Label: Arclight Records
Released: November 13, 2007
Some bands cover songs, others rename songs, but Magnet School has made an album out of a song. At no point do they play or even directly lift anything from “Bullet the Blue Sky,” but its presence is profound throughout. Magnet School captures the blues, rock, psychedelia and even the passion of U2’s classic and stretch it to album length. That they do so successfully is a tribute to both the song that seems to play in their heart as well as Magnet School themselves. Sure, other influences can be heard, most prominently the Foo Fighters, but none supersedes the one song they must love the most.
One of the best things about Magnet School is how they act as a unit instead of individual players. While it means that no one stands out, it also means that no one stands in the way of the total picture. Throbbing rhythms, ringing guitar and airy vocals work together in a single vision that runs from pop to cacophony.
While the point about “Bullet the Blue Sky” may seem to indicate that Magnet School are either creatively limited or senselessly experimental, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Tonight…We Drink, for all its boldness, is still an amazingly easy listen.
Rating: 8/10