It is with tremendous sadness that I say goodbye to Malachi McGee, the fellow behind Colloquial Mage. The beloved family member and forum celebrity is leaving on January the 9th for Taiwan, a journey that will last two long years!

The good sir Mage, it seems, is not just a mage but a missionary as well! He shall be spending his time in the foreign lands studying the elusive Towel Elephants, a mammoth species of elephant long thought lost to time but recently rediscovered. He is a brave soul, as he will be completely alone in a strange country, unable to even speak the native tongue.

I will mourn the loss of my friend, but fear not! He shall indeed return, and mightier than ever! And, lo and behold, the family will be waiting for him; where was once a proud hut shall stand a towering temple! And he will find himself always welcome in the abode, ’cause it’s his abode too.

Wilonia Swallowtail
His farewell album is, in my opinion, his best work yet and one of the best releases the collective has to offer. His songs are bouncy and they make me smile, yet they’re quite melancholy as well (it confuses the hell out of me, but why must we understand everything?). It echoes the situation perfectly: he’s leaving everything he’s ever known behind, but the future is exciting. Adventure and a new life are looming ahead. He doesn’t know what to feel, so he feels everything.

And it shows. The songs make your heart beat just a little more quickly and your eyes close just a little, just enough to make you pause and listen. Then they make your lips twitch upwards and your fingers snap uncontrollably. Whatever you say about this album, nobody can deny that it’s catchy.

Colloquial Mage - Feel Like Squid

Download Wilonia Swallowtail here, only at CLLCT!

Goodbye, Malachi! Take care of yourself, you hear?

We’ll be waiting for you right here.