Roadrunner Records
1998
White Magic For Lovers
About This Album
After a lengthy break that made some wonder if the band still existed, Drugstore returned with a new lineup, adding cellist Ian Burdge, and a great second album, White Magic for Lovers. The bulk of attention toward the release came due to the duet on lead single "El President," in that Monteiro's singing partner was Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. With piano-tinged drama straight out of a Morricone-scored Western making for a great overall motif, Yorke and Monteiro combine wonderfully, the former's high, hurt approach astonishingly suitable for the acoustic guitar/strings drive of the song. As for the album in general, Yorke may well have been a touchstone, as White Magic has more of an upfront kick to it quite reminiscent of Radiohead's brilliant art rock dynamics. There's still the sense of dreamy psych/rock flow at many points -- "Song for Pessoa" is a grand voice/guitar (acoustic) highlight -- but everything's been spiked with quicker tempos, cutting arrangements, and greater overall variety. "Mondo Cane" begins with a brawling punk-level punch, for instance, while "Sober" could have appeared on The Bends without anyone blinking an eye -- and yet it sounds like a Drugstore song in the end instead of a simple cloning.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,4,5,8 and 10)

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