Aloha Moon

Magic Wands’ 2012 debut album, Aloha Moon, is further proof that not everything from Nashville is twangy. A match made in music, Chris and Dexy Valentine met back in the days of MySpace, when Chris discovered some of Dexy’s music online. They began a long-distance courtship, which found Dexy moving from Los Angeles to Nashville and marrying Chris; then they formed Magic Wands. The opening title track is a refreshing sonic cocktail that blends vintage drum machine beats, icy synthesizers, and beach-friendly guitars. Over this, Dexy coos wistful inflections alongside Chris’ whispered singing, creating hushed harmonies reminiscent of early-'90s shoegazing. “Teenage Love” backpedals a decade to create a neon love song that blends Blondie’s cover of John Holt’s “The Tide Is High” with Pleasure Victim–era Berlin. As the title suggests, “Kaleidoscope Hearts” pumps Magic Wands’ nouveau-wave sound through a psychedelic filter where guitars jangle, swirl, and distort with comforting, womblike warmth. The standout jam “Space” pulses and pops with a retro-futuristic flair.