Magic, Drums & Love -- Amazon Night

 

Back in February 2024, I posted an article on a band that I'd never heard before called Magic, Drums & Love with their 2023 song "KEEP ROMANCE ALIVE". To say that they have an eclectic sound is a bit of an understatement since that particular tune has a fascinating blend of reggae, synthpop, rock and pop. 

Well, here's an even earlier single that was released in 2020 titled "Amazon Night" As a bit of an aside, whenever I think of Amazon, it's not usually about the river in Brazil anymore but the company that seems to deliver everything; a tad sad, actually. Anyways, I'd like to think that "Amazon Night" is a whole lot closer to the natural environment with guitarist Jinta=Jinta and drummer YURINA da GOLD DIGGER creating a relaxing synthy pop song with a reggae beat led by those kittenish vocals.

Magic, Drums & Love -- KEEP ROMANCE ALIVE

 

A few weeks ago, I came across this music video for "KEEP ROMANCE ALIVE", a December 2023 single by the band Magic, Drums & Love. The video had me hooked for its old-fashioned psychedelic appearance which reminded me of some of the special effects that had been used while a band was playing on some of the old music programs such as ABC's "American Bandstand" in the 60s and 70s. 

Though Magic, Drums & Love describes itself as a Tokyo rock n' roll band, "KEEP ROMANCE ALIVE" has a slew of genres running through its arteries, it seems. I can pick up on pop, synthpop, reggae and rock while the vocalists sound like seiyuu tackling an anison theme. The collaboration of 60s rock and then the bouncy reggae-pop at one point is fun to hear especially on a gloomy rainy day as it is here in Toronto today.

My take from the anarchic joy of the video and the names of the performers is that Magic, Drums & Love is a pretty free-spirited band. They have Jinta=Jinta as the guitarist (and the songwriter for "KEEP ROMANCE ALIVE"), YURINA da GOLD DIGGER as the drummer, guitarist ℃-want you!, bassist FUNK O'ney "The Diamond", percussionist EL FALCO OB-LA-DA and keyboardist Machi Good Chance Summer with all of them also performing on vocals. From what I have been able to glean from their website, they've been releasing singles and albums since the mid-2010s.