Sinister Trailer Park

What initially comes across like a case of identity crisis with Sinister Trailer Park eventually reveals itself to be a most cunning trick played on the listener. Kicking the album off with moderately emotive and musically sparse track "Borderline,” the band quickly become a swirling vortex of riffs and power in line with NoMeansNo’s most impressive output. Dynamic to the point of jarring, each song is a melting pot of genres, blending metallic verses with emo choruses, mathematical jazz-core bridges and the occasional hardcore chant. Still, despite the fact that most bands have tried to accomplish this and failed miserably, Sinister Trailer Park perform it with such grace and patience that almost each of the dozen tracks on Magic are enjoyable for their own reason, be it obtuseness, driving rhythms or inventive melodic atmosphere. One does get the impression though that this would be a far more explosive and stunning experience live, but at least they’ve managed to document it with flair to prepare listeners for that onslaught.