Broken Record
I used to bump into Magnum regularly back in the 80s when we shared the same rehearsal rooms in Selly Oak, I even owned one of their old bass speakers at one point but I have to admit I was never a fan of their music. Credit where it's due though, Magnum have managed to maintain a healthy following for over 30 years now and many forget that they were pretty big back in the 80s, peddling their own brand of rock storytelling along with the likes of Marillion. Interest waned though and they split in 1995 before returning in 2002 and have maintained a steady recording and touring schedule ever since. 'Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow' is their 14th studio album and long term fans will be glad to hear that it stays on familiar territory.
Magnum were never what you could call heavy rock, they were always at the lighter end of the genre and they've stayed firmly in that camp with this release. From opener 'When We Were Younger' it's all fairly safe in the sense that it's what you'd expect from a Magnum album, there are no real surprises. This fact is not necessarily a bad thing however as Magnum were always known for being a band that could tell stories and create an atmosphere, it was more about the overall effect than individual songs much of the time. That feeling is evident on this new album and it works well as a whole, none of the songs are a radical departure from the preceding number and it's nothing if not consistent.
The problem I always had with Magnum is that after a while they are just boring. The production is such that the songs flow over you and after twenty minutes it's easy to forget you're listening to it and to find yourself doing something else whilst they play away in the background. Taken as individual songs there are some decent tunes on offer, 'Like Brothers We Stand' is classic Magnum and features some nice guitar work and 'Out of the Shadows' is guaranteed to get the lighters waving during the chorus. They aren't particularly memorable though and to get the most out of them you really have to concentrate on every song, which is difficult when they really don't reach out and grab you.
Older fans will probably hail this as a classic Magnum album and in many respects it is, it's just that classic Magnum is not very interesting! There are one or two stand out tracks, like 'Dragons Are Real' and closing track 'You'll Never Sleep'. Then there are tracks like 'Inside Your Head', which only serve to remind me just why I never liked the band in the first place, with it's plodding verse and rather predictable lyrics. 'Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow' is unlikely to win any new converts to the Magnum cause but should be welcomed with open arms by existing fans.