Magic Lantern “At the Mountains of Madness”

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Whenever I’m in traffic, I usually end up with Magic Lantern.  There’s something about their sound that shuts down those unnecessary nodes of your brain that you just don’t need when operating a car–it’s something to do with the band spinning out the kind of jams where you really don’t have to analyze anything. If the man who invented the Buddha Box wanted to put a band together, it would sound like Magic Lantern: lots of space echo, tambourines and tabla, simple riffs in hypnotic repetition and whispered lyrics delivered from a kneeling position.  In fact, the first time I saw Magic Lantern, the crowd all sat down Indian-style, knees crossed and holding plastic cups full of red wine. I’ve heard them get equal references to Sonic Youth (for the wild noise) and Spacemen 3 (for the over-and-over arrangements) and Neu! (for the locked grooves), but for me, it’s just the kind of thing I want to listen to when I’ve got a long way to go.

- Charlie Rose

MAGIC LANTERN WITH POCAHAUNTED, HEADDRESS AND MOUNTAIN PARTY AT ECHO CURIO, 1519 SUNSET BLVD., ECHO PARK.  9P.M. / $5 DONATION SUGGESTED.  WWW.ECHOCURIO.COM.