Scene Is Now - Magpie Alarm

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 20 / 2 / 2011

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From the original line-up of the Scene Is Now only Phil Dray and Chris Nelson have remained. Chris Nelson is gifted with a keen eye for the charms and absurdity of life and oddly enough his voice sounds firmer than before. Maybe he should start selling anti-ageing products. It has been nearly six years since their previous album for Tonguemaster. 'Songbirds Lie' featured less extravaganza than their previous four albums and 'Magpie Alarm' has an even stricter diet. The arrangement of their music is narrowed down. What can still be enjoyed is Nelson's voice rendering sane observations. It is rich coming from him that 'Cities Are Over' is the opening track and yet it mentions a New York twilight. Such a peripheral vision. Now getting off to a false start with rather traditional pub rock music, Nelson's lyrical irony, wit and pith at first fail to lead the current band to exaltation. Well, since their records always cost the band money, it can be forgiven that they have included a whole fourteen songs. Studio rent doesn't come cheap. Gradually, their music becomes more adventurous and we roll on, roll off and rock on 'Pedestrian'. At this stage the Scene Is Now come closest to NRBQ or the Bottlecaps. We're getting thirsty. 'Norway Pine' sounds like a Lee Dorsey song and this sad shuffle suits the band very well. It's about the state tree of Minnesota, where Chris Nelson and Phil Dray are from. 'Skulduggery' derives from a simple piano riff and that works well. It's the first track where Nelson's lyrical and vocal gymnastics are given enough room. The first true highlight is next; the tender 'The Cold' - and is that Marianne Faithful providing the backing vocal?? Unintentionally, Chris Nelson reaches his finest Al Green moment here. 'Magpie Alarm' takes a turn for the better now. Phil Dray and Chris Nelson get the overhand and the former brilliance reappears. Cabaret à la freeform in 'Last Call', a wobbly waltz in 'Natalie' and the absurdist vaudeville in 'Turnstile Blues' bring the album to a very merry close. All's well that ends well.

Track Listing:-

1 Cities Are Over
2 April (Half The Battle)
3 Fresno
4 Ragamuffin
5 Norway Pine
6 Always At The Back
7 Pedestrian
8 Finito
9 Skulduggery
10 The Cold
11 Last Call
12 Natalie
13 The Jailer's Perspective
14 Turnstile Blues

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