, 2017.
  14. "They're a Gas". New York Magazine. New York Media, LLC. December 1, 1997 – via Google Books.
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