album // Real Life
Howard Devoto - formerly plain old Howard Trafford, now operating under the mysterious alias Mohl Rothman - left Mancunian punk pioneers Buzzcocks after the DIY 7" EP 'Spiral Scratch' and the collection of demos that became Time's Up, and prior to the band's performances captured on Live At The Roxy; he then set up Magazine with extravagant synth player Dave Formula, bassist and future soundtrack supremo Barry Adamson, the late guitarist John McGeoch and drummer John Doyle. Launched with the polished punk of the Pete Shelley / Howard Devoto track 'Shot By Both Sides', Magazine were a post-punk cocktail of rebel rock spirit and new wave ideas, captured here on their debut album, Real Life. Tapping into Manchester's indie firmament, Real Life also features a Munch-referencing sleeve designed by Ludus front-woman Linder.
Real Life starts with the elongated warped bass and spindly guitar introduction to 'Definitive Gaze', a track which moves into a masterpiece of post-punk mysteriousness by way of some quite chilling organ chords and a grandiose synth melody from Dave Formula; Formula is given major airplay with a synth and noise breakdown, while a cynical Howard Devoto sneers his way through his lyrics via a watery effect. The motorik groove between John McGeoch's reedy guitar, Barry Adamson's sublime bass and Devoto's Andy McLuskey-meets-Johnny Rotten vocal on 'My Tulpa', with some very bouncy organ and synths is brash and confident, Devoto turning in characteristically nonsensical and subtle innuendo-laden lyrics. It sounds surprisingly 'current' considering it's over 25 years old. Three tracks in and listeners are treated to the apocalyptic rock magic of the truly thrilling 'Shot By Both Sides', which benefits from an ascending guitar and vocal chorus and some chaotic drumming; Formula's clean synths do not feature prominently here, to the benefit of the track's forward momentum.
'Recoil' commences with a rockabilly beat and phased guitar, before erupting into a venomously brief manic affair. In contrast, the five minute 'Burst' treads the line between prog rock and the kind of monolithic jams that Sonic Youth have patented; it's actually quite a majestic track held together by Doyle's drumming, Adamson's rigid bass anchor and Formula's restrained chord progressions. 'Keep your silence to yourself,' sings an emotional Devoto, to rather beautiful effect. 'Motorcade' is an enduring Magazine classic of similarly epic dimensions where Formula and McGeoch pair off brilliantly; after a minute, the track accelerates sharply, quite unexpectedly and at a considerably louder volume, finding Adamson and McGeoch providing Devoto's intense vocal with the appropriate precision. The track then slows down to allow Formula's textures room to breathe, but doesn't shed any of its noisy dynamic.
'The Great Beautician In The Sky' is a chilling circus theme with grindcore guitars that opens out into an almost Beatles-y effervescence, before settling down into a pretty straightforward psychadelic punk; it makes no sense to these ears. Beginning with a snare, bass and drum rhythm, 'The Light Pours Out Of Me' is unsettling, bleak and engaging, never once losing its pace or direction - something of a relief after the previous track - and it's certainly among the finest, most accomplished tracks here.
The monolithic 'Parade' begins with some fairly austere piano, but launches into a squelchy synth-led light and breezy track. A surprising setting for one of Devoto's most paranoically-perfect lyrics in 'It's so hot in here / What are they trying to hatch?', as well as his most emotive chorus - 'Sometimes I forget that we're supposed to be in love / Sometimes I forget my position'. Formula's synths are given prominence here, but for a more atmospheric version, check out Play.
Overall, Magazine's debut is a perfectly adequate statement of intent, marred by a slightly out of date production ethic and a worryingly poor master - the version I have was only re-released in 2003. It does, however, hint that greater things could be achieved by the band. If the way a band perform their own songs live is anything to go by, the versions of some of the key tracks here - 'Motorcade', 'The Light Pours Out Of Me', 'Motorcade', 'Definitive Gaze' - show that the band themselves were held back by the producer, as 1980's Play live record documents.