Magic Eye's latest cassette, Babylon, on Not Not Fun was almost scrapped out of frustration. The drowsy, hazy gazer pop synonymous with the Edinburgh four piece was compromised when the group attempted to record in a professional studio. The idealogies that give Magic Eye its dreamcatcher spirit were rendered mute by the prisitine rituals of the hi-fi room. So the band took their belongings back to the bedroom, piecing together the Babylon cassette (and portions of the Shreddin' On Heavens Door cassette) on their own.
It must have been a miscommunication, or a music language barrier, that led to the regrouping measures. Consider the following mix curated by the band. Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, and Fatima Al Qadiri; these are the artists Magic Eye were conjuring when they went into the studio to record Babylon. It's their attention to textures that mimic ghostly transmissions that appeal to Magic Eye. It translates in the mix best when the band includes two exclusive tracks from the sessions that didn't make the cassette, the sonic fidelity is seamless.
Magic Eye had the following to say:
This mix is made from songs that we were into around the time of recording the album. We stitched them together and ran them through our effects. The Robert Fripp tune is a song I wish I could have listened to properly, but it's from pieces of his youtube interview in the reverb chamber with interview clips in between. Two of the tracks are unreleased stuff that we didn't think quite fitted with the release on NNF.
Magic Eye's Babylon CS is out now on Not Not Fun.
Tracklisting:
01 XTC – Functions On The Low
02 Fatima Al Qadiri – Hip Hop Spa
03 Robert Fripp – Frippertronics
04 Art Of Noise – Moments of Love
05 Magic Eye – Sad Disco
06 Magic Eye – Never
07 Brian Eno – Discreet Music(excerpt)
