A surprise came in the mail today - an advance of the new White Magic album Dat Rosa Mel Apibus (look it up if you're so inclined), along with the first single, "Katie Cruel." As we expressed earlier, we didn't know what to expect - Mira Billotte and Doug Shaw have a zillion different influences, from the classic to the super-obscure, and it was anybody's guess what the result of their pretty wild studio experimentation might yield. The result? We're only six tracks in, and there have already been a couple live favorites that sound amazingly amazing. The performances are crisp and emotional, and Joe Blaney's production is, umm, crisp and emotional - not too buried, and not too much attack. Also, there's sitar, gongs, erhu, accordion and something called a roxichord (see why we were nervous?) in addition to the expected guitars from Doug and piano and vocals from MB. It's way closer to the sound of our beloved Through The Sun Door than we expected, which isn't to say it sounds much of anything like Through The Sun Door. Our weekend just got so much fucking better, as did your mid November (album is out 11/14). Thanks, Mira ’n' Doug! Tracklist and credits after the jump.
1. The Light
2. Hear My Call
3. Childhood Song
4. What I See
5. All The World Wept
6. Dat Rosa Mel Apibus
7. Sun Song
8. Hold Your Hand in the Dark
9. Katie Cruel
10. Sea Chanty
11. Palm and Wine
12. Song of Solomon
Mira Billotte: Vocals, piano, guitar, roxichord, Rhodes, melodica
Douglas Shaw: Guitars, erhu, gongs, compact organ, percussion
Shahzad Ismaily: Bass, upright bass, clay pot
Tim Dewit: Drums
Jim White: Best Drums Ever
Jesse Lee: Drums
Tim Barnes: Droms, Percussion, Bells
Samara Lubeski: Violin
Chris Rael: Sitar
Karen Leblanc: Accordion