Tweet

Album Details

• Artist: Little Wings
• Album: Magic Wand
• Label: K
• Year of Release: 2004
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: bbuckingham on 2004-12-16

Little Wings is the whimsical outlet for Kyle Fields, a pastoral, childlike singer-songwriter from San Luis Obispo, California. On Magic Wand, the band's fourth release on the K label in the past two years and sixth overall, Fields weaves a shambling, muted folk pop song cycle over 12 tracks. Album opener "Everybody" sets the tone - ornate, lengthy melodies, sung by Fields in a burry, Neil Young-esque voice, draped over a simple, strummed chord progression. Whale Mountain and I'm With You feature more of the same accompanied by piano. The rest of the songs benefit from additional instrumental accompaniment, including drums, bass, mandolins and steel drums. Sing Wide, the best track on Magic Wand, features the mesmerizing production of Phil Elvrum, from the brilliant lo-fi K band The Microphones. Now that Little Wings has been name-checked by the likes of Devendra Banhart, who featured the band on his excellent anthology of current Free Folk artists (Golden Apples Of The Sun), Little Wings will likely enjoy a great deal more attention. But stacked up against similar artists like M. Ward, and the aforementioned Banhart, Little Wings simply doesn't reach the same heights. Granted, some listeners will be captivated by the wide-eyed campfire approach that Fields revels in.

User Reviews and Comments

Log In or Register to Rate Albums