Magic Lantern – High Beams LP
NNF137
After long too long in the merch-less dark, the LBC’s most married band, Magic Lantern, finally beam down the full-length psych-statement we always knew they had stashed inside. It only took the Southern California sector a single 5-song demo plus a handful of incense-dense komische live flights to fall under the spell of ML’s oncoming headlights, but now the rest of the globe can hop on the band’s wild wagon. High Beams throws out the total 20-sided die of the their illuminative powers, from stomping show staples like “Deathshead Hawkmoth” and “Vampires In Heat” through to S. Araw-vibed chime trancers (“Feasting On Energy”) and even a good time acid-addled feedback boogie (“Cactus Raga”). These are all of the Lanterns’ classic long-form anthems, captured in high-def thanks to Bobb Bruno’s production/recording job and a radiant mastering job courtesy of James Plotkin. The riffs rip, the drums crash, and the organ burns a hole in the sun. Black vinyl LPs in glossy jackets with flag photography by The Stallones Family, plus a fried-eyed, full-color 11×17 poster.