Here We Go Magic began merely as a moniker for artist Luke Temple, who crafted the band’s first album last year almost completely on his own using only a basic four-track recorder. The album’s lack of an original title, favoring that of an eponymous title instead, clearly matched its overall minimalist, lo-fi quality. Now, just over a year later, Temple finds himself with four new members and a second album under his belt with the release of Pigeons.
Fortunately for fans, Here We Go Magic’s sophomore release keeps its psychedelic sound from the get-go. The opening track “Hibernation” does an exceptional job of immediately grabbing the listener’s attention with an instantaneous classic 1970s vibe. But it’s the record’s second song “Collector” that proves to be the high point of the album, and it’s an exceptionally high point at that. With its higher-quality production values and catchier melody, “Collector” actually stands out from the rest of the album’s crowd.
This, disappointingly, is the downfall of Pigeons. Every song after these first two gives off a very atmospheric tone, which would be fine in small doses but doesn’t work here when it encompasses the remainder of the entire record. Subsequently, nearly all of the songs end up being fairly forgettable.
While many were expecting a pleasant change in overall sound with the early debut of “Collector”, what they received was a rather pointless contribution suffering an identity crisis; it’s not quite as discreet as the first release, nor is it bold enough to step into the realm of well-produced indie rock. The four extra band members and use of better recording equipment are fairly redundant in this outing considering the lo-fi structure of Here We Go Magic. There is an underlying sense of lost potential for something new and outside of the established boundaries for Temple that is lacking throughout nearly the entirety of Pigeons, which is a shame.
