Magic Wand

iTunes Review

Where many musicians strive to hone their skills for the purpose of being able to play more, Little Wings’ Kyle Field works hard at playing less. It’s not that he’s being a contrarian — put him next to a campfire or in a festive jamming situation and he can shred with the best of ‘em — but he’s tapped into that discipline wherein restraint and sparseness are the hardest instruments to learn. Magic Wand is a success in restraint as well as in songwriting and recording. “Everybody” begins Field’s sixth studio album with his signature voice caught in that weird pocket between tenor and baritone. He harmonizes with a hushed falsetto as muted acoustic guitars strum while seemingly stream-of-consciousness lyrics fall from his beard like grains of sand. “I Am With You” recalls Will Oldham’s melancholic beauty with help from a roomy sounding piano and Field’s double-tracked self-harmonies vining upwards in the chorus. “Sing Wide” deviates from sparse arrangements — surfy electric guitars riff gently around acoustic arpeggios and a low rumbling bass as Field’s vocals get delightfully tangled in analog tape-delay.