Review / 200 Words Or Less
Shout Magic
Ceiling Fan and Other Revolutions

Chief City (2007) Michael

Shout Magic – Ceiling Fan and Other Revolutions cover artwork
Shout Magic – Ceiling Fan and Other Revolutions — Chief City, 2007

Shout Magic is a five-piece ensemble from Philadelphia. Though, if you were listen to the music of Ceiling Fan and Other Revolutions you definitely wouldn't guess that as their location. Perhaps a swanky lounge in Los Angeles or even some off-strip locale in Las Vegas would be more likely.

Ceiling Fan and Other Revolutions is six tracks that clocks in at just about twenty minutes. Over the course of this EP, Shout Magic let loose an upbeat mixture of jazz, lounge, and pop music, complete with horns, winds, and maracas! "Golden Empress" reminds me of a Wayne Newton or Frank Sinatra tune. "Accolades" has a kind of retro pop-rock feel to it, even a dash of quaint folk. "Ceiling Fan' and "Suzie" kind of drag and have me reaching for the skip button. "Reagan Dime" closes things out and it sounds like a song from a Tarantino film.

Overall, this is a decent EP. I could do without the slower numbers, as they tend to drive things into the ground. It'd be cool to see these guys in a live setting.

6.0 / 10Michael • February 14, 2008

Shout Magic – Ceiling Fan and Other Revolutions cover artwork
Shout Magic – Ceiling Fan and Other Revolutions — Chief City, 2007

Recently-posted album reviews

Social Distortion

Born to Kill
Epitaph (2026)

Rating: 🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🚬 / 10 (8 Tipped Martini Glasses and a Cigarette) Remember that movie Fantastic Voyage, where a miniaturized submarine gets inserted into a person's bloodstream on a mission to clear a blood clot in the brain? Well, consider yourself in luck: I’m infiltrating your brain with my own fantastic journey with Social Distortion, which goes all the way back … Read more

Big Circle

Big Circle
Independent (2026)

There are plenty of supergroups that exist largely because of the names on the marquee. Big Circle feels different. While Glenn Mercer (The Feelies), Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE), Dave Weckerman (The Feelies), and Dan Francia (Speed the Plough) all bring decades of musical history to the table, this debut EP isn't interested in nostalgia or individual spotlights. Instead, it succeeds … Read more

Nocturnal Prose

Western Interests
Total Agency (2026)

I’ve been reading Cory Doctorow’s latest book “The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI” a scathing review of the current state of artificial intelligence wherein he seeks to pop the AI bubble. In the book’s central metaphor Doctorow identifies the centaur as someone whose work is improved upon by technology vs the reverse centaurs who are competing with and/or … Read more