Magic Dance: New Eyes :: 5.0/5.0 :: Released: 07.12.2018 :: Frontiers Music
Band Links: Facebook
I wonder if Magic Dance creator Jon Siejka is old enough to have seen any John Hughes films back in the Eighties. You know, like Pretty In Pink, Sixteen Candles, or Some Kind Of Wonderful? Was he even born yet? I doubt it. Why? Because listening to his Magic Dance and the latest LP, New Eyes, is like listening to a soundtrack from an Eighties teen movie. On the strength of several self-released EPs and an album, Siejka’s Magic Dance has been signed to Frontiers Music. Good deal.
But back to my original stream of consciousness. Much of the Eighties teen movie sound was characterized by strong synths (something taken from the then current New Wave movement), big riffs in harmony, large guitar solos, and infectious beat and groove. These elements were then wrapped in catchy hooks from memorable melodies, sweet vocal harmonies, and lasting refrains. The result is simply AOR friendly, arena ready, radio tunes. Basically, this is exactly what Siejka and his Magic Dance compadres accomplish within New Eyes. I can almost see Molly Ringwald sighing and rolling her eyes at one of Duckie’s (Jon Cryer) self-effacing ludicrous comments or a Steff Mckee (James Spader) smoke-riddled sarcastic jab: “You’re a bitch”.
And so I’ve explained all you need to know. Big arena rockers come with When Nothing’s Real, These Four Walls, and the nicely catchy You’re Holding Back. More subtle, yet equally dynamic, AOR tunes arrive with Please Wake Me, Better Things, and Never Go Back. The Eighties movies had their share of ballads as well, so find them with New Eyes, Looking For Love, and New Eyes, the latter two both upbeat and strong. Magic Dance’s New Eyes is simply deja vu all over again: Eighties teen movie guitar and synth rock revisited and made fresh 40 years later. Recommended.
