When a band releases a debut album, it’s a triumph because they have made their maiden voyage into the soundscape of music. However, where some will falter after their initial release, that is not the case for The smallest Creature’s sophomore outing Magic Beans, as it develops their signature sound.
Magic Beans is the result of a band pushing themselves as artists and bringing songs with a sophisticated texture that allows audiences to enjoy an album that harkens back to the popularized sonic pallet of the 90’s with a modern touch.
The record introduces the opening track, “Would you Blink,” with a light electric guitar that sets the album’s tone. This intro piece sets an atmosphere by giving listeners a sense that the songwriting will be more dynamic than one might initially have preconceived.
Within the first 50 seconds, there is a slow build that crescendos, as the rest of the band enters the song, raising the tempo and setting the song’s rhythm. This trait comes to be a common technique used in the LP to great effect.
Listen to The smallest Creature on SoundCloud
Look no further than the subsequent track, “October Song,” as it uses an intro guitar and vocals to set the tone and allow the band to come in and add dimension. Though the tempo stays relatively like what it was before the band entered, a testament to the band’s efforts to have dynamic songwriting and deliver an album that is sonically consistent and diverse in its approach.
It becomes evident that The smallest Creature wants to expand their approach while staying attuned to the musical center that they had laid out in the album. Songs such as “The Mist” attest to that sentiment; as the album’s closer, it becomes an antithesis to the opening track.
The song’s tone stays more somber than that of the album’s tracks at large, and its tempo does not accelerate in a way most of the titles do. It shows that The smallest Creature has found an avenue that allows them to be fully dynamic and true to their sound.
A minor issue that befalls the album is the mix; more pointedly, the noticeable difference in levels between the vocals and the music. There are well-composed songs that are performed excellently, but the vocal mix bogs down the titles’ enjoyment, even if only slightly. A fairly light adjustment of the instrumentals’ volume would have alleviated just enough to make it not noticeable to the listener.
Watch Videos From The smallest Creature on YouTube
The smallest Creature was a project conceptualized by Stefanos Marnerides (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), which grew to be a band including three other members: Iacovos Stylianides (Drums), Pavlos Papadopoulos (Bass), and Andreas Matheou (Lead Guitar/Vocals). The group has roots in New York, as the band name came from a venue that Marnerides performed at regularly, but they are currently based in Larnaca, Cyprus.
Magic Beans was the first album that they had recorded as a four-person band, as their previous album had a different bassist and no lead guitar member. Andreas Matheou produced the album and was released independently on all music streaming services (Spotify and YouTube).
The album is available to purchase for download or physical copies on their official website, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and Apple Music.
