Pretext
I first discovered JW Francis after he released his previous album Sunshine. A perfectly named album; the vibes left me feeling very fun & wobbly as I was going on a sonic-adventure inspired by his 123 day hike on the Apliaccian Trial; An Iconic hiking route that spans the USA’s Appalachian Mountains from the states of Georgia all the way up into Maine.
During that initial discovery I had followed JW on instagram and was growing far into the lore of this curly haired Oaklahomaian. So much to discover! One thing that caught my eye was his transatlantic connections to France; and how that was an integral part of his youth. As well as how much he likes to travel around. One day I’ll see him in New York and the next he’s in Los Angeles walking the loop and then the next hes in Wisconsin alongside the Mississippi River! He really lives the life of a wayfarer and is an avid lover of nature..
What I gathered from Sunshine was that it was very ‘this is my mind in this present moment’. As a listener it felt like we were joining JW along for the ride of his transient outdoorsy lifestyle. Almost as if we were there hiking & camping the Appalachian Trail alongside him.
There was this immediacy to a lot of the album. So with Magic River, I was curious what he was going to say next and if he would take a reformed approach to his “conceptual-travel album methodology”. (What a big sentence!)
Ok so lets get to it!
The Journey Begins: Setting the Scene
For this review of JW Francis’s Album Magic River – I felt that I had to make an experience out of it. After all, the album is inspired by his journey Canoeing (and also eventually Kayaking!) the Mississippi River. (A journey that started July 1 2024 and ended August 30 2025!) So I, the writer, thought to myself “I need to get the hell out of this house and taste nature (literally!)
On my way home from Dublin City the night before, I had noticed the lovely daisies that took over my neighbours front yard. There were so many pretty looking daisies I thought – lets go make some booze with Wildflowers! And thus, an idea had been born.
So I started off my journey outside my house in the Small town on Balbriggan; and pressed play on track 1… Let me tell you: picking daisies to a song titled “I Guess I Really Needed You” felt quite fitting at the time:
Track 1: “I Guess I Really Needed You”
“I guess I really needed you” starts with lofi vocals and acoustic guitar very upfront and personal, until the drums kick in and this wobbly tremolo guitar. We have the pedal steel on the right of the mix and everything feels very full. There’s a great sense of ebb and flow -where the pauses are just as important as the substance. For as complex as this arrangement is, it feels intentional that the vocals are kept simple, adding to how personal it feels. When the guitar hits around 2:50 I am encapsulated in complete bliss. JW and his contact mic sonic-blanket… he knit this audio quilt and this is the very first square! He gets very forward and vulnerable with lines that really tell the heart’s work: “I guess I wanted more from you… But how long would you let me in… I guess I’m all alone now. I guess I really mucked things up.” It sounds like a very reflective song – I imagine JW had so many things to think about while on the Mississippi River. Nature and its reflections are like a mirror.
Back to reality, I was picking all these pretty daisies – small – but filling up a ziplock bag that was slowly getting heavier. I took a picture of the flowers to ID and foud that they were Bellis Perennis – or – the common daisy.
Flower Profile: Common Daisy (Bellis perennis)
- The Flavor Profile: Slightly bitter, peppery, and earthy.
Filling the Bag
As I continued to pick the flowers, I listened into the song Radio Tower:
Track 2: “Radio Tower”
“Radio tower” is a tune that I’m well familiar with! This tune is a bop – very hoppy and gives me a ray of sunlight vibe. There’s this piano keeping the rhythm during the chorus that really feeds my buzz! I love knowing how experimental he is with his choice of sounds. There’s a more complexity involved with the planning here than I felt with Sunshine. I really like the “doo” section -there’s something very interesting going on with the harmony alongside the instrumental.
“Its a memory, like a flower…”
So I continued my journey picking flowers in my little Irish town. The next botanical I decided on was the common dandelion! Dandelion wine is a common herbal wine. I find it so funny how some plants that we call “weeds” are actually very undervalued and misunderstood in some contexts. There is this missed beauty I experienced filling this plastic bag with so many dandelions.
Track 3: “Jefferey”
“Jefferey” really brings me back to Mac Demarco’s Rock n Roll Night Club, I love the funkiness in JW’s voice – almost as funky as his hair! I really enjoy the 70s sounding arpeggios that twinkle as the song progresses and the percussion adds a lot to the ambience. Lyrically, I love the connections of naming a willow tree as a relative of a NY willow tree. Line about him not having a home really strikes a chord – being a drifter is not easy. But he talks about how the river only goes one way so you have to cherish the moment: “There’s no reversing the river, you gotta look at it gently.”
I was so happy that my flower bag had started growing. These small flowers were starting to add up! My goal was to fill the bag by the end of the album!
Track 4: “Watery Road”
“Watery Road” – I love the harmonicas on this track and these acoustic guitars have been mixed flawlessly. There’s this bounce that really gets me going. The instrumental is beautiful, though I wouldn’t have minded more background harmonies or ad-libs. I don’t know if I’m correct, but I feel like I hear finger snaps! It’s really cool because I haven’t heard someone snap in a song like this.
Flower Profile: Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)
- The Flavor Profile: Rich, buttery, bittersweet, and reminiscent of a herbal liqueur like Chartreuse or citrus zest.
Pivoting the Plan
But oh my is it a lot of work to try to fill an entire bag. So when I heard “maybe I don’t want to be here” from the song “Stars (Reflect A Secret Sky)” I couldnt help but chuckle because I knew how much work was ahead! I had to figure out a new plan… or maybe a new flower! Mwahaha
Flower Profile: Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
- The Flavor Profile: Pungent, deeply herbaceous, and heavily floral with a strong, resinous greenery vibe.
Track 5: “Stars (Reflect A Secret Sky)”
“Stars”- I really enjoyed this vibe midway through the album. It’s very beachy and acts as a nice tender opposite to the complexity of “Watery Road.” Kinda reminds me a bit of King Gizzard’s Paper Mache Dream Balloon era! It feels like a song about connection as much as it is about reflection: “I’m here for you.” I think it’s about the uncertainty that comes with drifting from place to place and the relationships that it might strain. There’s this longing to eventually find a home – a search for a feeling of feeling “in tune” to get to that place where you can grow.
Track 6: “Magic River”
“Magic River” – I really enjoy the country western dialogue in the beginning, it reminds me of my youth and feels like I was at a baseball game. For some reason, this kinda reminds me of Bradford Cox (Deerhunter) with the vocal inflection and lyricism. I love the smooth baritone voice JW provides here alongside a steady acoustic guitar gallop and smooth harmonica. He really mixed country western and his indie folky rock – he’s leaning more into a country rock type. When I think about his journey along the Mississippi, I could see this rambling on. Hearing him say “It’s my life,” it’s like he brought Nashville to Los Angeles. I feel like I’m in the 1850s with spurs and a six-shooter.
OK! Back to flower-picking!! So we had 3 types of flowers in this bag and it was filling up but I wanted to add another. I came across this beautiful 5 petal purple flower. I took a picture with my phone and figured it was a Black Berry Blossom
Flower Profile: Blackberry Blossom (Rubus fruticosus)
- The Flavor Profile: Delicately sweet, lightly fruity, with a subtle woody undertone.
- Notes: wild bramble flowers carry a lot of wild yeast on their petals
Into the Kitchen: The Brew
So with a bag full of flowers I dedicated to walk how and start brewing my drink. And how I decided to this was start with a tea of sorts! I froze the flowers (and any unexpecting bugs!) and then poured some boiling water over them and left them for 10 Minutes.
While I was making the tea I was getting acquainted with “Boom Boom” and “ I Was A Mountain”
Track 7: “Boom Boom”
“Boom boom” stuck out quite a lot from the rest. It’s a very live band acoustic feel, but a bit more alternative indie with moments of rhythmic pulses or the “booms.” It’s a very relaxing song that feels like we’re just experiencing the journey. For me, the second half of the song really reminds me why I love JW Francis, really getting into those wobbly tones.
Track 8: “I Was a Mountain”
“I was a mountain” is very Grateful Dead sounding to me, reminding me of “Friend of the Devil” at some points. It feels like we are exploring a coast in the sunshine atop some rolling hills. I really enjoy the vocal harmonies and the pedal steel through this record – I can recall him being super excited about those via IG too. Overall, the track is very chill and smooth-flowing with no sections that take the apex too high, but rather a journey song.
The Final Step
So now we are at the final step! I had my wildflower tea ready so now I just needed my other ingredients. For that I used Cider Yeast, Sugar, and Apple Juice to create a Wildflower Cyser – a very well-known drink among home-brewers; but my first attempt! So I put it all into a carboy put the ingredients in and shaked it! While listening to the last two songs on the album.
Track 9: “Bye Bye”
“Bye bye” – I really love the guitar melody that intros the song. I really enjoy that weird acoustic guitar tone; it’s so wobbly and it jingles just the way I like it. There’s something that feels very experimental yet together about this song. I haven’t heard too much like it, especially these plucks from various instruments that give us a more easygoing feel. I really enjoy the guitar solo written here and the transition to the more sparse verse. There has to be so so so so so so many contact mics on this song!? Everything sounds so unique tonally. Right!? JW help me!!
Track 10: “Golden Always”
“Golden always” is the album’s ‘last song lullaby.’ Something that has to be said about this is the beauty of the strings and what I believe is a Mellotron’s flutes, alongside the lofi bells. The beauty of this song is in its arrangement – it being so full yet not too over the edge. It’s very powerful in the way that JW composes himself: calm, relaxed, and powerful.
The Ultimate Update
So that was the whole experience. Going outside, becoming one with nature, taking nature, and making booze from it for more magical experiences! Its really funny writing this because it is similar to how JW revisited the Mississippi river for that portion from St.Cloud, Minnesota to La Crosse, Wisconsin. This article will be revisited when I taste this wildflower Cyser!
At the time of writing this its been fermenting for about 5 days! I will let it brew for at least a week or two more!
Thanks for reading this article, please check out JW Francis’ new album Magic River. And be sure to check back on this article for an update on my booze.
Written by John Drifter (drifting.) (IG: @drifting.musically)
