Description:
Ghost Buffalo`s The Magician marks the new age of country-punk rockers` devolution back to rock from the y`allternative mold. Dropping most of the cowpunk meets post-hardcore sounds that marked 2006`s self-titled debut (Suburban Home), The Magician picks up the traces of late-`90s Chicagoland indie rock (everything from Smashing Pumpkins` love of humongous riffs to Sarge`s knack for a heart-melting vocal) that snuck into its early material. If you`re desperate to find some vestigial alt-country you can successfully dig for it (it`s closest to the surface in the shimmering, folksy "Choke"), but on The Magician, Ghost Buffalo`s love for alt-rock and pop is laid ever more bare than it was on its debut. -- Matt Schild, aversion.com (Suburban Home)
