Tag: Which Magic

AF EXCLUSIVE TRACK: Which Magic “Electra Light”

 

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the dazzling Sara Autrey of Which Magic

It wasn’t very long ago that I stumbled upon Which Magic’s bandcamp page, but it feels like I’ve listened to and loved Sara Autrey’s Baltimore-based project forever.  It could be the timeless, soulful quality of her voice, or her innovative, fearless, anything-goes approach to creating music, or that inherent playfulness paired with the dreamy quality of her songs.  Or it could be that I feel a deeper connection and kinship to these anthems and their maker based simply on the fact that each track somehow manages to encompass my favorite sorts of feelings – the bleary haze of relaxed afternoons, the swoon of having a new crush to obsess over, the magic of being alive.

AudioFemme was ecstatic to host Which Magic’s first-ever NYC performance at our CMJ showcase.  Sara is an amazing performer, bursting with energy, busting out jokes, and battling with her temperamental guitar.  Thus far, she’s recorded and released a self-titled cassette and a split EP with Wing Dam, a band in which she collaborates with her boyfriend Austin Tally.  These offerings show a subtle progression from folksier sounds to beat-driven jams, but both are carried off with an earnest and artful DIY approach that makes the material seem that much more personal and authentic.

Continuing along that trajectory, Autrey’s begun to infuse her tunes with more hip-hop influenced delivery and more eclectic rhythms, obsessions she’s had since since a friend taught her how to create her own beats.  “Hip-hop is so influential to my musical style. It’s badass and sexy, everything I aspire to be,” Autrey says, laughing.  This fascination was clearly the impetus for Which Magic’s newest track “Electra Light”, which we are pleased to present here as an AudioFemme exclusive.

Autrey says the inspiration for the song came in part from her dual nature as a Gemini, being at odds with feelings of inadequacy on one hand and having complete confidence on the other.  “Feeling like shit about anything is great inspiration to write songs” Autrey explains.  But in listening to “Electra Light” it’s nearly impossible to detect any traces of self-doubt; it sounds instead as though Autrey is imagining herself as a kind of superhero who uses moonlight and breezes to bathe the world and herself in truth.  It isn’t until the last verse, in which Autrey croons “Cryin’ to the moon because I dont shine like I used to / and though I speak right I know the things I do
are not always true” that we’re reminded that the singer of these verses is not invincible or beyond reproach.  Ultimately, the song is “about the duality of self – the things you like about yourself, the things you hate… all at the same damn time, at the same damn time” Autrey says.

When pressed about her songwriting process, Autrey describes her rituals as a bit chemically enhanced thanks to espresso and (ahem) herbal substances.  “I also make a point of saying what I need to say in a song one of two different ways,” she adds, “Either a.) as vaguely and artfully as possible, or b.) as blatant an honest as possible. No in-between.  Again… Geminis…”

Autrey’s not slowing down her musical output one bit.  She’s hard at work on a new project called called “Glitteris” (pronounced like CLITORIS but with more sparkle). “This is going to be my rap project.  I, along with Lizz King, have been tapping into my inner gangsta… We feed off of each others’ need to be a boss bitch (in all the positive sense of the term) and put it into words.”  Autrey is also collecting beats made by individuals throughout Baltimore, including beats from Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak and Flock of Dimes.  It will be exciting to see how the two preoccupations come together.  “Stay tuned,” warns Autrey.  It’s advice we’ll gladly take.

For now, check out “Electra Light” below.  And continue reading for some of Autrey’s musical recommendations.

WHICH MAGIC LOVES…..

WING DAM– my other band that I’m in, as a bassist/vocalist…total grungy rock from Baltimore. I wake up every day ever with one of the songs from “Damage” stuck in my head, in the best possible way, not the annoying way.

JONAH RAPINO “Berbere Superstar”- total ethiopian ghetto beats with electric violin overdubbing and amazing sampling happenning here…DEFINITELY give “thug sign” a listen or 10.

THE AMPS – Kim Deal from The Breeders side project!! So fuckin’ good! So punk! So so so chill punk rock bad-ass… godDAMN the album PACER is amazing. The best. 1995.

MOSS OF AURA – Baltimore-based instrumental synth-hip-h’pop mega dramatic awesomeness from the keyboard genius of the band Future Islands, Gerrit Welmers. All of his songs are incredible and moody and mood-inspiring, but the song “Never” really really makes me dance like I’m possessed.

ELO – Electric Light Orchestra will never get old. The album “Out of the Blue” is truly an inspiring masterpiece full of uplifting ass shakin songs.

LIZZ KING – also Baltimore-based lady songstress of badassness and sexuality. She was my original musical mentor and she helped me get my first shows ever/introduced me to the Baltimore scene. Lizz is also the first woman I’ve ever seen perform as a total fucking boss. BO$$ as hell, check the video for “BOOTY QUEEN”.

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AUDIOFEMME PRESENTS: CMJ 2012

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AUDIOFEMME PRESENTS: CMJ 2012 AT SPIKE HILL // 10/16

 

Please join us on Tuesday, October 16th at Spike Hill, for AudioFemme’s inaugural CMJ showcase. In order to give you a preview, we’ve written a little introduction to each artist in the lineup. We love them, and hope you will too! Doors are at 12:30 PM.

See you there!

XO

The girls at AF

AUTODRONE

Autodrone combines many of the best elements of our favorite genres, including dreampop, shoegaze and experimental indie rock. Formed in 2002, their career has spanned an entire decade of music—a decade during which technological innovations in live and recorded performance have changed the face of the industry, changed how we listen to music and upped the ante for bands looking to make an inimitable mark on the scene. Autodrone has managed to withstand the crucible of the aughts, emerging with gusto. This in our opinion is due to a few important aspects of who and what they are as musicians. First, Katherine Kennedy’s voice is timeless, both reminiscent of early 90s post-punk—in particular Kim Deal and her ability to vocally walk the line between angelic and grating (a thing that can leave one feeling emotionally vulnerable)—and also unique in its own right, melding seamlessly with the band’s more experimental elements. Second, they are possessed of the capacity to straddle what some may think of as conflicting genres. While tracks like “Through The Backwoods”, off Strike A Match employ catchy drums and accessible melodies, the subsequent track “Moth Of July”, is a seven-minute long, droning, synth-laden psychedelic journey into what feels like the band’s deepest, darkest musical intimations. Lastly, however, is their compelling group dynamic, which is also their thread of continuity. Their cohesion with one another is palpable even through the opacity in which studio recordings tend to enshroud a song. This goes to show that longevity in and of itself can make for better music. It also nearly ensures that they will be a great live act.

12 Pictures, by Autodrone

 

FOXES IN FICTION

Foxes in Fiction’s Warren Hildebrand first stole our hearts at the Moodgadget Showcase back in September. Originally from Toronto, Hildebrand is a multi instrumental, multi talented, genre bending one-man show. At first glance, he is shockingly young. His blond hair gleams from behind a table full of impressive looking electronic gadgets. He performs in his socks. When he starts his set, however, he transforms into a self-possessed magician and master of his craft. Yes, what he produces is electronically driven, but he plays guitar and sings too, blending and looping his live music into a dreamy atmosphere that spins and builds from the setup before him, which by the third song appears like a perfectly designed stage plot, even though the props only occupy a small surface area. He is so mesmerizing, that at times it feels like he’s raising something from the dead as he builds and shapes each track. He reminds some people of Bradford Cox. We think he’s much better. There are ineffable qualities about him as an artist, and about his music, that leave a space for one’s imagination to inhabit as his set develops, and goes from droning, ambient electronica to innovative, thought provoking, multi-dimensional live performance. Plus, he really is a youngin’. At the tender age of 23, he has decades of musical trends to herald. And we fully expect him to do just that.

 

WHICH MAGIC

Sara Autrey, jangling guitars, tinkling bells, a “shitty” keyboard, and an eight track are all it takes to make Which Magic; the recipe may be simple but the resulting jams are spellbinding. Autrey’s earnest and astral incantations swirl through a haze of chill beats and warbling guitar loops. Lyrically, Autrey mines her dreams and earthly desires alike for material with an authentic heart; listening to these tracks is not unlike drifting in and out of sleep in those first early morning hours of waking. For a project that began only recently, Which Magic has already achieved a compelling evolution via Autrey’s own musical curiosities. Her self-titled debut cassette is a rare lo-fi gem full of dissonant bells and softly strummed ukele, layered vocals and heady, sylvan frequencies fuzzy with tape hiss. High Already (her split EP with fellow Baltimore-based band Wing Dam ( in which she also plays) sees a migration from woodsy thickets to a beachy boardwalk thanks to the addition of thumping drum machines, sunny claps, and airier synths. And Autrey has plenty of tricks left up her sleeve, including an album of hip-hop influenced tunes and an exclusive AudioFemme track. We’re so excited to host her New York City debut!

 

DATALOG

Datalog is the brainchild of Conor Heffernan, whose tight productions and complex, jazz-influenced beats oscillate from cool and collected to grandiose and flashy, sometimes within the same track. Unlike many bedroom producers, Heffernan is a classically trained pianist who has put in hours as an internationally touring musician. As Datalog, he’s remixed tracks from Bjork to Brooklyn indie darlings Phone Tag, DJed runway shows and composed movie scores, but it’s his personal work that stands out most. With its ethereal touches, dramatic flair, seamless sample collage, and chopped rhythms borrowing from a variety of globe-spanning genres, his music is a cosmic beam of light endlessly refracting through a smoky, pitch-black club. Fans of Four Tet or Flying Lotus will appreciate his knack for building complicated, intelligent soundscapes from the expertly-curated digital depths while reveling in an dark romanticism completely his own.