The Boston Shakers - Black Magic (Single)

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is ten years old this year. Damn. Time goes fast, eh? But the thing is, that album still remains fresh in my memory for one good damn reason; it pulled up the quality of British indie-alternative rock significantly, and the few years following saw some ace releases from bands such as the Maccabees, Razorlight and Foals, all branching off into different directions and releasing well-received, commercially successful albums, triggering a revival of British indie rock. But more importantly, Alex Turner's brilliant lyrics on social commentary helped to ground these songs into reality. Although they may have been musically and lyrically influenced by the cool of American bands like The Strokes and Queens of the Stone Age, the Arctic Monkeys took that cool and used it as the backdrop for witty songs about crappy nights out, drunken disappointments and lyrics about learning life lessons the hard way.

Black Magic, the first single by Liverpool band The Boston Shakers to have received airplay, instantly transports me back to 2006. Its lyrics fit beautifully into the same vein as Alex Turner's, with lead singer Alex Pascoe twisting words into an effortlessly intoxicating tale of a drunken night out gone wrong. Pascoe's delivery is fresh - the way he spits the line "chemicals on your tongue" genuinely sounds like he's having to throw something poisonous up - and his lyrics jab and jibe at those songs you know you're gonna hear on the dancefloor. When Pascoe sings "feeling supersonic, but I'm actually quite nauseous," you've got the continuing millenial hangover to Oasis' 90's Britpop optimism. The club becomes a dangerous place, with broken glass and vomit on the floor, and I love it. Black Magic perfectly captures the feeling of a night out going wrong.

It's ironic that Pascoe is originally from California, as this song feels so distinctly 'British' in its lyrical content. But perhaps the American influence works in their favour; musically, The Boston Shakers add a healthy dose of Black Keys hard bluesy rock to their style of British indie, with Pascoe's brother Will and Jordan Kennie contributing powerful, stuttering guitar lines and tasty lead riffs. The bass and rhythm section give the song a real sense of energy and intensity that fits in with the lyrical themes of the song. As Black Magic is a song about the pay-off of losing control through alcohol, so to do the band lose control as the song develops, becoming louder, rowdier and more reckless. This is a strong opening single for the band, and I'm interested in seeing where their sound develops. My only real point of criticism is that not all members of the band get a chance to show off their talents; this is a six piece band, their electronic sounds and white noise that are usually prevalent in live performances being underutilised on this track. If the The Boston Shakers can emphasise this aspect of their sound and work around it, they have a good shot at getting some more serious air time. At the minute, although the night seems to be winding down at the end of Black Magic, it's hard to imagine that there can be any other way for the band to go but up.