CEG - Croshal Entertainment Group

MAGNETS & GHOSTS - A review writen by B. Love of INsite Magazine: Atlanta's Entertainment Monthly

You don’t have to be a Collective Soul fan in order to appreciate this new venture from co-founding member Dean Roland, the guitar-wielding brother of CS frontman Ed Roland. In fact, in might be better if you’re not, given the artful sounds of Magnets & Ghosts, which is more influenced by experimental Brit-rock bands such as Radiohead, Doves and Elbow. With Collective Soul on indefinite hiatus, Roland found a kindred musical spirit in producer/musician Ryan Potesta, who initially met Ed Roland at Boston’s Berkelee College of Music and worked with the band on their 2007 album Afterwords. The duo bonded over their mutual appreciation for bands that took creative chances, with a non-traditional approach to songwriting, and Roland has clearly embraced the creative liberation that comes from a complete lack of artistic expectations. The duo’s recently released debut is a huge change of pace from what you might expect given Roland’s involvement. While songs such as “Like A Sunday” come close to the mainstream accessibility of Collective Soul, the vast majority of the songs find Roland and Potesta challenging themselves as songwriters, stretching their sound so much that you might not recognize that the rocking “I Want You” and the piano-driven “Hold On” were actually written by the same band. The album’s centerpiece is the title track, a haunting tune that uses a spacey guitar loop, echoing piano and multi-tracked vocals to create an almost otherworldly sound that could not be further from Collective Soul’s arena-ready anthems. Roland seems to have his attention fully focused on Magnets & Ghosts: He and Potesta recently launched their own label and production company. For those who found Collective Soul’s over-the-top anthems a bit overbearing, it’s definitely a welcome creative step forward.

Link to original article: http://www.insiteatlanta.com/music.asp