It’s common knowledge that the Horseshoe Tavern has a reputation of being a starting ground for promising young bands. But tonight, there’s nothing new or promising about Magnetic Morning. Although theirs is a name not yet widely known, the band boasts years of experience, despite the fact that it formed only two years ago in New Jersey. Magnetic Morning consists of Sam Fogarino, drummer of New York post-punk legends Interpol, and Adam Franklin, singer and guitarist of UK shoegaze outfit Swervedriver. With talent and experience in spades, tonight Magnetic Morning must prove they can stand on their own two feet, without the support of their original bands.
With their cheery attire and variety of instruments (like trombone and banjo), local openers Entire Cities prove to be a huge contrast to the band they precede. Opener “Meat Head” is a soft, amorous ballad that echoes through the half-empty venue. But by the second and third tracks, no less than fifteen additional members storm the stage, clad in quaint pioneer attire reminiscent of Little Women. Their music is packed with backing vocals from ten girls without instruments and apparently, no knowledge of the lyrics, as they’re reading off a pad of paper. When it’s all over, the band joins the audience on the floor, doling out liberal amounts of hugs to their fans. It’s hard not to fall for Entire Cities: their easygoing nature is contagious. The band seems to be less interested in playing their instruments than having a good time.
With no introduction, Magnetic Morning emerges to a stage full of synth ensembles and Vox amplifiers. They open with “At a Crossroads, Passive,” beginning like Interpol circa Turn On the Bright Lights with sparse, gloomy guitar chords. As Franklin’s voice trails off into a desolate, echoing drawl, Fogarino kicks in with the simple backbeats that made him famous.
Their stage presence is almost nonexistent, with the unassuming Fogarino staying put in the background, Franklin playing with his eyes closed. It seems Magnetic Morning aren’t looking for the limelight. Instead, they’re making dreamy soundscapes that take a sharp turn towards the pure noise faintly reminiscent of Franklin’s shoegaze contemporaries, My Bloody Valentine.
The band establishes a pattern by quickly exchanging the dreamy sound for a more conventional rock n’ roll groove that shows off Franklin’s radio-friendly vocal turns on “Motorway”, and a lively cover of The Kinks’ “The Way Love Used to Be.”
But it’s the noisiest songs that have the most impact. “Don’t Go To Dream State,” with its echoing vocal intro and sparse drumming, is a resounding success. “Cold War Kids” features a lengthy build-up to an explosion which finds Fogarino pained from hitting the drums with extreme force. It gets louder and louder, fooling the crowd into thinking it’s the finale. Just when you think it’s about to come to a sudden halt, the band draws it out into a wave of reverb and galloping drum beats.
The band then breaks into deep spatial sounds with “Athens 5.” Perhaps they should have kept the vocals out of the mix, but the heavy drums and blaring reverb forces some stunned audience members to start holding their ears. It’s bearable, but all of a sudden it stops, ending the set with a glorious hurricane of static.
Magnetic Morning has yet to find a concrete sound. For this project to achieve the success of their original bands, Franklin and Fogarino must decide which they prefer: straightforward rock n’ roll, or noisy dreamscapes. Otherwise, they’ll find themselves catering awkwardly to two very different audiences, a position that neither Interpol or Swervedriver ever put themselves in.
