Latest Review: Magic Lantern – High Beams

Long Beach’s Magic Lantern have finally gone and released a new sonic document after what seemed like an eternity of waiting. Eagerly anticipated by those who have been biding their time waiting for the band to get on with their uber limited cassette only and CD-R releases (their Self-Titled CD-R was limited to 30), “High Beams”, the band’s latest opus [...]

Download some new Office at the office

Usually I try to stay away from reposting press releases, there are so many sites that already do that. What’s the point? Plus if there is something that I feel is noteworthy I will just link to it in Random Bytes to one of the many sites posting the news/press release.

But on this occasion, I’m gonna have to break that soft rule and feed the machine a bit as Office have announced the details of their next album, A Night At The Ritz and posted a new track online for all to enjoy. Now I have been a fan of this band since being tipped about them through The Tripwire (their manager is the former editor of the online publication), totally digging their 2006 release, Q&A, falling completely for their quirky catchy pop that someone in my office thought sounded like the B-52’s…umm not so much and I think it was put down, but whatever, to each his own.

It wasn’t until SXSW this year that I was able to actually see the band live since they have yet to tour out West. They didn’t disappoint, the room at Emo’s was dancing along to every track, those from Q&A and the new ones that I can only surmise will be on A Night At The Ritz.

And what about A Night At The Ritz, well here’s what the press release says:

A NIGHT AT THE RITZ contains brand new material, as well as select gems culled from five years worth of demo recordings that have been re-worked and re-recorded. All persons involved with OFFICE and THE RITZ felt that these older songs were simply too good to not be released on a wider level. About the album, Masson muses, “This album has easily been the most grueling recording project I’ve ever been a part of, but also the most rewarding. It’s not like this was setting up a band in the studio, and pressing the record button. There are tympanis, keyboards, concert percussion, electronic flourishes, machines, studio tricks, tape machines, choral vocals, and acoustic moments. It was years of revision, reworking, rethinking, subtracting, adding, and re-recording until it got to where it is now.” He adds, “I feel like we live in completely surreal times, and this album is a reaction to that sensation.”

A Night At The Ritz will be released on September 25th via Scratchie/New Line Records (Scratchie Records is James Iha and Adam Schlesinger’s label).

Download what I guess you could call the title track, “The Ritz” (mp3) from A Night At The Ritz.

[audio:http://www.newlinerecords.com/media/OFFICE-TheRitz.mp3]