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Girl

Magic Dirt
Girl

10 Track, LP (2008, Emergency)
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Related: Magic Dirt.


Whether Magic Dirt are aware of it or not, their fate and recent output has been the object of discussion and even disquiet in certain quarters. The band think of themselves as elders. Those who grew up with them seem – on my unscientific research – to think they aren’t as good as they used to be, or at least superseded by better.

All this analysis, such as it is, comes I think from the same mindset as Pierre Bayard’s How to talk about books you haven’t read, a book which incidentally I haven’t read. The only Magic Dirt album I’ve really spent any time with is Snow White which many seem to dislike but which I actually love and which I note is available for 10 bucks from JB Hi-Fi. Get it if you haven’t.

Anyway, if there are people who think MD should give up their day jobs and go on to social work or arts advising or sculpture or something, they are wrong. Girl is an excellent record. It’s a concept album about the Bill Henson debacle (actually, it’s not but could it be?) that reverses a million years (so it seems) of rock for boys - from ‘Romy’ (a kind of “Romy can you hear me” song) to ‘White Boy’, you know, as per the American X song ‘White Girl’.

Actually, I think it’s weird that ‘Romy’ should be the single. It’s far from the best song on the album or the catchiest. That honour belongs to the Spector-esque ‘Always’, or the fab ‘Full of Rope’ (Christ, what does that mean?) despite the terribly unexciting opening couplet. But look: Magic Dirt are slowly crashing through to legendary status, where they belong, and there are many, many, many fine moments here.

by David Nichols

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Tracklisting
  • 1.   Get Ready To Die
  • 2.   Emerald Green
  • 3.   Romy
  • 4.   Six Feet Under
  • 5.   Always
  • 6.   White Boy
  • 7.   Full Of Rope
  • 8.   Tremor
  • 9.   Cupids Bow
  • 10.   More
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