Thought on Tracks

Sep

Album Review: She Does Is Magic ‘My Height In Heels’

Today marks the arrival of one of my most anticipated local releases of the year: She Does Is Magic’s debut LP My Height in Heels. The project is led by Bloomington’s Chad Serhal. The album is Serhal’s second release of 2012, following his solo effort Golden. Listening to My Height in Heels, you get the sense that what Serhal enjoys most about She Does Is Magic are those moments when it really feels like a band. Those opportunities to get lost within and expound upon a solitary guitar riff that simply are not possible as a solo artist.

Every other of the eight songs found on My Height in Heels is an instrumental. But these tangents never distract or bog the release down. Serving instead to propel the work forward, the tracks function as the sonic equivalent of transition sentences – closing one thought and introducing another seamlessly.

Songs about girls are staggered between the instrumental interludes. Which, at the end of the day is what most good rock bands should be writing about. The opposite sex is a subject that fascinates Serhal. A subject, if we may read into the band’s name, he finds magical. It’s a healthy obsession. One that allows him to lucidly recall subtle details of lovers past, and recognize the shadow a relationship can cast upon a former favorite record.

I initially found myself irked by SDIM’s decision to recycle three of the tracks from the band’s self-titled EP, released digitally last year, but soon realized those emotions were selfish. All of the tracks on the EP were worthy of wax and shine brilliantly here – polished, remastered and in the case of opening track “Means Nothing,” stripped down and revamped.

My Height in Heels is a straightforward rock release that should give Hoosiers a sense of pride. Listen to the album in its entirety below. A release party will be held this Thursday at The Melody Inn where SDIM will be joined by Hotfox and The Broderick. Grab your copy of My Height in Heels in person or order it on CD or vinyl today from Flannelgraph Records.

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Written by Rob Peoni

Sep

Fresh Track: Wet Blankets “Patio”

It’s Bloomington day on Thought on Tracks, and with good reason. Today marks the release of She Does Is Magic’s My Height in Heels. God willing, I’ll have a review out the door by early this afternoon. Before we get there though, I would like to introduce fellow B-town residents Wet Blankets.

This band has jumped out of the gates with a home-run debut single in the form of “Patio” – a yearning, rollicking teen dream of a tune. The track is the first taste of the forthcoming five-track EP Sheepy Love, due out October 16 on Crossroads of America Records. The vinyl is limited to just 200 copies. If “Patio” is any indication, Sheepy Love is looking like a worthy addition to the collection. Pre-order your copy today.

Written by Rob Peoni

Sep

Fresh Track: Sandpaper Dolls “Swallow Them Whole”

The handful of regular Thought on Tracks readers should be able to detect a pattern in the type of music I promote in this space. I have a weakness for female vocalists, fuzzy garage bands, experimentation and Afrobeat influences – particularly in jazz. Louisville’s Sandpaper Dolls has several of my guilty pleasures rolled into a single package.

The experimental, female A Capella trio recently dropped their debut single “Swallow Them Whole.” Singers Suki Anderson, Amber Estes and Rebecca Dennison weave impeccable vocal lines, looped for added depth and layering. The result is an arrangement similar to fellow female trio Mountain Man with the poly-rhythmic styling of tUnE-yArDs’ Merrill Garbus. “Swallow Them Whole” is the first taste of Sandpaper Dolls’ self-titled debut, due out via Karate Body Records on November 6. The album will be available for pre-order on September 25.

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