Magic Monday

Album Review

Michna's Ghostly Records debut might find a niche in the chic-meets-geek designer-type crowd, partly because of the slick Giant Robot-inspired album art and partly since this style of mellow electro-glitch background music is the type that would appeal equally to young urban professionals and stay-at-home gamers. As an added bonus for this hip demographic, the record leads off with "Triple Chrome Dipped," a track from Ghostly Swim, Ghostly's collaboration with Adult Swim. Cartoon Network's signature ADD pacing fuels the music of Magic Monday as the former member of Secret Frequency Crew dissects and chops snippets galore to make a sonic collage of electronic beats. A laid-back groove is constant for the full duration, but subtle stylistic changes from song to song keep things interesting. While the clubby "Redline Flights" doesn't sound too far off from a Detroit techno 12" pulled from Juan Atkins' crates, the addition of jazzy live horns (played by Michna himself) changes the vibe of "Skunk Walk" from a gurgling IDM track to a sultry '70s blaxploitation soundtrack theme. Even with splashes of analog instrumentation throughout, songs never sound the least bit organic, but instead buzz and pulsate with a glossy glow, making this a fitting disc for lounging in the digital age.