Aloha Makes MAGNET A Mix Tape

Around the MAGNET office, “prog” is not a dirty word. We also love classic rock, sophisticated pop and psychedelic folk. So it’s no wonder we are fans of Aloha, which effortlessly mixes all that and more on new album Home Acres, due out March 9 on Polyvinyl. We asked vocalist/guitarist Tony Cavallario to make us a mix tape, and he came up with this killer one.

“Moonless March” (audio):
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/MoonlessMarch.mp3

Felt “The World Is Soft As Lace”
This is the song I listen to before I sit down to work on music or whenever I need to clear my head. It’s really inviting yet strange and distant. Accompanies a space heater warming up a cold room. Video

The Lotus Easters “Out On Your Own”
Perfect song from No Sense Of Sin. Singer Peter Coyle seems very concerned about his subject here, almost to the point of creepiness. Video

Gentle Giant “Give It Back”
A lot of prog people draw the line at Gentle Giant, but here they are just getting into some funky odd rhythms and complaining about not being as famous as their contemporaries. Kind of Eno-ish. Video

Aphrodite’s Child “It’s Five O’Clock”
Classical-influenced pop in the style of Procol Harum or the Zombies. Powerfully belted vocals that you would never hear in rock today. Vangelis was in the band, and things got weird after this. Video

Magic Plants “I Know She’s Waiting There”
I don’t own this record, but I found this on YouTube on a Left Banke-related binge. LB’s Tom Finn was in this band when he was, like, 16. Half my age. Video

Anthony Phillips “God If I Saw Her Now”
This is the guy who quit Genesis after Trespass. His gorgeous The Geese And The Ghost is in my top three Genesis solo albums, and that’s saying a lot! Phil Collins and Viv McAuliffe duet. Video

Ph.D. “I Won’t Let You Down”
Personally, I’m glad to have grown up in the ’80s when a lot of baby boomers hit their 30s and started making smooth grown-up music. This is one of my favorite examples. Like a crossbreed of Matthew Wilder and Simply Red but way more vulnerable. Video

OMD “Genetic Engineering”
Dazzle Ships is such a good record, and this is its single. All the OMD records that came before are classics, but this one still sounds like the future. Video

Zounds “Demystification”
Ominous but catchy anarcho-post-punk from Crass buds. Makes you want to start a band. Video

Blue Öyster Cult “Veterans Of The Psychic Wars”
The beginning of this song is one of the best things ever. I brought this home from the dollar bin and was sure I found the next “Reaper” until the metal vocals came in. Then you might want to move on, but I’m OK with them.  Also it’s from the animated film Heavy Metal, which is not for kids. Video

Art Garfunkel “Scissor’s Cut”
If you listen through the hazy soft-rock production you will here one of Jimmy Webb’s best tunes. I had been listening to a lot of Webb’s songs for Richard Harris when I first heard this. After Harris’ tuneless warble, Garfunkel’s clarity was a revelation. Video

Mark Fry “Song For Wilde”
It seems like we’re never gonna run out of killer old folk/psych to discover. Stunning song. Vocal effect strangely makes it more timeless. Video

Beach Boys “Good Timin'”
We need good timin’ to end this mix. We’re all going places. Video