Steve Kilbey and Martin Kennedy follow-up last year's U.S. release of "Unseen Music Unheard Words" with "White Magic", another collection of atmospheric tracks mixing Kennedy's electronic soundscapes with Kilbey's pop/rock background as one of the driving forces behind The Church.
"White Magic", much like its predecessor, is another relaxing listen from start to finish. These songs would work on their own as instrumentals there is so much lush beauty going on underneath Kilbey's vocals. The prominent use of acoustic guitar certainly calls to mind some of The Church's classics, especially on tracks like "Unfocused", "Intense" and "Hope".
Favorites here include album opener "The Demo" which starts with spacey keyboards before a slowed down beat and guitar pattern carries the song along, the lovely mix of piano and acoustic guitar in "Mountain" and album closer, the sparse but gorgeous "The Broken Sea".
This is a collaboration I hope we continue to see more of. For two straight years, Kilbey and Kennedy have produced an engaging and enchanting album. "White Magic" certainly won't get any attention from commercial radio, this is one you'll have to seek out and it is worth the time to do so. A hypnotic listen.
"White Magic" was released in the U.S. February 1, 2011 on Second Motion Records.
Official Website of Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy
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