Breathe Owl Breathe

This album will make you smile, wide, no matter where you are or what you're doing. Magic Central is also the name of the cabin in the woods in Michigan where the trio of Micah Middaugh, Andrea Moreno-Beals and Trevor Hobbs now live, and they couldn't have picked a better name. They create precious, imaginary scenes of nature, animals and love (or all three), sewn together by subtle jazz pop fit for poetry or fairy tales. They create stories that show humanity as something so incredibly good that it can slowly turn sour, and in that transmission, their message of acceptance is sweet (especially in "Dragon"). Middaugh and Moreno-Beals have lovely harmonies, as his voice is low, with his guitar and banjo, and she's high and airy, with her classical cello, while percussionist Hobbs chugs alongside merrily. Their rich textures and serious take on playfulness make for one comfortable environment.