Though it’s only releasing today, I couldn’t resist grabbing a copy of the BitTorrent network two weeks ago for an early listen. Major media reviews I’ve seen are almost unanimous in praising Springsteen’s first rock record in five years but my opinion is less positive.
While The Boss has said repeatedly over the years that he follows his muse and he’s happy to have fans enjoy whichever parts appeal to them, the biggest negatives for me on Magic are that for all the claims about this being a rock record the music just doesn’t rock nearly hard enough and lyrically lack the poetic storytelling that’s characterized so much of his work. Radio Nowhere, the first single, is musically the strongest song but the lyrics recapitulate his own 57 Channels and Elvis Costello’s 1977 breakout hit Radio Radio.
The sound, if anything, takes me back to the more R&B groove of Springsteen’s first two records, a sound that peaked with Born to Run‘s Tenth Avenue Freeze-out and then disappeared pretty completely. If you want to see a great concert video capturing this, grab a copy of the 30th Anniversary edition of Born to Run and watch the included DVD of the E Street Band’s first London concert–Bruce doesn’t even pick up a guitar until the fifth or sixth song, instead dancing and singing and even playing a bit of piano.
The lyrics are also pointedly, explicitly political which doesn’t bother me as much as makes me wonder why Bruce has resisted the many calls for him to stand for office. Being a senator from New Jersey, an election he would clearly win in a walkover, would provide a much more effective platform to implement change than his current efforts.
Consider these lines from Livin’ in the Future:
Woke up Election Day, skies gunpowder and shades of gray
Beneath a dirty sun, I whistled my time away
…
My ship Liberty sailed away on a bloody red horizon
The groundskeeper opened the gates and let the wild dogs run
Or the next to last verse of the title tune:
I got a shiny saw blade
All I needs’ a volunteer
I’ll cut you in half
While you’re smiling ear to ear
And the freedom that you sought’s
Driftin’ like a ghost amongst the trees
This is what will be, this is what will be
Last to Die, which admittedly does rock, makes no bones about connecting the political decision making of the current Administration to our Vietnam experience: “Who’ll be the last to die for a mistake?“
I’ve listened three times but still sitting on the fence, probably need to listen a couple more time before making a decision; I’ll either delete the booted copy or buy it in the end. Lest anyone get the wrong idea, letting Magic out on our network of tubes was surely done with at least the tacit approval of Springsteen’s camp so that fans with tickets to early shows of the supporting tour (i.e., tonight is the first concert) would have heard the songs.
Some useful web material:
- Today Show videos on YouTube: Radio Nowhere, Livin’ in the Future, My Hometown and Promised Land (related NY Times blog entry)
- Entertainment Weekly review: Best since The River
- David Hinckley has an interesting review of Bruce’s career, contrasting fan and artist perspectives.
BillSaysThis 