Pensive, longing, and chiming a strange chord in the right side of the brain, Only Son’s ‘Magic‘ is a welcome stranger in the singles market. It’s been coupled with a weirdly charming video following Jack Dishel (the Only Son himself) performing, observing and creating magic by the bucketful. The overall impression is something akin to an escapee of the ‘Band On The Run‘ photo shoot trying to outdo Paul Newman’s bicycle tricks in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And succeeding.
Armed with a cheeky smile, a curly mop and impeccable tailoring, Dishel floats, flies and leaps his way through the video, fitting himself into hats, climbing up Indian ropes and flitting in and out of mirror kaleidoscopes. Director Adria Petty is also responsible for (amongst many others) Regina Spektor’s delightfully eccentric ‘Us‘ video, once again stamping her work with effortlessly tasteful minimalism. The stop-motion that defined the look of ‘Us‘ is less prevalent here, but no less effective, capturing the song’s infectious spirit of mystery and invention.
The song itself takes a pleasantly quirky approach, allying Dishel’s tender, boyish voice with crisp, eloquent acoustic guitars, eerily lulling xylophones and a nicely understated string section. Stopping short of the oft-pursued wall of sound, ‘Magic‘ relies on excellent production and expert musicianship.
Articulate and lucid, Dishel’s lyrics speak of love’s natural wonder and secrecy; the apparent magic that exists to magnetically and mysteriously draw two people together. He avoids the usual temptations to delve into abstractions and surreality, bowing out to the romantic refrain: “don’t show me how you do it”, followed by a brief, soaring string outro that’s strangely climactic and yet somehow fragmented. You’re left wanting more, and there are precious few songs that can be said of.
The closest comparison to Only Son would have to be fellow New York-based songwriter Regina Spektor – his former collaborator and now duet partner on his upcoming album ‘Searchlight‘. They share a certain fey, eclectic slant toward their music; hard to miss, impossible to fake.
Dishel’s own list of influences have been credited as Motley Crüe, early hip-hop, and indie rockers like Elliott Smith and Built To Spill. From such an unusual range of inspirations, Dishel has created a sound very much his own. Still, it takes an unusual kind of musician to write a song like ‘Magic‘. This kind of musician isn’t happy to trot along with what’s gone before, even by the standards of their own particular sound.
Jack Dishel seems restless. To some he might be considered directionless. Unhappy rooted in one place, one sound or one genre, even within the space of a single piece of music, Dishel takes his cues from the masters of re-invention – Dylan, Young, Bowie – flouting convention and getting away with it.
‘Magic‘ is only the first release from ‘Searchlight‘; Only Son’s website promises three or possibly more singles/videos over the coming months, so we’ll soon find out what else this little-known wonder has been hiding up his sleeves.
Download the ‘Magic’ mp3 here.
For all the latest Only Son information visit myspace.com/only_son
(Simon Moore)
