Maybe it’s inevitable for a band with nine members—some of whom play horns while others use synths and bass guitars like jackhammers—to give off an inordinate amount of energy. But more likely Midnight Magic, the funk-soaked, New York-based group whose debut album, Walking the Midnight Streets, is out this week, is a very special case.
This album may be called Walking the Midnight Streets, but the music on it is more appropriate for dancing in them.
Together since 2009, Midnight Magic—fronted by the electric Tiffany Roth and featuring alumni of dance-rock all stars LCD Soundsystem and Hercules & Love Affair—has released a series of disco- and funk-tinged 12” singles that have become dance-floor favorites. On Midnight Streets, 10 of the band’s cuts work well together, showing that the group is more than just its singles. That said, the singles, like the five-minute-plus disco odyssey “Beam Me Up,” are decidedly great.
For our money, the best track on Streets might be the slow, lusty “The Same Way I Feel” (watch the video, below), which makes good use of Roth’s strong voice and gives Midnight Magic a chance to display a talent for giving measured songs the same vigor as those that move at twice the speed.
