Recommended music: 'Golden Tongue' EP by Magana

 

This haunting 4-track EP was released towards the end of last year on the reliably independent Audio Antihero label. It's the debut release from Jeni Magana, currently based in Brooklyn as a musician and photographer, and over the space of four songs it slowly pulls you in and absorbs you.

My favourite track here is probably 'Inches Apart', a sparse track which is mostly  just guitar and vocal and which really gives her voice the space to captivate you.

This is a really promising debut, one that leaves you disappointed with its brevity as much as satisfied with its charm. Lyrically it's intriguing - this line from 'The World Doesn't Know' is one of my favourites: "Every cell in your body belongs to the thought in my brain" - while musically it hints at the sort of depth of career that St. Vincent or PJ Harvey have carved out.

I'm hoping we'll get to here more from Magana in 2017 but in the meantime you should really give this debut a listen.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-20 Days: Vince Staples

Vince Staples debut album 'Summertime '06' got somewhat lost last year in the general swell of mass appreciation for 'To Pimp A Butterfly'. While it doesn't consistently hit the heights of Kendrick's masterpiece it wasn't without merit, and a slot on the West Holts stage late on Friday afternoon should go a long way to raising his profile in the UK.



Hailing from Long Beach, California, his early friendship with Odd Future helped to propel him into the limelight, something that his current tour with A$AP Rocky is only adding to.

 

While he might not grab such a large audience as Run The Jewels did in a similar slot last year he'll still be worth seeingon the brilliantly eclectic West Holts lineup.

Track of the Day: 'Where I'm From' by A La Sole feat. Domo Genesis

A new track from the Pro Era stable, this is the perfect mix of West and East coast. Let's hope A La Sole's album 'Elixir' drop sooner rather than later. And then maybe the time is right for a full-on Odd Future / Pro Era hook-up - imagine what a tour that would be...

Recommended music: 'Escape From Evil' by Lower Dens

The third album from Lower Dens sees them make a shift from the krautrock of the seventies to the bouncy electro-pop of the eighties, all glistening guitars and shimmering synths (the only thing that would make it more 80s would be if you stuffed it full of saxophone solos, but maybe that's a step too far...). Over the top comes Jana Hunter's voice, strong and clear, like Chrissie Hynde crossed with Lana del Rey. It's the sound of her breaking out as a frontwoman, embracing the limelight and saying "this is me and my band, don't hide me on a dark stage any more, light me with a glitterball". Speaking as someone who's seen Lower Dens play live a lot, often on a dark stage, this is a welcome development - although at times I miss the motorik drumbeat (there's just a hint of it in 'Company'), it's nice to hear some sunshine in their sound. 'Electric Current' is not dissimilar to something the Eurythmics might put out, while 'To Die In L.A.' has an air of Robert Plant's 'Johnny and Mary' about it.

At times the records sounds like it's auditioning to be an alternative soundtrack for the movie 'Drive', or even Brett Easton Ellis's book 'The Rules of Attraction', while at others it's just revelling in the in bright sunlight. There's an undoubted slice of Californian cocktail hours in this record (despite the band's Baltimore homeland), and its tales of love and loss seem well suited to the musical atmosphere it generates. I must admit that it's taken me a few listens to get below the surface sheen and start to love this record, but it's definitely worth the effort.

Video of the Day: 'To Die In L.A.' by Lower Dens

Equal parts glamorous and seedy, this colour-saturated new video from Lower Dens heralds their new album 'Escape From Evil', as well as a new look for main woman Jana Hunter. Featuring the improbably named actress/model/singer Actually Huizenga, and the impossibly handsome Danny Ata (pretending to be Marc Jacobs), it's some kind of morality tale (I think) on the vacuousness of Hollywood. Oh, and there's some dead deer in it too for reasons which don't become apparent. Weird.



The new album is out on March 30th.

Track of the Day: 'Onward' by Daedelus

So apparently the new records from Daedelus will be a concept album inspired by the Crimean War (the old war that is, not the new one that's erupted since he made the record). If it's difficult to imagine what that might sound like then it's even harder after listening to 'Onward', which is one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of music I've heard for ages. I'm wondering whether the album itself will be similar to Apparat's 'Krieg und Frieden' soundtrack for War and Peace, as that's the sort of vibe I'm getting from this. The album's out on September 29th on the ever excellent Brainfeeder label.

Recommended music: 'Golden Skies' by Mono/Poly

The début album  from Mono/Poly on Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder label is a cosmic whirl of tinkered with and twinkling electronics, beats and ambience, which combine to create a pyschic soundscape where nothing is quite what it seems. Less jazzy that FlyLo's output, and less funky than Thundercat's (whose 'Heartbreaks + Setbacks was made with Mono/Poly) this is a trippier, more mellow flow of mostly instrumental music. In place it's not a million miles away from stuff like The Orb, while other parts are more like film soundtracks, and although there are a few dance beats in there for good measure this is more of a record to throw on and drift away to rather than to hit the floor to.

In places you could accuse it of being a bit to vague and unfocused but that's also part of its charm - Charles Dickerson (the rather sober-sounding guy behind Mono/Poly) is not afraind to try a load of things at once, knowing that most of them will work out.

Track of the Day: 'La La La' by Unloved

Any new project that has the backing of David Holmes is guaranteed to be worth a listen. Despite having a pretty awful and unrepresentative name, this track proves to be a beguiling mix of Twin Peaks-esque soundtrack, ethereal 60s French chanteuse and slightly chilling Scandinavian noir-thriller vibes. Perfect for your chilled-out Sunday, it sounds like the album will definitely be one to check out when it arrives. Listen & download the track below.