LONGTIME musical collaborators Danny Todd and James Smith perform as Exmagician. Their debut album ‘Scan The Blue’ from 2016 got favourable reviews and loads of airplay from the alternative shows for their psychedelic layered pop music.
The duo play with a full band on tour and Exmagacian have a show here in the city at the weekend.
Just back from playing Holland’s Eurosonic festival, Danny Todd talked to Limerick Post Newspaper.
Eurosonic Festival plays a similar role in Europe as South X Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas in putting buzz bands within easy reach of festival bookers and the recording industry.
For Danny, Eurosonic was good, with the band having a fun time doing the serious business of attracting attention in a city filled with hipster bands for the week.
“We played a couple of in-stores and radio sessions and on the main stage.
“We played to a packed room, and the radio stations are playing us, so it is flattering for the ol’ ego!” he laughs.
For Exmagician to stand out from the current crop of cool young guns hustling for festival tours this summer, something as simple as a razor blade might do the trick.
“Yeah! There were lots of bands passing each other on the street looking each other up and down – everyone with a beard except me!” laughs the Exmagician singer and guitarist.
Exmagician was born out of the demise of Belfast band Cashier No.9. The band featured Danny and James, the main songwriters, and got lots of fine reviews for the debut album ‘To the Death of Fun’, released at the start of the decade.
That band broke up acrimoniously but the duo continued to write together.
Their label Bella Union remained interested in what they were producing in their home studios, just emailing ideas to each other.
“We were chipping away at different samples and ideas. Most of our songs come from a studio sound we are working on. The songs are not given birth on an acoustic guitar.”
James Smith came up with the band name – it’s in the line of a song by Pavement. The duo have also remixed and re-imagined the album, stripping back and rebuilding it with an electronic sound. Check out the Art of Noise style remake of ‘Job Done’.
Something that was fun to do for Danny: getting to flex producer muscles and expand his skills in the recording studio. It is a nice distraction for when writer’s block occasionally happens.
“It’s handy for when you get bogged down in the writing and an idea for a song in not going in the right direction. Then it is time to go back and have a bit of fun trying to reinvent old ideas and discovering production techniques.”
Progress is under way on the ‘Scan The Blue’ follow up with the new stuff having a slow paced and more electronic feel.
“It could be Death metal by the time we’re finished with it!” drawls Danny.
Also on the bill for this show is Waldorf & Cannon. Wally (the Waldorf in the supporting duo) plays drums in the full band version of Exmagician.
Waldorf & Cannon released their debut ‘Old Dogs, New Tricks’ in January – the record is a lean and pacy melodic gem. It is well worth your while getting down early to see these guys, even if it just to wonder at the multi-instrumental talents of Wally.
“Wally plays harmonica and guitar and drums all at once with slide guitar, percussion and two harmonicas on his mouth! It’s really cool, so you should check him out, it something to see!” enthuses Danny.
Count me in !
Exmagician with support from Waldorf & Cannon play Dolan’s this Friday February 3.
