The nebulous world of psychedelic music has always had blurry edges, and the genre’s “big tent” encompasses a strain of thoughtful and nuanced singer-songwriter tunes that take you places. Chicago musician and songwriter Dave Zagar, formerly known for his instrumental project Shortwave, is back with a set of psychedelic pop songs under the name Groovy Magic. On debut album Dreaming In Sound, Zagar constructs expansive soundscapes buoyed by sleek electronics and elevated with technical guitar playing. There’s also a varied palate at play, as these arrangements are accented with everything from violin to saxophone.
The local scene has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to scrappy art-punk, but fellow Chicago outfits Post Animal, Spun Out, and Glyders have proven the city has at least a few groups venturing into headier territory. Groovy Magic has put together a sound that’s very much in the same vein, with a sonic pleasantry that meets instrumental abundance. Zagar is classically trained and plays nearly everything on the record. The prettiness is easy to grasp, but you still have to sift through one or two layers of spongey Juno-60 synths and fuzzy guitars.
Very little is buried in the mix, making each instrumental flourish or effect more pronounced and appreciable. There are plenty of disparate ideas on the record, and they are deftly interwoven into a complete article that always feels cohesive. Dreaming In Sound was recorded across multiple Chicago apartments and a cabin in Michigan. You wouldn’t be able to tell, given the crisp production values. Zagar tasked engineers who’ve worked with the likes of Cut Copy and Animal Collective with mixing, and a few local musicians kicked in saxophone and drumming. In many ways, this record does not sound at all like a debut.
Dreaming In Sound is out January 23, with a release show slated for January 27 at the Empty Bottle. Tickets are$16.17. Groovy Magic have tapped fellow Chicago groups Dreamgoats and Cherryburn for the event.
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