The Magic Numbers
The phrase "The Magic Numbers" spelled out with children's toy blocks
Studio album by
the Magic Numbers
Released13 June 2005 (2005-06-13)
RecordedRecorded and mixed at Metropolis Studios and Konk Studios, mixed at Metropolis Mastering, mastered at Sanctuary Townhouse.
GenreIndie pop
Length64:37
LabelHeavenly, EMI
ProducerCraig Silvey and Romeo Stodart
The Magic Numbers chronology
The Magic Numbers
(2005)		 Those the Brokes
(2006)
Singles from The Magic Numbers
  1. "Forever Lost"
    Released: 23 May 2005[1]
  2. "Love Me Like You"
    Released: 8 August 2005[2]
  3. "Love's a Game"
    Released: 24 October 2005[3]
  4. "I See You, You See Me"
    Released: 13 February 2006[4]

The Magic Numbers is the debut album from English pop rock band the Magic Numbers. It was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize in 2005. Songwriting duties were taken by Romeo Stodart as was much of the musical composition and arrangement. It incorporated the earlier single release of "Hymn for Her" as a hidden track. The album incorporates many folk elements within the main indie sound which resounds throughout. The album also reflects many elements of the writers' early childhood dreams, tales of their love life and desperation of youth. For example, "Love Me Like You", the best known single of the album, illustrates the difference of feeling in their love for each other.

Production

The Magic Numbers began recording the album in late 2004 at the Metropolis Studios in Chiswick.[5] The album was co-produced by Romeo Stodart and American producer Craig Silvey.[6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Blender[9]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[10]
The Guardian[11]
Mojo[12]
NME8/10[13]
Pitchfork7.6/10[14]
Q[15]
Rolling Stone[16]
Uncut[17]

The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2005, but lost to Antony and the Johnsons' I Am a Bird Now.[18] The Magic Numbers came 43rd on PopMatters' 50 Best Albums of 2005 list.[6]

Track listing

The Magic Numbers track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mornings Eleven"Michele Stodart, Romeo Stodart5:34
2."Forever Lost"Romeo Stodart4:11
3."The Mule"Romeo Stodart5:11
4."Long Legs"Romeo Stodart3:22
5."Love Me Like You"Romeo Stodart4:50
6."Which Way to Happy"Romeo Stodart4:27
7."I See You, You See Me"Romeo Stodart6:00
8."Don't Give Up the Fight"Romeo Stodart2:59
9."This Love"Romeo Stodart5:40
10."Wheels on Fire"Michele Stodart, Romeo Stodart4:03
11."Love's a Game"Romeo Stodart4:48
12."Try/Hymn for Her"Romeo Stodart13:32
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Idea of a Feeling"Sean Gannon, Romeo Stodart 
17."I Hope You Don't Mind"Romeo Stodart 
Total length:64:37

Personnel

The Magic Numbers

  • Angela Gannon – melodica, percussion, vocals, design
  • Sean Gannon – drums, design
  • Michele Stodart – bass guitar, keyboards, percussion, vocals, design
  • Romeo Stodart – guitar, piano, vocals, production, banjo on "Mornings Eleven", design

Other personnel

  • CC-Lab – design
  • Angharad Davies – violin on "This Love"
  • Pete Fowler – band illustration on British release
  • Steve Gullick – photography
  • Serge Krebs – engineering on "Which Way to Happy" and "I See You, You See Me"
  • Dom Morley – assistant engineering on "Don't Give Up the Fight"
  • Rich Robson – editing
  • Craig Silvey – recording and production on all except "Idea of a Feeling"
  • Bunt Stafford-Clark – mastering
  • Richard Wilkinson – mixing on "Don't Give Up the Fight" and "This Love", additional engineering on "Mornings Eleven", "Forever Lost", "The Mule", "Long Legs", "Love Me Like You", "This Love", "Try", and "Hymn to Her"

Charts

Singles chart performance

Chart performance for singles from The Magic Numbers
Single (British releases) Peak chart positions
"Forever Lost" 15[25]
"Love Me Like You" 12[25]
"Love's a Game" 24[25]
"I See You, You See Me" 20[25]

Release history

Release history and formats for The Magic Numbers
Country Date Label Format Catalog
United Kingdom 13 June 2005 Heavenly CD HVNLP53CD
LP HVNLP53
United States 2 August 2005 EMI CD 312162

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 21 May 2005. p. 27.
  2. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 6 August 2005. p. 29.
  3. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 22 October 2005. p. 33.
  4. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 11 February 2006. p. 27.
  5. ↑ Mcguire, Kevin (11 November 2010). "The Magic Numbers heavenly melodies and west of Ireland connections". Galway Advertiser. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 "The Best 50 Albums of 2005". PopMatters. 9 December 2005. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Reviews for The Magic Numbers by The Magic Numbers". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  8. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  9. ↑ "The Magic Numbers: The Magic Numbers". Blender (41): 139. October 2005.
  10. ↑ Browne, David (17 October 2005). "The Magic Numbers". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  11. ↑ Sweeting, Adam (10 June 2005). "The Magic Numbers, Heavenly". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "The Magic Numbers: The Magic Numbers". Mojo (140): 110. July 2005.
  13. ↑ "The Magic Numbers: The Magic Numbers". NME: 66. 11 June 2005.
  14. ↑ Hogan, Marc (24 May 2005). "The Magic Numbers: The Magic Numbers". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "The Magic Numbers: The Magic Numbers". Q (228): 122. July 2005.
  16. ↑ Hoard, Christian (6 October 2005). "The Magic Numbers: The Magic Numbers". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "The Magic Numbers: The Magic Numbers". Uncut (98): 102. July 2005.
  18. ↑ "Antony and Johnsons win Mercury". BBC News. 7 September 2005. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  19. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 175.
  20. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  21. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  22. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Magic Numbers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  23. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  24. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 "Magic Numbers | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  26. ↑ "The Magic Numbers Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  27. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  28. ↑ "2006 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
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