magic castles

The Super dreamy psych rock of Minneapolis’ Magic Castles is enough to make us see colours dancing in front of our eyes; a great find from anton Newcombe’s ‘a’ recordings label.

are back with a new LP, “Sun Reign”, making an exciting return after founder and songwriter Jason Edmonds’ suffered a near fatal car accident in November 2019. Magic Castles are well-versed in the ways of psychedelically-inclined folk-rock. Edmonds’ smooth vocal harmonies float above the guitars, creating a lush, almost Byrds-esque soundscape. The layered arrangements incorporate Farfisa organ, synths, and dreamy string arrangements. Sun Reign is the band’s fourth release on Anton Newcombe's label ‘A’ Recordings Ltd. Ironically similar to BJM, the Magic Castles have been plagued by lineup changes over the years. Due to this and other factors, in 2016, Edmonds, a single father, decided to take a short hiatus from regular live shows and touring to focus on his family. During that time, (2016-2019) Edmonds, an introverted multi-instrumentalist, continued to record new material in his studio, and also record with a new band at Neil Weir’s studio Blue Bell Knoll, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The results of these sessions are the current release, “Sun Reign”.