Magic Nic left the cold New England plateau, tracking a sound he couldn’t name. After cutting his teeth belting harmonies in the garage pop outfit Easy Street and transcending the astral plane with the noise rockers Greyhound, he began stitching together his own crooked hymns. Sheepishly, a handful of these conjurings were released—raw and reverent recordings that hinted at something bigger. Magic Nic and the General Electric is that arrival: his first full band offering, a warbling, smoke stained blend of Bukka White moan, Chet Baker cheese, and Billie Holiday bend, all captured live to tape in the belly of a whale. Good sir, believe me, this really happened. At his back, the General Electric are the most frightening rhythm section of inner west creme you could ever hope to crack a spoon on.