Magic Castles, Mirror Mirror

To the neo-psychedelic rock movement, Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre is like a god. So when Magic Castles, a Minneapolis-bred band, were picked up by Newcombe’s own record label, in some ways it was like being blessed by the psychedelic Pope himself. Magic Castles make simple, deliberate rock music — never too technical or reliant on effects to make their point. Left to their own devices, they construct a timeless, hypnotizing sound, both sweet and completely drugged-out all at once. Newcombe’s guiding hand is apparent on their faster songs, and they show their Velvet Underground fandom on the slower ones. But they’re hardly derivative. Hell, we kind of wish all rock music sounded like this.