Even longtime partnerships aren't always set in stone. Lifelong friends
Daniel Todd
and
James Smith
used to make music as
Cashier No. 9
; their lone album under that name,
To the Death of Fun
, was produced by
David Holmes
and earned the Best Album accolade at the 2011 NI Music Awards. Despite the prominent collaborators and acclaim, the pair felt restless and reinvented themselves as
exmagician
, and
Scan the Blue
shows why the name change was justified -- and maybe even necessary. This persona allows them to be bigger, louder, more eclectic, and more anthemic than
's polished Laurel Canyon stylings: the album's opening track, "Kiss That Wealth Goodbye," embodies the duo's newfound swagger, with toothy synths and low-slung riffs adding some appealing grit and trumpet lending a dash of unexpected elegance. Even songs that could have appeared on a second
album, like the fittingly breezy "Bend with the Wind," are more present and playful than they might have been before.
Smith
Todd
revel in juxtaposing their heaviest grooves and airiest moods, but the contrast between the
Canned Heat
-meets-
T. Rex
rumble of "Wild Eyes" and the celestially lovely title track never feels jarring thanks to the album's detailed production and arrangements.
Exmagician
co-produced
with
Rocky O'Reilly
, proving that
Holmes
wasn't solely responsible for
's atmospheric sound, although the band purchased the Korg MS-20 that wends through "Smile to the Gallery" and "Desperado" after borrowing one from their former collaborator.
's sunny, laid-back strut sounds even more distinctive when compared to the hodgepodge of synth pop, shoegaze, and R&B dominating 2010s indie. If anything,
feels like a throwback to the early 2000s -- it's easy to hear the casual experimentalism of acts like
Super Furry Animals
,
the Beta Band
Beck
in songs like "Place Your Bets." The duo's best songs are as attention-getting as their sound, whether it's the widescreen rock of "Job Done" or the '60s spy movie soundtrack intrigue of "The Rot Set In." With
take their carefully crafted music in a direction that's all the more promising because of its wildness. ~ Heather Phares