Kaleidoscope of Sound: Behind Magic Fig’s Debut Lp— Valerian Tea
Spotlight feature written by Beau Croxton, photos by Kittie Kravacic
San Francisco’s Magic Fig is a proggy psych-pop band that sees many varied forces coming together to create something transcendent.
They are a a bit of a San Fran-supergroup, as each member comes from various notable projects across their local scene. Magic Fig consists of Matt Ferrara (bass), Muzzy Moskowitz (guitar), Jon Chaney (keyboards, piano) Inna Showalter (vocals, mellotron), and Taylor Giffin (drums and percussion).
This Friday November 21st, the group releases their debut full length, Valerian Tea on Exploding Sound records. It’s a trippy stunner that should be a resounding win for fans of anything remotely retro or psychedelic.
kaleidoscope of Sound
Standout track (and album opener) “Flammarion” is a proggy retro-rock epic that is tastefully mixed with 60’s pop and psychedelia. Its synth arpeggios kick it off like a relic by the band Yes, or like some epic theme from a retro arcade game. It utilizes a 7/4 time signature on a classic psych-rock progression, which serves a refreshing modern take on a classic idea. The song title is also suggestive of the psychedelic itself– it's derived from the name of Camille Flammarion, who is a French astronomer/author who was deeply interested in the spiritual and metaphysical realm.
This killer song has had big ambitions from its inception– speaking to Occult, guitarist Muzzy Moskowitz said “Flammarion was an attempt to do a big prog rock song like (Rush’s) “Tom Sawyer.” It’s big indeed– but Magic Fig is far from singular when it comes to their sonic palette, and throughout each individual song, they have a broad mix of spices for their cauldron of psychedelic stew.
“Flammarion” has swirling synths, dreamy vocals and fuzz guitars that veer beyond prog rock staples— these elements should be very appealing to fans of the 2010s psych rock of early King Gizzard, or the lush psych-pop of Melody’s Echo Chamber. Valerian Tea’s wide sound can be linked all over, depending on who you ask– it's full of essential sounds that have been seen through many decades and different webs of psychedelic rock. Whether you're hearing Caravan, Pink Floyd, Cream, early Tame Impala, Can, Crumb, King Gizzard or King Crimson– Magic Fig’s appeal is vast, and the record should equally excite fans of psych-rock, prog, dream pop, and psych pop alike.
“Walking Shoes” finds the band adopting traditional, pre-1960s pop structures with a brand new spin of their own. On its origins, guitarist Muzzy said “Walking Shoes” is like a showtune-y song from the 40s”. The band tears through the tradition with some spellbinding synth-triplets and a searing, harmonized guitars that are purely of their own DNA. Throughout much of the record, one minute you are drifting to gorgeous, comforting, psychedelic elements, and then the next moment you are swept away by remarkable instrumental power. Let’s hope Magic Fig is down to extend some jams when they tour, because their instrumental strength knows no bounds.
Instrumentally, Valerian Tea sounds more like a diverse swirl of exotic influence than one specific extract, as the title suggests. Its unique psych-sound is due to the influence that each member brings to the fold. Keyboardist/pianist Jon Chaney added “I like very spacey and atmospheric music, so I am always trying to bring those influences in, like Radiohead, Cocteau Twins and other bands not from the 60s/70s.”
Bassist Matt Ferrara tries to bring a mix of classic and unexpected influences: “I really love traditional pop structures and experimental music. I tried to bring these influences to the collaborative table as well as my love for Johann Sebastian Bach.”
Speaking of instrumental power, the album has two instrumentals to weave the tracks together cohesively. “Riders at Dawn” is an energetic and fun instrumental that sounds like Thin Lizzy and the band Yes got together and drank too much espresso at a Renaissance fair, and decided to duel on their instruments in the most entertaining way possible (…it rips— you’ll see!)
Valerian Tea album art, out this Friday November 21st via Exploding Sound Records
Thematically, the record also leans towards psychedelia, as well as the intimate. Speaking to Occult, Singer Inna Showalter added “I’m inspired by fairy tales, folk art, old places and objects, nature, and the beauty of the world around me. The collaborative process in this band has also been incredibly inspiring to me. The lyrics on the album turned out to be an exploration of my personal history and the various spiritual paths I’ve taken throughout my life. I often incorporate imagery from memories and dreams, as well as archetypes or characters that fit the story, whether personal or abstract.”
During the record’s conception, the instrumental structure of the songs were often finished prior to when Inna added her vivid lyrics. Once the musical foundation was set, Inna recorded many of the vocal takes at her house, in a closet that she converted into a vocal booth. Due to this process, there is an intimate psych-pop quality that is organic, comforting and serene when paired amongst the bright and colorful instrumentation. On her vocal approach, Showalter added “I’m a lifelong fan of pop music too, as well as beautiful melancholic folk music. I also have a choral background which influences me quite a bit in writing vocal melodies and harmonies.”
“Goblin” is another major standout with dramatic chords and a head-bop inducing beat drop. The track’s progression has a west-coast, Ty Segall feel, and glorious harmonies glide over choruses that truly hypnotize. The song's ever-changing format brings eventful peaks around every corner, and the outro is full of operatic vocals and guitars that ascend into dizzying, angelic heights. The solo section is a total wig-out of wild synth and guitars– it's a brilliant display of controlled chaos.
One of the most ambitious and epic cuts is “Sensation Seeker”. It weaves in and out of sounding like a Magic Fig church service, and features a masterful, harmonized Brian May-esque guitar solo. Its second half yields ethereal harmonies that ramp up into a giddy and a cathartic instrumental crescendo.
On the process of the song, keyboardist Jon Chaney shared “I think "Sensation Seeker" was the hardest one (to complete). We tend to pile on lots of ideas, and it was hard to agree on a direction of the production and which parts should be kept.” Bassist Matt Ferrara added “There were too many paths we could've taken– and the song began to feel like a choose your own adventure novel.” It's adventurous alright, and whatever paths they landed on are clearly the right choices– it's a significant standout cut and its eruptive crescendo is one of the grandest moments on the record.
Magic Fig by Kittie Krivacic
Album closer “Sleep of Reason” has an incredible sense of finality. The track plays like a swan song during a monumental and pivotal event in a film, and it carries a haunting Radiohead-like quality that is very powerful. Its influence was quite classic though– guitarist Muzzy added: “Jon was inspired by Olivier Messiaen when writing the tritone chord progression”.
The moody, dark opening eventually opens up to what feels like the audio equivalent of a beautiful, burning sunset on the horizon. Some dazzling sci-fi synths enter the frame and embellish the material to feel interstellar. The record is bookended expertly– “Sleep of Reason” is just as grand as a closer as “Flammarion” is as the opener.
On Valerian Tea, Magic Fig successfully flourishes in many sub-genres that are very close friends – whether it be psychedelic rock, 60s pop, English folk-whimsy, prog, or krautrock, their appeal should be instant for many fans of all of the above.
Like many of the best, new (and intricately layered) psychedelic rock releases, there’s a lot a lot to dig into throughout many listens on Valerian Tea. Simply put, the tea is much hotter, sweeter and more complex every time you give yourself another fresh pour.
Valerian Tea is out everywhere this Friday November 21st! Check out the singles below, follow Magic Fig on instagram here, and preorder the album on bandcamp here.