See You In Magic
by The Night Marchers
  • Record Label: Vagrant
  • Release Date: Apr 22, 2008
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. AllMusic
    80
    Add the Night Marchers to Speedo's roll of triumphs and feel free to rank See You in Magic as one of his finest moments. It's really that good.
  2. Alternative Press
    90
    Performing some of thre best party music for smart people this side of Black Lips, the rest of the band match Reis' powerhouse vocal eccentricities with a perfectly calculated degree of rock 'n' roll swagger, blasting ahead like the Wipers one minute and settling into a slow-burning Bo Diddley groove the next. [May 2008, p.128]
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  3. Billboard
    70
    Even if it's easy to miss the full-tilt pyrotechnics of yore, Reis' new approach allows you to appreciate his wound-tight tunecraft like never before.
  5. Q Magazine
    40
    See You In Magic happily throws in every hoary old cliche in the book. [June 2008, p.149]
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  6. Spin
    60
    The Night Marchers follow Rocket From The Crypt's tried-and-true strategy, intertwining punk, hard rock, and rockabilly, with lively if unsurprising results. [May 2008, p.104]
  7. The A.V. Club
    83
    As always, this stuff is better suited for the stage, and it would be foolish not to assume that horns could make The Night Marchers even better, but with the assistance of a band that includes a couple of fellow ex-Snakes, Reis has made his best record since Rocket's "Scream, Dracula, Scream!" heyday.
  8. PopMatters
    70
    The disc fizzles a bit in its second half, following the very strong 'Bad Bloods' with the proggy excesses of 'And I Keep Holding You.'
  9. Drowned In Sound
    70
    It is a ‘safe’ record, one that plays to its makers’ long-established strengths without really stretching them--but fans of all the aforementioned predecessors are certain to find much to love across these 13 tracks.
  10. Mojo
    80
    Restless, relentless, righteous: this guru of the primeval groove is once more helming an exceptional rock'n'roll band. [July 2008, p.108]
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  11. Pitchfork
    64
    If the herky-jerky new-waver 'Total Bloodbath,' and the 'Ticket to Ride'-styled charmer 'Partner in Crime' find Reis comfortably adapting to the pop approach, the mix can also leave Reis hanging out to dry, particularly on the smooth '70s-Stones strut 'You've Got Nerve,' where the droning qualities of his rasp are overemphasized by a chorus that simply repeats the title ad infinitum.
  12. Delusions of Adequacy
    80
    See You in Magic's tracks are so consistently good that determining the album's best poses a challenge.
  13. Magnet
    70
    Deviations from the script are interesting but not as successful (the jangly 'Jump In The Fire,' the rockabilly 'Branded'). Luckily, they don’t detract from the main course: a heaping helping of straight-up rock ’n’ roll like only Reis can deliver.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. SeanH
    Sep 2, 2008
    9
    As a lifelong Rocket fan, I've always been left dissatisfied with Reis' other bands. It wasn't that they weren't any As a lifelong Rocket fan, I've always been left dissatisfied with Reis' other bands. It wasn't that they weren't any good, they just weren't anywhere near as good as RFTC. This record has changed all that. With the exception of Rocket's '95 releases (Scream, Dracula, Scream - Hot Charity - The State of Art is on Fire) this is the best album that bears Reis' name and easily the best album I've bought in many years. I pray that Speedo will keep this particular project going long enough to produce much, much more of this.… Full Review »
  2. DF.
    May 28, 2008
    10
    Great album from start to finish. Every once in a while a great rock band comes around and just has it all. The energy, the music, the Great album from start to finish. Every once in a while a great rock band comes around and just has it all. The energy, the music, the presence and purpose. These guys rock.… Full Review »
  3. JonW.
    May 13, 2008
    10
    Amazing CD from start to finish! For all intents and purposes, this is just Hot Snakes without as much vocal vitriol (but no less menace). Amazing CD from start to finish! For all intents and purposes, this is just Hot Snakes without as much vocal vitriol (but no less menace). Catchy, Catchy, Catchy. Speedo always brings it hard, Dawg!… Full Review »
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