MAXIMUM PELT

MAGIC IAN "SET THE TONE"

FIRST EDITION /50

When Maximum Pelt started, oh so many years ago, it was largely a vehicle to release the massive output of it's sole proprietor, Magic Ian. Nearly half of the first 20 releases or so were either a solo endeavor or a project he was involved with. Pelt moved away from this as time went on and Magic went on to release solo music with other labels: 2012's "I'm Having a Problem," on Manic Static, 2014's "Old Gold," on 1980 and this years "16 songs," on the very green Dog World Tapes. 

2018 has shaped up to be a prolific year for Magic Ian and he is back with a new tape, this time released right at home on Maximum Pelt. "Set the Tone," while only 3 songs, is a 20 minute long e.p. recorded at home with all the parts and production being handled, as is typical for him, by Magic Ian alone. The first track, Company Hat, is a jaunty indie rock bopper that tells the story of a moment of extreme financial desperation, that nearly leads to accepting a job where which one would be forced to wear a hat, with a company's name on it. The story gives way to an extended noisy solo that crashes and burns in a heap of feedback and terror. Emerging from the terror is a lush pastoral re imagining of a song first heard on 2015's "Economy," by Ego, Magic's previous band. "Like a Leaf Floating on Solar Winds," is a stereophonic masterpiece with glorious interpolating guitar pickin' and hauntingly sparse vocals. Spanning the entire B side is "Set the Tone," a droney repetitive kosmische jam that invites the listener to set the tone, to start a fire, to burn everything down and arise new from the ashes. 

Please enjoy digitally then click the album art below to purchase the physical incarnation.