Interview: Javier Romero
Talking About The New Strange Magic 'Best Of...' Collection
Never doubt the power “Best of…” collections hold.
Try as I might to keep up with all of the great guitar pop being released these days, it’s impossible. So it was a surprise to hear about the new cassette/digital collection Slightest of Hands (Mama Mañana, May 5) by Strange Magic, the solo project of prolific New Mexico-based musician Javier Romero.
These 22 songs were culled from the four Strange Magic albums released in 2023 (you read that right), the result of Romero’s lofty goal to produce a song a week the previous year. The sheer volume of material piqued my interest, but the consistent lo-fi pop genius on display throughout this collection instantly turned me into a fan.
“Big If True” is the track that really got me hooked, a near-perfect encapsulation of power pop’s roots and current evolution—from The Beatles and Big Star to Teenage Fanclub, Guided by Voices, Tony Molina, Mo Troper, Hurry and 2nd Grade.
Beyond that, the first four songs on Slightest of Hands—"A Walking Talking Coke Commercial," "Hold On To The Dream, Dreamer," "Blood Mad Summer Ache" and "Star Power"—is an incredible run of modern guitar pop.
“I’m a big fan of early 90’s classic album sequencing and really trying to hook people as quickly as possible. I love albums like Superdrag’s Regretfully Yours or Supergrass’ I Should Coco, where each song builds on the last and never lets up. It’s like the inverse of the stages of grief. You get ‘Surprise',’ ‘Pleasure,’ ‘Bewilderment,’ and ‘Glee,’” Romero told me for the interview below.
“People seem to have even shorter attention spans these days and this might be the only chance I get to introduce myself to folks. I want to make the best impression possible.”
Consider me very impressed.
Don’t worry if you’re a little late to Strange Magic because this collection is a perfect introduction. And the great news is that there’s even more amazing music to discover beyond it (like a 2018 album of Buddy Holly songs done in the style of early Weezer).
I caught up with Romero by email as he prepares for Slightest of Hand’s release.
Javier Romero Interview
I'm loving Slightest of Hands. How did this compilation come together?
Javier Romero: In late 2021, I had the bonkers idea to write and record a new song each week for the year of 2022. 52 songs in total. I’d recently read Jeff Tweedy’s book How To Write One Song and I took a lot of encouragement and inspiration from it. My main takeaway was that anything could be a song. That idea really helped to give myself permission to try things and not be too precious about output.
I have a huge backlog of musical sketches or “mumble jams” on my phone’s voice recorder. Sometimes I’d choose from that pool, but more often than not, I was surprised to take quick inspiration from things I’d heard or read in the moment. For instance, Peter Gill from 2nd Grade tweeted something along the lines of, “There’s nothing more satisfying than a song that has a I-IV-V chord progression and ‘I Want You’ as a chorus,” so I quickly wrote a song following those parameters!
Things sorta organically happened for the most part, but there were a few times where I was more deliberate. In October, I decided that the theme would be “Rocktober,” so I had fun dabbling in some heaviness. Of course, in December I tried my hand at a Christmas song, but true to form, the song is “I Don’t Want Anything Fir Christmas.”
Generally, I’m not a very consistent person, but I am stubborn, and I really made it a point to complete what I’d set out to do, even if it meant frantically making 3 songs happen on New Years Eve!
You had a ton of songs to choose from off of your four 2023 albums. What was the song selection process like for Slightest of Hands?
Javier Romero: After the year of 52 songs, I thought my batting average was pretty decent in terms of quality. As I listened through the whole thing (which I called Quantity Inn), I noticed certain similarities in feel between songs. I started categorizing and making playlists and eventually whittled things to the 4 albums:
Toro At The Gong Show is bite-sized blast of ‘90s-tinged fun.
AM/FM/AC and Heat has a classic rock feel.
Zugzwang Alakazam is more eclectic and modern.
Mirrors & Smoke is subdued and introspective.
Kiley from Mama Mañana approached me earlier this year about doing a tape release, and we thought a truck-stop type compilation would be a fun format. We separately chose our favorites from the four albums and settled on the playlist in short order. I’d added “Star Power” as a bonus because people kept singing it back to me after shows.
"Star Power" is a real stand out track. I love how that song is driven by the bass line. Was that always what you had in mind for this song?
Javier Romero: Thanks! It’s a really fun song! In terms of the bass line, I think that was a last-minute addition. I don’t typically think in terms of bass when writing, but once I’m recording it’s my favorite thing to do. I love finding the middle ground between the other instruments and vocals. It’s a great puzzle to solve. This one has a very fun walking bass line, which I think is pretty unusual for me sensibility wise.
"The Incredible Wanderlust" really has an early Weezer vibe. Are they an influence? If so, are you more of a Blue Album or Pinkerton fan?
Javier Romero: Definitely! I don’t think it can be helped if you’re doing a kind of guitar rock. I’m a Blue Album guy. I revisit it more often and I have a lot of great memories driving around with friends and just blasting that album from start to finish! To me that album—plus “Suzanne” and “Jamie”—are a kind of pinnacle for Weezer as a band.
In a way, I think it’s unfair because they’ve never quite been allowed to grow and escape that unprecedented success. I suppose they’re doing just fine in spite of that. ;)
Elsewhere, I hear some Jeff Tweedy/Wilco influence on tracks like "Irish Goodbye In Reverse" and "Fathoms We Find." Who are among your major inspirations?
Javier Romero: I love Tweedy and Wilco as well. They are the band I’ve seen the most live. I think bands like Wilco and My Morning Jacket are ideals as far as how to conduct a creative musical career. I’m attracted to artists who are stylistically varied but are also able to retain something of their essence. I guess that might come from my love of The Beatles.
Back during COVID times, I’d stumbled upon 2nd Grade’s album Hit To Hit and immediately loved what they were doing. I think of anyone in the past 5 years, they’ve been the biggest influence as far as effortless-sounding but incredible songwriting. Lately, I’ve been into Steve Lacy, Kacey Musgraves, and lots of old R&B and funk.
"Big If True" is pure power pop to my ears. Do you consider yourself a power pop artist?
Javier Romero: I think songs that could be considered power pop come most easily to me. The core elements, tunefulness, a bit of oomph, a dash of pining, will always be things I’m most attracted to musically. Power pop is interesting because it’s an insular genre that has key touchstones and signifiers that most PP fans can agree on, but the public at large seem largely unaware of.
I’m not very interested in consciously staying within any particular lane or genre. Ultimately, I am only interested in writing good, catchy songs and not trying too hard to shoehorn them into particular forms. If it comes out the other end as “power pop” that’s fine with me.
Stylistically, I could hear your music on a playlist alongside other modern favorites like Tony Molina and Liquid Mike. You already mentioned 2nd Grade, but who else do you consider among your musical peers?
Javier Romero: I would love to one day be mentioned in the same breath as any of those artists and bands. In that same regard people like Hurry, Jimmy Montague, Dim Wizard, Wish Kit, Why Dogs Why, Virginity, Camp Trash, Gnawing, Late Bloomer, PONY, The Tisburys, Telethon, and Jobber come to mind as peers.
I don't know a lot about the Albuquerque music scene. Who are a few artists/bands I should check out?
Javier Romero: Currently Albuquerque/Santa Fe are blossoming scenes. The crowds are growing and the bands are getting really, really good! I’m excited to see how things develop, and hope we can keep the momentum going and form a good regional identity. For context, I think it’s helpful to remember that bands like The Shins, Scared of Chaka, and The Rondells came from here.
Also, Buddy Holly recorded most of his material just a few hours south in sleepy Clovis, New Mexico. The drummer for Built To Spill lives in Albuquerque and has her own fabulous band, Prism Bitch. The most popular band right now are Red Light Cameras. My personal favorites lately are Crime Lab, Margle, and Gold Tides.
What's next for you?
Javier Romero: Strange Magic has largely been a personal writing/recording project, so in the past year I’ve put together a stellar live band with local ringers. I’ve been writing and recording at a more measured clip and I think I’m on track to have another full length release by the end of the year.
What’s crazy is that I was just listening to an artist who goes by Strange Majik this week who also has a new album in 2024, called NYC Animal. Not really power-pop, but also not not power-poppish too. both of them have lovely mustaches as well.