Magic Castles

Magic Castles' bright vocal harmonies, hazy guitars, and warm organ drones propel their fantasyland storytelling into a warm, pastoral neo-psychedelic journey. The band formed in Minneapolis in 2006, growing out of singer/guitarist Jason Edmonds' home recording project as he tapped singer/guitarist Jeremiah Doering, bassist Paul Fuglestad, drummer Brendan McInerney, and Kait Sergenian. Magic Castles played their first show at a friend's birthday party later that year, began recording their first record the following summer, and by June 2008 offered their self-released debut, The Lore of Mysticore. By then, the band added keyboardist/singer Noah Skogerboe to further flesh out its sound, and Matt Van Genderen replaced McInerney on the drums. This new incarnation pulled double duty in 2009, offering sophomore album Dreams of Dreams plus a limited-edition cassette, Sounds of the Forest. Magic Castles got their biggest break in fall 2010, when their song "Ballad of the Golden Bird" landed on Anton Newcombe's radar and inspired the Brian Jonestown Massacre bandleader to release their next album on his A Records label. The result was a self-titled release mostly culled from Magic Castles' previous works; serving as an expanded introduction to the band and a re-release of fan favorites now out of print, it arrived in March 2012. A proper third studio album Sky Sounds arrived in late 2014.