Single Review: Magnetism

Now, I must confess to being as much a fan of short song as I am of long ones and given how much I listen to Napalm Death that is probably a good thing. But all short songs I know tend to fall into one of two camps, in that they are either complete in their own right (and are generally brutal), or are introductory tasters for a longer piece of music and I cannot help but feel that what we have here is the latter and my only complaint is that it stops after 90 seconds and I feel somewhat bereft. The first time I played it I had not realised how long it was and stared at my phone wondering what had happened. I then decided the download must have been corrupt somehow so went off to Soundcloud where I confirmed yes, this was only 90 seconds long.

I can only hope Michael is planning to release an album, or at least an EP, in the near future as this entrée is simply wonderful. A guitar instrumental, it starts gently enough, and then we have layers of electric guitars building the sound before it is allowed to fade and a picked 12-string acoustic comes in to complete the song, but then it is over! There is a depth and precision within this which totally captures the listener, but the spell is broken and it is over way too soon. This is a solid composition which is beautiful and leaves the listener wanting more, much more, and I sincerely hope that is rectified soon.

Ed’s Note: Magnetism will feature on Michael Signal’s upcoming 2022 instrumental guitar album.