The Magic Numbers - 'Those the Brokes' (EMI) Released 06/11/06

‘Can’t you damn kids play nicely together?’ An age-old request screamed by generations of harassed parents and one The Magic Numbers seem to have taken to heart as the brother sister foursome play very nicely together indeed. ‘Those the Brokes’ builds on the gently quirky sound of their debut, remaining as sweet and unassuming as ever.

Looking very much like a Mamas and Papas tribute band at times, The Magic Numbers are unlikely rock stars. They consist of a pair of siblings: frontman Romeo Stodart and bassist sister Michele and their childhood neighbours, multi instrumentalist Angela Gannon and drummer brother Sean. They’re not blessed with the photogenic floppy locks of many of their contemporaries and neither are they naturally at ease in front of a camera or even at times on stage. What they can do, however, is write rollickingly good pop songs, weaving bittersweet melodies and folk tinged influences around effortless harmonies.

So, what makes album number two different, Have they gone for Broke(s) this time around (oh dear…)? Well, not a lot has really changed in the 17 months since their debut, except this time round, there’s a definite sheen to the enamel. For a start the girls come out of their shells. ‘Undecided’ is one of the album highlights largely down to the soul driven vocals of Angela Gannon, while Michele’s beautiful lament of sorts, ‘Take me or Leave Me’, blends earthy vocals with a Joni Mitchellesque string arrangement. Our fiddle friends play a far larger role too: particularly in ‘Boy’, an odd little twirling waltz featuring a nine-piece orchestra.

Lead single ‘Take a Chance’ and current botherer of the airwaves demonstrates all that is good and pure about the Numbers and ‘You Never Had It’ (which has potential release written all over it) runs along the same rails. Both tracks also say a lot about the Numbers in general: they’re not going to sweep you off your feet in waves of delirious passion, but they may just sweep into your post-work soundtrack and make you feel that little bit better about life.