“And the girls in their summer clothes
In the cool of the evening light
The girls in their summer clothes
Pass me by…”

-Bruce Springsteen – “Girls In Their Summer Clothes”

The other day I was playing with Z and listening to Bruce Springsteen’s new album “Magic”. It occurred to me that most of the music that I listen to at home from here on out I will be sharing with my son. That was thrown into pretty sharp focus later that day while I was trying to quiet him while listening to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ excellent 1996 album “Murder Ballads”…

“Barkeep said, “Yeah, I’ve heard your name down the way
And I kick motherf*cking asses like you every day”
Mr Stagger Lee.

Well those were the last words that the barkeep said
‘Cause Stag put four holes in his motherf*cking head…”

At which point Dr. O’C inquired as to what kind of “crap” I was exposing our infant son. Strangely, she didn’t seem mollified when I pointed out that a) it was a classic album and b) Cave is one of her fellow countrymen and one of the better Australian musicians out there. It’s an interesting issue – at what point do I need to censor what Z listens to? I’ve always assumed that he’s aware of music, and played him songs daily from before birth. Does that mean at five weeks old I’m teaching him about killing bartenders?

I do want to point out that despite the mature lyrics, that Nick Cave song is outstanding. It’s not like I was playing him Britney Spears.

Anyway, this post is meant to be about The Boss’s new record. It took me a couple of weeks to decide to buy “Magic”. I was sort of a latecomer to Springsteen’s charms and I wanted to hear some of the record and read some reviews. The singles I’ve heard are good and the reviews were solid, including some from my fellow bloggers whose opinions I respect. So I picked it up on Friday and its spent the weekend on heavy rotation. Because Z’s been listening to this new record a lot with me I thought I would combine Monday music themes.

Since I’ve spent so much of this post rambling about Nick Cave and the intricacies of fatherhood I’ll keep the Springsteen review brief: “Magic” rocks. This is Springsteen going back to his “Born in the U.S.A” and “Born to Run” roots. It’s the first album featuring The E Street Band since 2002’s “The Rising”. Not that the musicians on “Devils and Dust” and “We Shall Overcome” were slouches, but The E Street Band are pros and that comes through beautifully on this record. It’s kind of funny, as an indie/alternative fan one gets used to bands with sub par musicians that sell their slack approach as arty. But then a record like “Magic” comes out with excellent professional musicians and you realize that the best art is made by those with the skills to do it well.

“Magic” starts off as a rock album with the wall of guitars that open “Radio Nowhere” and doesn’t stray far from there. It’s well written aqnd well played with sax man Clarence Clemons and guitarists Nils Lofgren and Steve Van Zandt making exceptional contributions. Producer Brendan O’Brien, whose credits include Pearl Jam, Matthew Sweet and Rage Against the Machine, keeps what is essentially a nostalgic album from sounding dated or trite. It’s a concise record – 11 tracks and 48 minutes – a welcome gem in this era of bonus tracks, extended editions and bloated albums.

There is not a bad song on this album (the weakest is the title track, but even that is pretty good) some of the standouts are “You’ll Be Coming Down”, “Girls in Their Summer Clothes” and “Last to Die”. The latter is an overtly anti-war song, but as with all of Springsteen’s best work, their is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction about the state of the States throughout this record. Springsteen has always been outstanding at writing protest songs without being obvious or shrill and without sacrificing the quality of his music (pay attention Steve Earle).

Z’s favorite seems to be “Gypsy Biker” – he always perks up a little with the harmonica that opens this track, we’ll have to do some early Dylan together soon. I’m pretty sure that Z doesn’t listen to the lyrics (hopefully), but I like the verse that comes after a harmonica bridge:

“To the dead, well it don’t matter much ’bout who’s wrong or right
You asked me that question, I didn’t get it right
You slipped into your darkness, now all that remains
Is my love for you brother, life’s still unchanged
To him that threw you away, you ain’t nothing but gone
My gypsy biker’s coming home…”

Springsteen has released some outstanding albums in the last couple of decades, but nothing like the rockers that he did in the late seventies and early eighties. There’s been a Boss shaped hole in popular music for a while. It’s only right that Springsteen be the one to fill that hole which he does beautifully with this record. “Magic” is vintage Springsteen and one of the best records of the year so far. It’s almost like Bruce wanted to show the Springsteen devotees like The Hold Steady and Arcade Fire how it’s done – and he has.

I’m hard pressed to find any criticism of this record – it may be that the songwriting isn’t as evocative as some of Springsteen’s best. There are more love and lost love songs than working man ballads. Even this, though, could just be a factor of me not having listened to “Magic” enough. As I write this I’m picking up subtle lyrics that are making me regret this criticism.

Verdict: An instant classic. Springsteen and the E Street Band at their best. If you’re a fan, don’t hesitate any more, go and buy this record. If you’re not a fan, it’s time to become one.

I’ve not been able to find any free releases of tracks from this album, so rather than risking the wrath of the record companies I’ll direct you to “Radio Nowhere” at Consequence of Sound and “Gypsy Biker” at The Leather Canary. I will, however, post Nick Cave’s “Stagger Lee” to convince you that it really is a good song.

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