The ever-prolific Craig Wedren is back to make MAGNET his second mix tape in honor of solo album Wand, which just came out on Nerveland Recordings. Never one to stay idle, Wedren created the record while in the midst of writing the score for the new David Wain/Judd Apatow film Wanderlust and the third season of Hung. But thankfully, he had some help from some famous friends—including Conor Oberst, Janet Weiss, Maria Taylor, Damian Kulash and others—to help him out on Wand, lest he actually feel overwhelmed with work for once! Wedren plans to support the project this fall and winter with a few selected live performances.
“Cupid” (download):
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/Cupid.mp3
The Weeknd “Knowing”
Buzzy, I know, but it’s sooonice to have some spookysmart R&B that I don’t need to explain to the part of my brain that knows better. Video
Elliot Goldenthal “Recordare”
From an outstanding film-music composer, a piece from a hallucinatory ’90s theater piece (or something). Don’t know much about it. Something Cuban? Religious? Other, that’s for sure. Video
Sparks “Amateur Hour”
Wesley Stace (a.k.a. John Wesley Harding) sent this to me as a possibility for his Cabinet Of Wonders show. We wound up doing their genius “Sherlock Holmes” instead, but this one stuck. Waddaband! Video
Sun Ra “Love In Outer Space”
From an early-’90s Blast First release my roommate had in college. I could never find it again and thought maybe I dreamt it up til my buddy Lindsay started whistling it around the studio, and then boom, she whipped it out of her oldfangled CD caseholder, and I’m like in heaven. Video
XTC “1000 Umbrellas”
From Skylarking, which always felt kind of remote to me until my friend (and WAND video director) Tim Nackashi recently put this on my ears, and then I revisited. My son was born to XTC, and I think they’re just maybe one of the best ever pop bands, yeahhhhh. This is a sophisticated one tho; not so happy. Video
Nicolas Jaar “Balance Her In Between Your Eyes”
Lovely record, this. Very inspiring and works as both deep and background listening. Video
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart “Heaven’s Not Gonna Happen”
Mmmmm, endsummer. Like a lovely combination of “I’ll Be You” by the Replacements and a whole bunch of candy Smashing Pumpkins with some old Brit singer who’s name escapes me. These are all good things. Video
Glass Candy “Beautiful Object”
Look, I love Glass Candy, and these new jeans have the basic chord progression from “Stand Back”/”Little Red Corvette”/”Time After Time,” only sung by Ida No, one of my fave voices. Certainly up there with Stevie and Cyndi as far as I’m concerned and programmed by Johnny Jewel—sensuale goodbad horns. Video
Sam Mickens Ecstatic Showband “One Final Round”
Look at this beautiful man; he should’ve been born in black and white. But his voice is the color of blood, better and more evil than the rest. Video
Craig Wedren “Uh Oh Oh no”
Maybe my favorite song from my new record, WAND. I originally wrote this song for the Michael Showalter movie The Baxter and am extraordinarily happy it’s about to be unleashed into your laps. Amy Miles on BV’s, ladies and Johns.
