MC Maguire - 2024 - Dystophilia

(51:19; Neuma Records)

Track list:
1. Yummy World 23:46
2. Another Lucid Dream 27:33

Line-up:
MC Maguire - instruments


Canadian composer and artist MC Maguire has been creating soundscapes and compositions of various kinds for the better part of 4 decades, and is known for his very particular approach and execution of the material and landscapes he explores. "Dystophilia" is his most recent creation, and was released by US label Neuma Records at the start of 2024.

This album consist of two electronic/acoustic symphonies, both of which are based on songs from the pop music universe, with Justin Bieber's 'Yummy' and Juice Wrlds’ 'Lucid Dream' being the foundation for these works.

'Yummy World' is a striking creation that ebbs and flows between gliding, elegant sections to chaotic, disruptive passages, where majestic surges and sections with a clear pop music rhythm and undercurrent are defining aspects are just as much a part of the landscape explored as the flowing and elegant motions and the more disruptive traits.  A composition always in motion and always moving in one or more directions, this is what one might describe as a rather radical reinvention of this song.

'Another Lucid Dream' takes on the original and expands it in numerous different directions, adding rock music elements to the experience too, but always with an electronic and orchestral arrangement being the dominant and defining matter on display. Dramatic and Wagnerian surges are just as much a presence here as slightly more off kilter passages of the kind that remind me ever so slightly of the works of the great Isao Tomita. Again with motion and movement as central characteristics of the landscape and vista explored.

While I do find these constructions interesting, the impression I get is that these compositions will also be creations that will have a bit more of a niche and limited appeal. To my mind at least, this is music that demands a certain type of mind as well as mindset to be able to immerse oneself in these landscapes and get the full enjoyment out of the experience. I'd suggest that those who are intrigued by composer that makes use of orchestral displays, electronic instruments and electronic noise to create material that blends pop and rock music elements with classical music traditions and experimental electronic music in a more expressive manner might want to seek out this album.

Olav M. Björnsen, January 2025

Links:
https://harostreetmusic.com/
https://neumarecords.org/