I met Geordie Gordon at the Scarborough Town Centre (ugh…). Laura and I were there waiting to be picked up to Join The Burning Hell on their eastern tour and it turned out he was a last minute addition to the convoy. Initially I couldn’t help but be slightly intimidated by his upwardly coiffed hair and plastic yellow sunglasses, though it wouldn’t take me long to realize how silly that was.

Geordie didn’t say much during the drive at first. In fact, he fell asleep on Laura’s shoulder in the backseat pretty much immediately. However, being sandwiched in a car with someone for a week makes for ample opportunity to get to know each other. In Geordie’s case it’s easy to let your guard down, as he projects a sort of exuberance that subdues any apprehension.

At some point during the trip I learned that, not only was he a member of The Barmitzvah Brothers (along with Jenny Omnichord, whose car we were riding in), but he also fronts The Magic (with Sylvie Smith and his brother, Evan Gordon).  Naturally, after hanging out for a week and really enjoying his company, I was eager to see what The Magic was all about.

The above preamble should make it pretty clear that I had a favourable bias going in to The Magic’s debut EP. However, I felt the need to share those details, as our first meeting perfectly mirrors the way that these tunes gradually won me over. Trepidatious at first listen, I didn’t want to get my hopes up—good people don’t always make good music!  Turns out, much like my initial meeting with Geordie at the mall, the exuberant and upbeat songs on this EP quickly subdued any apprehensions I might have had.

What can I say? Friend or not, these tunes are damn good.  Upbeat, addictive and diverse, it’s obvious that these guys have been around the block. Not to mention that they have a profound respect for the classics (hell, Geordie gave me my first real exposure to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours by bringing a copy on tour).

For what it’s worth, even if we’d never met I can safely say I’d be pushing The Magic just the same.

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The Magic - No Sound

Hear more at the band’s Myspace page or grab a digital copy of the EP here.