The Magic Numbers: The Magic Numbers
By Machiko Yasuda, 18, UCLA (Palos Verdes Peninsula HS alum)
Most of the bands with free downloads on iTunes are one-hit wonders or just plain bad, but not The Magic Numbers, a unique, English band of two sets of brothers and sisters. The band’s single, “Love Me Like You Do” and the rest of their 13-track debut folk rock album highlight the siblings’ sweet harmonies and Romeo Stodart’s simple but potent lyrics.
“Love Me Like You Do” will suck you into Stodart’s cheerful guitar riffs and the hand-clapping, background-vocalist sisters. The band’s sound is a little reminiscent of 60s bands like The Beatles, but the self-titled album proves that the band’s sound is truly one of a kind.
The tracks are diverse, ranging from sing-a-long pop singles like “Love Me Like You Do” and “Mornings Eleven” to the country sounding “Wheels of Fire” and “Try.” The siblings’ ultimate strengths, however, lie in their tender, heart-wrenching break up songs.
In “I See You, You See Me,” Stodart starts singing while his sister later follows up in a duet exchanging lines: “I wanna tell you that I’ll never love anyone else/ You wanna tell me that you’re better off by yourself/ But darling, when I see you, you see me.” Even with such simple lyrics, the girls’ delicate voices coupled with the rest of the band’s rich instrumentation will leave you stunned. Who knew siblings could get along and sound so well?