Bewitched

Random reviews of random albums...

Bewitched, by Luna, 1994

1994 is my favorite year for music ever. I've said it before. I'll say it plenty of times again. So many great albums released. Bewitched is another stellar example of the magic of 1994.

But it would be two years later, in 1996, when Bewitched caught me in its sorcery. I had just gotten my first job. A 16 year old ice cream scooper at the local Baskin Robbins. It didn't last long. One and a half paychecks. Every night when my shift was over, I'd hop into my Volkswagon Vanagon and hit play. The cassette in the deck for these three weeks of sweet treat labor was Luna's Bewitched.                                  

I was terrible at scooping ice cream. I was even worse at cleaning the place after closing time. I just went through the half-assed motions until my shift supervisor finally just said enough, go home. Then back into the van for more Bewitched.

It was this year of my life where I plummeted hard for Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. Obsessed. So what hit me first in the brain about Luna was, man, they sounded like the Velvet Underground! Or at least more like the Velvets than any other band around in the 90s. Easily. 

Bewitched opens with the seminal "California (All the Way)." 4 muted bar chords open the song. Strumming only the high strings ohh so gently to welcome you in. Few songs are so effective in their welcoming. The lead guitar sings the melody line that will form the chorus, and then Dean Warham's spoken, soft voice opens up the tale about a relationship crumbling across state lines. Velvets connection? Listen to this song and tell me it does not remind you of "Ride into the Sun." Same chords even!

(Side note. I will forever love "California (All the Way)" because it was a song that my teenage band would play at every show.)

"Tiger Lily" is up next. The mellow, cool guy, almost even too cool, vibe of Bewitched glides on here. Velvet vibe still present. Connection? Listen "Tiger Lily" and then listen to "Some Kinda Love." Hear it?

But the hands down most gorgeous piece of the gorgeous Bewitched puzzle is the title track. The song opens with a clean electric guitar chords processed with perfection in a heavy tremolo effect. Four chords to infinity. I can lie down to this song and forget to get up until long after it is finished. Dean whispers "All of a sudden/the girl of my dreams" and four bass notes roll with the four chords. A gentle organ follows along. After the chorus, the drums enter along with a second guitar and pure magic has been made. Horns and vibes in the outro. This is a masterpiece.

A beautiful song written to a beautiful muse. A bewitching muse. That emotion is captured in this song. Dean is not just in love with her. He is not just enchanted by her. He is captivated. He is drawn. All he can do is strum these four chords until he can longer cradle the guitar. He throws it down "And I'll come running to her." He repeats. I believe it.