Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

13. Majical CloudzImpersonator

Have you heard that Majical Cloudz record?

No.

Good record that.

PR: Who’s that?

ARE YOU KIDDING?! Magical Cloudz?! Majical Cloudz is two guys from Montreal and this record is only two years old. I bought it on a whim because I was intrigued by the strange spelling and a friend had seen them live and said that it was one of the most startling experiences of his life. I didn’t listen to it immediately, but a couple of days after New Year’s, I was feeling crushed, it was raining, I had it on my headphones and there was something so private and discreet about it.

It’s all to do with the lyrics and the singer; the music is very understated, there’s no real progression in the songs. Unobtrusive, discreet backdrops for what it might feel like stumbling across an AA meeting or a domestic argument or reading someone’s diary. There’s a confessional, disarming honesty about his lyrics, they’re poetic – there’s some imagery that adds to the strangeness in a way, but when I listen to it, I feel like I have a companion in my head, the same as when you fall in love with a book. Of all the records that have recently come out, it’s the only one I feel like I’ll be in love with for a long time, it’s very special to me.

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