Ears Wide Open: Minutes til Midnight
Kevin Bronson on
3
Cliff Magreta has been waiting for the clock to strike 12 for several years now –he began writing tunes as Minutes til Midnight around 2006 after the Shore, for whom he played bass, saw their record deal wash ashore. Since then, his exploits have included songwriting with other artists (he was a co-writer on Paul Oakenfold’s “No Compromise” and “Feed Your Mind,” for instance) and playing with electro-jammers Radio Freq. Now, Magreta has put the finishing touches on the MTM album “Vintage Hearts,” due out this autumn on Digital Noir Records. It’s a sharp collection of high-voltage rockers that sound a little “24 Hour Party People.” Magreta may originally hail from Detroit, but there’s some transatlantic electro shock going on, and to the implied question in “Medicate or Stimulate,” we vote “stimulate.”
||| Download: “Medicate or Stimulate”
||| Live: Minutes til Midnight opens for Har Mar Superstar on Sept. 24 at the Satellite.
||| Also: After the jump, check out the video for “Vintage Hearts”:
Oh yeah, I’m thinking that photo might have been influenced a little by this. Pete Murphy of Bauhaus and his cheekbones.
Keith, it certainly is reminiscent of the Maxell – Peter Murphy adverts.
I dig this tune… I would really like to hear the production go a bit further than the preset synth sound and a hard kick so this would get a strong following in a club, etc. It is a great tune… it can go further.
I am often hired to do this and this is a actually a song that is fantastic!
I listened to this record and was in heaven, it’s exactly how I like my music and production, textured well written songs and a tip of the hat to Shoegaze bands that I love.
This band is going to be huge and I’m buying tickets to see them play this month with Har Mar Superstar and Blake Miller of Moving Units. I hear the live show for MTM is going to be just as epic as his record, can’t wait!