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Maxx McGathey — Imaginary Eyes
(Bandcamp Nudie Records NUD024, 2024, 2LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-01-03

Imaginary Eyes Cover art

Maxx McGathey’s name is new to me, but he’s been active in music for many years with projects like the funk band Gramps the Vamp, the “spaghetti western project” Dark Canyon, and a fair amount of soundtrack work behind him. Imaginary Eyes is his first release under his own name, and his fondness for cinematic music is quite evident throughout the nine tracks on this double-LP set. He fronts a nine-member ensemble of strings, brass, and woodwinds with a rhythm section of his keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums. His arrangements are all top-notch, bringing together touches of noir jazz with orchestral movie music and a rock edge, and are skillfully played by all. At times I almost expect them to break into a rendition of the James Bond theme, or perhaps Perry Mason. The balance and flow of the music are highly effective, with evocative combinations of instruments and a superb feeling for the ebb and flow of tension. There’s just the right amount of dissonance in the parts to impart an edge to the music, so that even when it’s quite beautiful there’s a hint of sinister tension present. While Imaginary Eyes contains nearly an hour of music, it never wears out its welcome, and I never find myself contemplating the Next Track button (though I suppose if you get it in LP form you won’t have that option — lucky you won’t need it!). Amongst the legions of people producing “cinematic” music, McGathey is the real deal, a composer with the right ideas backed by the right skills to take a long-standing tradition and move beyond mere imitation to produce something both familiar and original.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Maxx McGathey

More info
http://maxxmcgathey.bandcamp.com/album/imaginary-eyes

 

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