Magnet School
The
Raven EP
(Shifting Sounds)
Has it really been eight years since Magnet School’s last album, 2016's The Art of Telling Truth? Wow! Lucky for us, they’re still at it and have graced us with another collection of cranking twin guitar majesty. They have always reminded me of Swervedriver, with the dual exploratory guitars that aren’t afraid to lock in with the potent rhythm section and crank out some serious rock-n-roll.
“The Raven” opens with an air raid siren that acts as a clarion call to action. Once the guitars kick in atop a beat full of stuttering nervous energy, “The Raven” jumps out as one of the most rousing songs I’ve heard in eons. It feels like a call to action like New Model Army’s “Here Comes the War,” but with lyrics full of festering and rotten imagery, it is more of a call for some kind of hex on a betrayer. The intensity of the instrumentation gives the song an undeniable urgency that feels incredibly vital. There’s more turmoil ahead in “A Conversation,” which is pushed forward by a bass-line that sounds like the rumbling engine of a hot rod. It’s another song that feels full of betrayal as the lyrics ruminate on the changing stories (misrepresentations? lies?) from conversations between the past and the present.
Magnet School are always reliable with some devastatingly good instrumentals, and here we’re treated to “Dotted Eighth,” which absolutely rips. The band locks into a tightly wound riff and soon sparks begin to fly. Once the cool breeze of “Mayor of Greenpoint” comes in, I envision hearing/seeing these songs live as part of an especially hot encore and this is the slow burning set closer that builds to the exciting conclusion, as well as the highlight of the set. This EP closes with a classy piano and strings “Reprise” brief instrumental of “The Raven” – replacing the original’s harrowing and menacing threats into a quiet and peaceful reflection.
It was a long wait for these new songs, but well worth it. Magnet School have showed us that they set a high bar of quality control. Happy to have them back. Does this mean there’s more new music on the near horizon?
