There’s very little that hasn’t been said about Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst’s diva behavior this year. Whether you consider him the emo equivalent of Mozart or an insignificant, petulant little brat, though, picking the Magic Numbers as his opener on his latest tour, which comes to Constitution Hall this Friday, is an unlikely but shrewd move. While Bright Eyes, the ambassador of angst, has received almost as much column coverage as Paris Hilton recently, the Numbers have so far been neglected by the U.S. music press.
Oberst’s position within the music world used to be comfortably assured: he was the alternative voice of youth culture, the melancholy mouthpiece of America’s marginalized, middle-class minority. All that changed earlier this year, as Bright Eyes simultaneously occupied the top two slots of both the album and singles Billboard charts, and suddenly fans were forced to admit that perhaps they weren’t such a minority after all.
For far too long now a positive outlook has been an unfashionable attribute amongst the infuriatingly cynical, self-conscious muso-community. With a bit of luck, and the winds blowing in the right direction, the Numbers might help redress the imbalance. While their self-titled debut certainly holds its own amongst this year’s multitude of indie releases, it is their live performances that make them stand out from the crowd.
One of the hardest working bands touring today, the Magic Numbers have risen from lowly gigging band to European festival headliner in the space of less than a year. This is a testament to their affable stage presence and thoughtfully understated songs. Singer/songwriter Romeo Stodart’s buoyant but pensive outlook shines through in both his onstage and recorded persona.
On tracks such as “Love Is Just A Game” and “Don’t Give up the Fight” from the band’s self-titled debut, he earnestly reflects on love’s complications and disappointments while refusing to dwell on them as the upbeat rhythms keep him bouncing along. “Long Legs” is pop at its most playful and first single “Forever Lost” features crystal clear harmonies that will resonate for days. At times the Numbers appear to have gone for simplicity in favor of sophistication, which may hinder their shelf life, but their success in England illustrates that a smiley demeanor can stretch a long way.
Although American crowds are notoriously more difficult to please than their counterparts across the pond, the Numbers’ joyously uplifting, infectious zest for performing should win them more than a few friends here too. The Numbers clearly consider themselves the luckiest people in the world, infusing so much energy and soul into their performance that you’d have to be made of stone not to give at least a little back. The warmth that emanates from the stage when this engagingly friendly foursome plays is so undeniable that even the most bitterly brooding detractor will find a toe or two tapping along to their charmingly back-to-basics blend of folk, pop and good old rock and roll.
The Numbers are perhaps best depicted as the musical equivalent of the panda cub at the National Zoo; warm-hearted, affectionate and eager to please. Despite some critical accusations that they are floppy-haired throwbacks to the free-loving flower power generation, expect them to provide a warmly welcome counterweight to Bright Eyes’ perpetually broken heart. The Magic Numbers’ music is not, of its own volition, going to change the world?they are by no means re-inventing the wheel?but catch them live and they might just make you look at it slightly differently.
