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This Bruce Springsteen album gives me a certain level of nostalgia-- Magic played out of our kitchen stereo, iPod classic, and car CD players with a fair amount of regularity in 2007. He's certainly had many other albums with more chart hits and overall commercial success, but my personal connection to Magic made it feel like the right choice for my first Bruce Springsteen album during this project.
Bruce Springsteen takes on concept albums in such a way that the concept almost sinks into the woodwork of the album-- the slight bit of background research I did into Magic prior to listening brought to light the contrast between the magic and lack thereof of humanity. That point comes across lyrically and the album as a whole is enjoyable to listen to for the realness and rawness of its instrumentation combined with those lyrics.
Stand-out tracks: Radio Nowhere, Livin' in the Future
My favorites: You'll Be Comin' Down, Your Own Worst Enemy
It's hard to compare the songs on Magic to one another. They work together to create a cohesive sound but tell very different kinds of stories on their own. There are songs like the powerhouse opener "Radio Nowhere" and lighthearted, vibey "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" that appeal to the feel-good side of this album. There are songs where the E Street Band sounds particularly exquisite, like "Livin' in the Future" and "I'll Work for Your Love." Uncertainty and frustration take on two very different personas with "You'll Be Comin' Down" and "Last to Die," one taking the head-held-high kind of sound while the other is pure, unyielding angst. Magic is somehow multifaceted yet cohesive across lyricism, sound, instrumentation, and storytelling-- as an album, it's simply some kind of magic.
AM I OBSESSED?
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