While it was a sad day when Cashier No. 9 fizzled out a few years ago, fans of their sterling album To The Death Of Fun can turn their frowns upside down now, as the Belfast band’s song-writing nucleus have returned in the form of Exmagician. Featuring childhood friends Danny Todd and James Smith (and not to be confused with the latter’s initial foray under that moniker a decade ago), their debut is a dazzling collection of songs that dispenses with the sunny West Coast vibes of their previous incarnation and delves deeper down the rabbit hole to explore darker, grittier themes and soundscapes.
Dealing with hope, trust and revenge, the 11 track opus is a wonderful walk on the weird side that takes inspiration from psychedelia, British glam and American country. The sky-eyed, finger-snapping, synthy stomper ‘Job Done’ – a little like a mad, mutant cousin of Manfred Mann’s ‘Pretty Flamingo’ in places – is a particular highlight, while the cinematic, Banshees and Stone Roses-esque ‘Desperado’ and the euphoric, dream pop-tinged ‘Bend With The Wind’ effortlessly prove that the seasoned song-writers of Exmagician have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. Expect Scan The Blue to make many album of the year lists this December.
_ Edwin McFee // Out Now