An enjoyably melodic psychedelic rock debut album from Italy’s talented trio the June, Magic Circles begins with flourishes of early Traffic on the lead-off track “Barber Shop.” I loved the sitar and flute on this tune.
“Rolling Desperate,” however, is a completely different sound. Imagine a freakbeat-influenced Marc Bolan fronting the Creation back in 1966. The fuzzy, upbeat “Better Than You” treads U.S. garage punk waters. “Big Black Mouth,” “Daisy” (nice trumpet solo) and “Getting High,” meanwhile, reminded me a lot of the U.S. paisley Underground groups of the ’80s — with the Three O’Clock probably being the closest band in comparison to the sound reproduced here.
A Beatles/Lennon influence is definitely in evidence throughout Magic Circles (Teen Sound Records). The surprise moment, however, is a cover of “Makes Me Feel Good” from Badfinger’s Pete Ham — one that’s very faithful to the fabulous and melodic original demo. A nice way to end the album.
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