By: Liz Levine
Rating: 8/11

Though their self-titled debut was written and recorded entirely by solo musician Luke Temple, Here We Go Magic represents his desire to create and perform in a full band. Temple’s bedroom-musician history doesn’t quite make him the lonely, sappy singer/songwriter one might imagine. He’s more of a curious tinkerer, with bits, pieces, and found sounds pushing into repeated melodies that evolve from bare beginnings. “Fangela” starts off sounding like a thoughtful guitar piece, benefits from the inclusion of driving beats and layered 70’s group vocals, and ends up a guessing game of effects and shimmery soundbites. “Tunnelvision” begins similarly with otherwordly Bon Iver vocals and guitar strumming, then shifts into mysterious ruminations with whispering, gossiping background vocals that create texture but can’t quite be deciphered. Temples singing range and fondness for toying with beats gives Here we Go Magic a quality comparable to Radiohead, and the constant layering gives the feeling each track grows and moves, suggests Grizzly Bear. Considering all that must be going on in Temple’s head, collaborating and touring with the newly added musicians will surely take these songs to the heights he is reaching for.