Magic Wands
Magic Love & Dreams
By Eileen Tilson
With a name like Dexy Valentine, from the leader of a band called
The Magic Wands, you are most likely to expect a scene out of a Hogwarts prom,
and truth be told, you would not be that far off. With their four song EP, Magic
Love & Dreams, Nashville-based duo The Magic Wands and their pubescent laced lyrics and blissfully psyched out guitars, are the perfect
soundtrack to a Dumbledore dance-a-thon.
Dexy and Chris Valentine met back in 2007, when
Chris discovered a song on Dexy’s MySpace appropriately called “Teenage Love.”
Perhaps it was her dreamy Debbie Harry like voice, or her romanticized lyrics
(“This teenage love has got me stuck / Come over here and let’s fuck”) but this was
enough for Chris to seek out and woo his Sexy Dexy. After staying up all night
talking on the phone and sending each other gifts across the country, Chris
drove out to L.A. to win his bride/sister/bandmate. While it is unclear whether
the two Valentines share the same bed, these two New Wave White Stripes have won
much coveted slots at several high profile festivals like Glastonbury, The O2
Wireless Festival and Lollapalooza.
The EP opens with fuzzed out guitars on “Black
Magic” and proceeds into a half-instrumental, half-programmed path, which
includes a drum machine and synthetic hand-clapping. The four songs are a
collection of spacey love letters that caught the ears of several music
tastemakers, making them one of the most anticipated duos at 2008's SXSW. The
band is currently on tour supporting The Kills.
