I was scared to listen to Chorus Line to Hell again after a short break because there was the slight chance I wouldn’t enjoy it as much the second time. Nope; I’m still bowled over by this spooky little rock-duo album and its hand-crafted care. Back Magic break all the rules. They’re spare even for a duo. It might even sound like less than one dude in this band. Yet they play the scarcity of sound to their advantage, their sloppy but never ill-considered riffs soon requiring you to hang on every fret slide a la Slint. I can tell you all about it, of course, without in the slightest way knowing how the guitarist is achieving this. The drummer is terrible and that’s why he’s so good, tapping out beats like a smoke from a hard pack: casually but with great importance. I’ve got a few comparisons to project onto BM like so many insecurities but none of them are duos so don’t even think that way when you approach Chorus Line to Hell. The set-up is a non-issue. I go into a lot of reviews wanting to like what I’m hearing as much as I like this, and leave dissatisfied. Wish I had a hook-y ending for this, but I don’t… More of you should kick as much dick in as Back Magic!
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