One of my favorite albums of 2009 has to be Magenta's 'Art & Accidents'- along with Midnight Resistance's 'Remote,' I've been playing the shit out of it more than anything else for months. For those uninitiated into their musical magick, Magenta hails from Norway, and is composed of songwriter/guitarist Anders Odden, guitarist Daniel Hill and vocalist Vilde Lockert.
I've always been a big fan of Magenta's sound- their early stuff (i.e: 'Secret Sky,' 'Eccentricity', 'One Mind') comes off like a trippier, goth version of Garbage- a sound aptly demonstrated on their 1997 Magenta EP. Their newest sound, heralded by the song 'Friendly Fire', the B-side on the now classic 2005 Apoptygma Berzerk single 'Shine On,' is what I consider their best yet. Combining the winding, chugging guitars and aura of FALAA era Sisters of Mercy with the catchy synthpop hooks of Human League, 'Art & Accidents' finds Magenta improving upon the irresistable synth-rock formula of Apop's 'You & Me Against the World' (a formula Anders Odden helped pioneer, as he co-wrote 'Y&MATW's more memorable tracks, such as 'Into the Unknown' and 'Tuning into the Frequency of Your Soul'), and giving it a harder, more metallic shean in places.
'Darkest Dream' gets your attention right away: an urgent drum machine and "spooky" gothic keys lead you into a false sense of security, until thundering guitars rain down upon the landscape and drag you into one of the catchiest dark pop choruses ever as Vilde implores: "Send me to heaven." The ballad 'Untouchable' starts off similarly, with heavenly keys and an incredibly heavy synth bass led on by fercious Sisters-esque guitars verging on metal; Vilde leads what sounds like a children's choir in the chorus as she tells the object of her affection "you own my soul."
The Sisters have been mentioned quite a few times in this review; that's because 'Arts & Accidents' is permeated with their influence- nowhere more evident than in the track 'To Die For.' The guitars wind up and down much like a FALAA track such as 'Nine While Nine' or 'Floodland's 'Driven Like the Snow' until erupting into a chorus worthy of 'This Corrosion' It's a good track, but what ruined it for me was the pseudo-Eldritch vocals in the chorus; something all goth bands should take heed of and realize only Von Eldritch himself can pull this off. Here, it just sounds silly, and I prefer the original version, which is included at the end of the album, without the cheesy male vocals on top of Vilde's already great voice.
'The One' is another great synth rock ballad, perhaps closest to Magenta's early sound, but also in that irresistable formula with its eccentric drum machine and thundering synth bass, accompanied by a Human League-esque chorus and more rocky guitars. 'In Your Arms' 'Black Tomorrow,' and the amazing 'Fallen Angel' continue the metal elements Magenta adds to the synth rock equation, while 'Massive Enigma' stands and falls on being the most experimental track on 'Art & Accidents.' 'Wasted Heart' is decent- if a bit predictable- gothic rock which fails to match the majesty of the other tracks here. 'No One is With Me' is a great way to end things, being the most quirky and "synth pop" song on the record, with a great chorus and playful lyrics about post-apocalypticism and love, with Vilde singing how "the world is ending- now, today... I know no one hears me, there's no one here anymore." 'Art & Accidents' is rounded out by a metal Oingo Boingo-sounding track I didn't really dig called 'Electric Fear (Elec This Mix)' and a cool electro remix of 'Darkest Dream,' as well as the superior original version of 'To Die For.'
There are two kinds of people: those who hated Apoptygma Berzerk's 'You & Me Against the World,' and those who absolutely fucking loved it. I fall into the latter camp. If you do too, then check out Magenta's 'Art & Accidents', because it's a natural progression of the sound Anders Odden helped create there. To put it another way- if 'Rocket Science' was a step in the wrong direction, 'Art & Accidents' is a step in the RIGHT one, and takes it a step further. Hell, even if you have no fucking clue who Magenta is- or even care- check out ''Art & Accidents'. Its irresistable combination of synth rock and dark, catchy choruses and thundering guitars is simply too good to be ignored. You can check out their myspace page @ http://www.myspace.com/magenta
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