Magic Thrust (Opinions needed)
 

Magic Thrust Bandcamp

Okay, so I'm doing this. If this should be in another section then let me know. I'd like to keep it as it's own thread though so i get some opinions. This is my best friend's band and because I like you guys a lot and value your opinion, I'd like you to honestly tell me what you think. I wouldn't be doing this unless I knew most of you would enjoy listening to them. They have a lot of different styles but they're a rock band in essence. If you like...

Jazz
Funk
Progressive Groove Metal
Blues

You should like Magic Thrust. They're comparable to Umphrey's McGee, Zechs Marguise, and Russian Circles.

This is what a local venue said about the...

Please check them out. I wouldn't do this unless I knew it'd go over well. Let me know what you think.

I quite liked Desert Sun even if it did take a while to kick in. Their tracks are well produced but I definitely get the feeling that they're more of a live band. The tracks don't drag but the studio ones feel a bit overstuffed at times.

rusty rusty RUSTY RUSTYyyyy Axe Wound is awesome. Kind of reminds of Primus in the breakdown. This one definitely benefits from being a live recording, it's hard to pinpoint but a little bit of the fire seems to go out when that kind of freak-out-rock is adapted into a proper studio recording.

Really glad they have more than 1 live track on that site I'm quite digging it.

Okay then, here we go:

Nefertiti's fjord: Was that a sitar at the opening and carrying the main theme? Very good, really put me in mind of mysterious Egypt and far-off places. The keys are very atmospheric, though I have to say the drums sound a little raw to me (what do I know?) but overall pretty good. Might have been better with some sort of keyboard solo, or if the keys had come to the fore a little more?

Rusty axe wound Much heavier, kind of blues feel to it. Like the acapella bit at the beginning. And the end. Nice bass work. Drums sound much better here, fuller. Maybe it was the acoustics at the venue on the previous? Nice bit of "talking" on one of the guitars, adds a lot to the track. Nice bit of boogie too at the end. Sweet.

Guano loco (mad sht?): Favourite so far. Love the guitar work, and are they marimbas, or have I gone insane? Again. Quite Santana-ish, some more cool funky bass work.

One rub uh-dub-dub: Good bass opening, though it seems very low down in the mix. Not a reggae fan so have to say I didn't like this too much, though some great guitar work throughout. Just not really my cup of poison. Okay, in fairness, it wasn't complete reggae, but that's how it started out. It did get better as it went on, but it was too long I believe. Good change though for the last minute, when it got a lot heavier.

Desert sun: LOVE this! Why doesn't this guy sing more? He has a great voice, which I'd call dreamy if I wasn't a guy myself. Beautiful introspective guitar, reminds me in places of Marillion, wouldya believe? Really laidback while still having some quite powerful guitar. Elements of Eric Woolfson from the Alan Parsons Project in the voice, imo. Again, an interesting change in the last two minutes or so, though I have to say I could have done without the reggae semi-beat. Nevertheless, favourite track without question. Want more like this!

Probably Pete's (updated): There's some jazz in here, isn't there? Isn't there? Admit it! I don't care for jazz now at all. This is okay but I have to say I find it a little boring, and again overlong at eight minutes.

Dog napkins: Nine and a half minutes? This had better be good! Nah, pretty bored with this, have to say, sorry. Needs a bit more fire, a good guitar solo maybe? Bit too much bass? Just a little samey for such a long song I feel. Cute dog though!

Well, hope that helped...

That's funny trollheart because Dog Napkins is my favorite one of their songs. They performed it one night with a great trumpet player and it rocked my socks off. That doesn't happen often. They are truly a live band and we have a lot of fun at the shows. Here's a couple live performances if you wanna check em out. The first is a live version of Dog Napkins. Maybe this one will run off better.



^This one is cool because it's a completely improvised song. The sound guy was taking a **** when they finished so they just continued to play and decided to just have a jam. It came out good. Very good.

^Their first show.

Okay so here's the thing: I'm sometimes an asshole.
I know this and so do almost everybody who knows me (they make sure to remind me of this every now and then).
But the words I'm about to say don't come from that place. This is real. I listen to all music seriously and with an open mind.

I think this band makes bad music. Listening to their songs bored me to hell except for the improvised one on the video (Defeat of the Robot Kittens 3) because it shows me that they really know how to play their instruments in interesting ways. Still, even it got on my nerves by the end.

So, no personal offense to your friends but I don't like their band's music. I should also state I don't like prog-rock or jam bands (and I fucking hate Marillion, sorry T-Heart) so my opinion probably means little considering the schema of this bands' target audience.

I also have to add one more possibly assholish statement and say that comparing them to Russian Circles is not apt. Note: Of the 3 bands you compared them to - I only know Russian Circles.

And please know that I only bothered to say all of this because I really do like Jazz, Funk, and Blues (I'm not sure exactly what progressive groove metal is but, judging by that title, I doubt I like it) so I figured my opinion counts at least a little bit.

I wish them luck but Magic Thrust get a thumb down from me.