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4/21/05 news! there is a new cc and the mg's video for shape of this town done by the fine fine people at black and blue productions. check it!
also added a new review!
9/18/04 news: colin clary and the magogs are now a live band! we are playing our first show at the northhampton pop fest. get the lowdown here. Its put on by the good folks at skippingstones records.
picture of us at pop fest... zimmy got cut off his is too the right.
A video has been added for simple things. just scroll down a bit.
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Colin wrote a whole bunch of songs a few years ago. One day he brought a bunch of them up to Jay and I on mini disc. If he didn't have the songs on mini disc he recorded rough demos into my computer. Jay and I picked a bunch of them and had colin email us up the chords. Jay and I played with them and recorded a bunch over about a years time. Then Colin and Hannah came up, did some singing and some guitar playing. I mixed it and Eric mastered it and this is the product.
It took forever to come out because we were foolish and thought someone might actually want to release it for us. We made up a bunch of neat things to put in a promo pack and sent it to a ton of indie labels and in most cases got no response. I think we got one 'thanks for your submission letter' and one rejection. The other 50 labels just got a free copy of our record I guess.
Regardless, we are still very proud of this record and we put a lot of hard work into it. You can listen to the first track of the record shape of this town.
This is what the cover looks like:
Isaac Wasuck did the artwork.
You can buy the record here. and by doing so you will afford us to release another record maybe or at least afford us a short stack and some maple syrup.
Listen to another song we did for our friend tweks's birthday called 'i heart the tewks'. You can also hear a song we did for erin and erics wedding called brand new holiday (song for erin and eric) Neither one of these songs has been released on anythign.
We had a song on the Twilight Furniture release "I'm gonna watch the bluebirds fly over my shoulder" called chiclets in a frame.
Also, here is a video colin made for simple things (get pushed under the door). Its pretty cool.
Reviews
From Shredding Paper
Colin Clary and the Magogs - "Her Life of Crime" CD
24/55:32
Yes, the comparison to the Beach Boys makes sense. The melodies are similar,
although in this case we have the girl/boy combination vocals going on. But
stick Pet Sounds in 2004 and add a chick, and you wouldn't be far off. Happy
songs with lyrics that are much more decidedly sad than they sound, this sunshiny
beachy pop is not all fun and games. It's definitely twee. And pretty good,
at that. Sharon
@ www.northofjanuary.com
"Like fashion, music tends to move through cycles of recurring style. One moment faded jeans and lo-fi folk songs are en vogue, and the next thing you know, it's legwarmers, banana clips and garage rock. The point is, everything that's old becomes new again, a trend that suggests that you should no more throw out your expired albums than your lycra bodysuit. Rest assured: both bodysuit -- and the music you danced to in it -- will return.
Pure and simple, Her Life of Crime is a loving ode to the summery
folk/pop of the late sixties. Beginning with the first bars of album opener
"The Shape of This Town", an easy-going, retro aesthetic is established.
From there, everything is tinged with flashback. The clear guitar tones, the
vocal harmonies, the tinny tambourine, the slightly hokey keyboard/synth sections
-- all of these elements recapture the sixties in clear and perfect nostalgia.
The album's only really noticeable modern feature is the production, which creates
a slightly experimental/indie sound as filtered through a retro lens. It's what
you might get if one of your favorite bands from the sixties showed up at your
local medium-to-lo-fi recording studio; the songs would be the same...only slightly
better realized in all their old-fashioned glory.
It's clear that Colin Clary and the Magogs worked long and hard at establishing
an overall tone for the album, because you can't miss it. Beneath the love affair
with sixties sounds is a corresponding affection for the awkward innocence that
prevailed in that era. You can hear it in simple songs about love and loss.
The only unfortunate part is that the wistful tone occasionally gets lost amidst
too-short songs and too-low vocals. The best tracks on Her Life of Crime --
"Pet Sound" (a nod to the band's inspiration, no doubt) and "Simple
Things (get pushed under the door)" -- are more fully developed, both musically
and lyrically.
A few minor faults aside, Her Life of Crime is an impressive
achievement. Perhaps it's true that everything new in music has already been
done. Maybe from here on out, we are destined for endless recycling. If that's
the case, let's just hope the vast majority of bands can do it with as much
style as Colin Clary and the Magogs. And may they never wear lycra bodysuits."
-- Melissa Amos
Colin Clary and the Magogs
Her Life of Crime
North of January
posted August 31, 2004
Hey, did you know that there's a big music scene in Vermont?
Yeah, neither did I.
Before I heard the Smittens, Vermont didn't even register a blip on my musical radar. I had heard James Kochalka Superstar, but was very unimpressed. But yes, there's even more to Vermont than the Smittens or James Kochalka. The Vermont scene seems to have a collective nature akin to that of the old Elephant 6 scene. Members of bands like My First Days on Junk, The Magic Is Gone, and Dialogue For Three frequently share members in the same way that the classic Elephant 6 bands did, or perhaps even moreso.
And that leads us to Colin Clary and the Magogs. The Magogs are Jason Routhier, Steven Williams, and Hannah Wall. Jason and Steven have played together in My First Days on Junk (along with Coli n, in fact), a Burlington-area shoegazer band. Hannah Wall sings in My First Days on Junk, as well as Dialogue For Three, an indie (but not really twee) pop band. Finally, in case you didn't know, Colin Clary is one of the most prolific and visible figures in the Vermont scene, having been in several bands and currently playing in a few others, including My First Days on Junk and the Smittens. Besides that, he records solo material under his own name.
Based on what I've heard of the Vermont collective (I was able to find MP3s of My First Days on Junk and Dialogue For Three before writing this review), Colin Clary and the Magogs is a different project than anything else in which the band members are involved. This is twee pop, but not necessarily in the same vein as the Smittens. The Smittens have a cutesy vibe that gives one the feeling that they could be made into a cartoon, like a modern, bisexual version of the Archies. Colin Clary and the Magogs are still very cu te and bubblegum, but they seem a little more serious. It's like the difference between the All Girl Summer Fun Band and the Softies (with the Smittens being analogous to the AGSFB and the Magogs being analogous to the Softies), if that makes any sense. Another difference between the two bands is that Colin Clary and the Magogs sound less amateurish with their song arrangements and production (and don't take that as insult to the Smittens, as amateurishness is often considered an endearing quality and not a liability in the indie world). The Magogs put the string, organ, and bell patches on their synths to great use, layering them with the guitars and vocals in just the right way to make it sound professional. The Magogs did all the production themselves, though, so chalk this one up as a victory for DIY.
But yes, even though Colin Clary and the Magogs are quite sophisticated, they are still very much a cute, twee band. For evidence, just listen to "Pet Sound", on wh ich Colin and Hannah play the parts of a boy and girl contemplating the possibility of a relationship and "making out to the Beach Boys" and "sleeping later on Sunday because [they're] going to a show". Or else, there's "Moped Rally", a very light song about the friendship of people who identify with each other through their mopeds, complete with "beep beep" sound effects. And there's also "I Only Give You Bad Advice Because I Love You", which begins with the words, "If you want a sundae, I'll give you a sundae. If you want a Monday, I'll be there." I thought that was a cute instance of wordplay.
Besides the twee lyrical content, another reason why I love this album so much is the aforementioned Hannah Wall, who sings backup vocals on almost all of the songs. Sure, Colin's name is on the CD, but I think that Hannah gives a star performance on this CD. As far as I know, Hannah hasn't been in any musical project as twee as this, but she shines on this CD, and her lead vocals in the second verse of "Pet Sound" are precious. I wish she would do tweepop more often. She could be a second string Smitten and fill in if Dana Kaplan (lead female vocalist for the Smittens) gets injured for some reason. If there's a sequel to this CD, I hope that Hannah gets to sing lead for at least a couple full songs.
Anyway, to wrap this up, I'll just say that this is a great
album, and if you're a fan of Colin Clary, the Smittens, or great tweepop in
general, you'll want to have it.
--Eric Wolf
Colin Clary and the Magogs Her Life of Crime (North of January)
Jangly, messy pop that gets cranking early and still manages to find that extra
gear after the bridge. This has the loopy feel of a one-man project, but the
Magogs are a real band, even though Clary is the lead singer and sole writer.
The folks play with a singularity of purpose that is quite inviting. Fun and
intriguing.
Colin Clary And The Magogs - "Her Life Of Crime" cd
(North Of January)
I was a little confused, but I think I have it now - this is a collaboration
between Colin Clary (of the Smittens, My First Days On Junk, etc) and the Magogs
(a completely separate band, though I didn't know that at first). That incestuous
Vermont indiepop/North Of January/Dangerfive scene was always hard to keep track
of... The sound here isn't too different than the Smittens: bouncy indiepop
with a rather good sense of melody and fun (but there are fewer "childish"
lyrics than there were on the Smittens album). The only major difference here
is the addition of a slightly melancholic element to some of the songs, though
not in a brooding way, but more of the wistful type that you might expect to
hear from Airliner or the Cat's Miaow. Whether happy or sad, though, the album
maintains a light and summery feel throughout. Along with Colin and the Magogs,
Hannah Wall (also from My First Days On Junk) sings backing and co-lead vocals
on many of the songs. This is a very nice record that makes you glad that Colin
Clary is as prolific as he is...
Colin Clary and the Magogs, Her Life of Crime (North of January)
The cover art for Her Life of Crime pokes fun at the idea of Colin Clary as
Pop Icon, the hearthrob of young women everywhere. Listen to the first song,
though, and you're thinking maybe this guy should be the next American Idol.
"The Shape of This Town" is the perfect 2-minute radio single (on
1960s radio, anyway), with a snappy singalong chorus, handclaps and great dual
vocals from Clary and Hannah Wall. The rest of the album includes another handful
of great pop-rock singles, with shaking tambourines, tuneful guitars, infatuation
and stolen kisses galore, plus lovelorn ballads perfect for rainy days and lonely
nights. Then there's some winning combinations of the two, like the absolutely
sublime, breezy-but-bittersweet "I Only Give You Bad Advice Because I Love
You." And, in a category all its own, a gorgeously sad love song with a
perfect title: "You Drove Me Crazy and Broke My Heart (But I'm Still Glad
You Were Born)". I'm acquainted enough with Colin Clary's music that seeing
his name on the front of a CD is enough to immediately brighten up my day, even
before I've heard it. But Her Life of Crime stands above the best of what I've
heard before; it's filled with amazing pop songs that are also filled with heart
From Slightly Confusing to a Stranger
"Do you plan of leaving, and can I go with you when you go?"
'Her Life of Crime' is every bit of a 60's get-a-way vacation album, fit for
the $2 a gallon modern age. The 'Endless Summer' guitar of opener 'the shape
of this town' should get you well on your way to the salty shores if nothing
else. To simply say Colin Clary and the Magogs create catchy tunes along the
lines of the Beach Boys would be every bit of easy - even if they do have a
clever, pink bubblegum of a song like 'pet sound', telling of 2 lovers making
out to the Wilson boys classic album. What they have crafted is an album that
distinctly stands out in today's sweep of "who told the 80's we wanted
them back?".
Colin Clary has a unique voice, somewhere between Tripping Daisy / Spree vocalist
Tim DeLaughter and KOLS's Ben Barnett covering the Lily's. Joining him on many
of 'crime's choice tunes is Hannah Wall (My First Days on Junk) - and her sugary
voice sends songs like 'pet sound' and 'the shape of this town' swirling.
Like all love, there is also the hurt that is associated with it. 'You drove
me crazy and broke my heart (but I'm still glad you were born)' make sure these
tender issues are addressed - all while giving the overtone that life is still
carefree and wonderful. As playful as the artwork that delivers it - 'her life
of crime' wins big in todays junk music scene.
On the issue of hurt and love, why won't stunning cover model Penelope Wall
return my calls? Ouch.
Kaleb
From
Seven Days
Colin Clary and the Magogs "Her life of Crime"
(North of January, CD)
OK, I'm impressed. Local pop guru Colin Clary has released
upwards of a gazillion albums a year for about a decade, and they just
keep getting sweeter. He's by no means a figurehead of innovation, but
Clary's songs can make even the most jaded hipster crack a smile.
Her Life of Crime, his new record with backing band the Magogs, is a summery
slice of sing-alongs. The record's retro sound is mirrored in its
sleeve artwork, which shows a pretty young thing lounging on a shag carpet
with photographs and posters of Clary spread around her room. In one shot,
she holds to her chest a magazine with the headlines, "Colin Clary,
America's Sweetest Heartthrob Conquers England!" and "Power Pop, The
Next Big
Thing?"
Musically, Crime presents some of Clary's strongest tracks
to date, with excellent backing from Hannah Wall, Jason Routhier and Steve
Williams of the Magogs. "The Shape of this Town" rides a delicious
'
60s guitar riff and a wall of handclaps. Clary's sometimes-thin voice
sounds strong and blends perfectly with Wall's soft harmonies. "Detroit
River" is an atmospheric ballad with tender percussion that recalls recent
Yo La
Tengo.
The '60s vibe kicks in again on "Pet Sound," with lyrics
about making out to Beach Boys records and a soft touch of synthesized
strings. "Moped Rally" is also giddily catchy, with the childlike
lyrics
accompanied by ringing guitars and beeping horns.
In some places,Clary suffers from his usual affliction of being too darn cute,
but
Crime's highs far outweigh its lows. Plus, the Magogs may be the best backing
band Clary has ever had. Guitar, bass, synths and drums all glide along in unison,
lending a
particularly powerful pop sheen to the tracks.
For anyone unfamiliar with Clary's brand of sunny pop, Her Life of
Crime is a great place to begin. For all the die-hard fans out there,
this record is a must.