Mirel Wagner

Pretty sharp, acoustic Mazzy Star even more spooked out.

lovely. oddly enough I just saw this on King Midas Sound's blog too. I would never have guessed her background: http://www.friendlyfirerecordings.com/Bands/MirelWagner/mirelwagner.html

Album just keeps getting better.

genuine shivers up my spine

oh shit this is fantastic

i love this

filing alongside phaedra - similarly precise, spellbinding folk. d/lding album

I know, right?

Totally get the Phaedra comparison, much more of an obvious Leonard Cohen influence though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhRDFX1aGdc

^ here's some Phaedra btw for those who don't know her

(not her best songs unfortunately, but there isn't a lot out there on youtube)

lovely

these two phaedra songs are pretty amazing imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97H8deZMWhk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkcMGxEXju4

I would never have guessed her background

Hah, me neither! I remember seeing a video of her and thinking she's some upcoming British musician or something. Then later on I heard an interview, and was totally surprised to hear her speak the same Finnish dialect as myself.

playing the lexington tonight btw

really???? i have plans already :(((((

also playing this:

http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/others2012/shhh/

And this:

Feb 2 Green Note Cafe London, UNITED KINGDOM - 19:00

i think people that <3 nick cave will <3 this

Glad this is resonating with some other people like it did me. :D

It's got 60's vibe as thick as custard, don't think I've enjoyed anything quite that retro for a while.

Several songs on the album just feel like they've been around in some form since time began and she snagged them and put a name on them. To her credit, that is. The way they unfold is exactly the way they should, if that makes sense.

this album is so incredible - so still, and her lyrics are really evocative

agreed, so good, i still put this on all the time. love it so much i did a time-stretched version of "No Death" going into the original at the beginning of this mix: https://soundcloud.com/chantssound/no-death-in-winter-mix

also i hear there will be a new album! if the s/t record was all she ever recorded it would sort of make sense, but i'm excited for more.

new record produced with sasu ripatti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9cmrU7xH5M

omg luomo and mirel wagner together!!!!

this is gorgeous

I love this!

The new album came out Friday, any thoughts? I think it's cool, but I was perhaps expecting her to expand her sound a bit more? Even though it was produced by Vladislav Delay, it sounds pretty much the same as the first one... Maybe the melodies are a bit more complex, and the sound a bit more "wet", but basic formula is pretty much the same. Don't get me wrong, I still like Wagner's songs and her voice and her guitar playing, but I hope she won't remain a one-trick pony forever, can't imagine building a satisfying long-term career on these blocks alone.

i haven't heard the new one yet. her sound is so minimal and perfect to start with that there's nothing to pare down, you can only add to it, and it's hard to imagine adding much without diluting what makes her so striking. it's a tough spot artistically, sure, but i'm happy to get more of the same as long as the songs are good.

even small changes could be huge in her musical world and it sounds like that's what she's doing, looking forward to checking it out.

man i was really not sure about the new record when i started listening, seemed too dry and bright. the first LP sounds like it was recorded pretty lo-fi but it also feels huge and intimate at the same time.

it turns out the first 3-4 tracks are my least favorite though, "In My Father's House" is stunning and it doesn't stop from there. "Dreamt of a Wave" is even better.

even hearing her strum with a pick and sing melodies that move around feels like a big shift, although there are some late album cuts (like "What Love Looks Like") that could fit on the first record, hushed finger-picking and one-note melodies.

I guess the sameyness to the first album could be because this is her first non-Finnish release, so it's essentially her debut for a larger audience? But if her third albums is gonna sound the same too, I'm probably not gonna bother to buy it, two is enough IMO.

i'm not sure what you expect her to do? i'm not particularly interested in hearing a full band MW record.

This album is actually extremely well produced, for something so minimal you can really tell that the maximum amount of attention has been paid to every single sound and how they fit together, even when it's just a cello or an accordion there, or just individual notes on a guitar, the whole thing sounds gorgeous, like it's happening right next to your ear.

i absolutely love it on a couple of listens

The songs are better than the last album as well. I liked that one in the abstract but never really listened to it but this one has been on repeat this week.

this is creepy as fuck on headphones in the dark. i don't think she's repeating herself at all, she's refining her bare-bones aesthetic

agreed, i've had this on repeat (sometimes alternating with Twigs). still don't like the first two tracks much.

after a couple of weeks of near-obsession with this i finally played her debut b2b with it, and it really stood out how much better this is - the songwriting, mood, close-miced creepiness all so much more refined and deliberate

she's pretty incredible live. not the slightest possibility of on-stage banter obvs. hopefully she'll be more talkative when i interview her today

"taller than tall trees" is a monumental song imo

Ask her what she thinks of Jussi Halla-aho, that should get a reaction...

oof just googled him. topical in the uk. is he one of those who makes explicitly racist comments or one of those who cloaks his bigotry? how much does he make it about immigration vs race? (yeah, even though we know people who say it's about the former really do mean the latter...)

and is he a Big Thing in finnish politics right now?

Usually he tries to cloak his racism into saying he's just anti-immigration (or "critical of immigration", which seems to be the wordplay Finnish right-wingers prefer), but sometimes it still shines through, he's been sentenced for propagating hate speech in his blog. He's not the leader of the Finnish populist party, but he's been the most prominent anti-immigration/racist politician of recent years, the actual leader of his party focuses more on other conservative issues, such as opposing EU. So yeah, I'd say he's been a Big Thing in Finland in that he's managed to elevate racist discourse from something that's mostly done by marginal groups onto the level of national politics. He was elected to the EU parliament in the recent Euro elections though, which means his influence on local politics should diminish.

Whoa, I was reading here Wikipedia entry, I had no idea "When The Cellar Children..." actually made it to the top of the Finnish album chart when it came out in August! That probably speaks more of the state of record sales in here (foreign pop/rock rarely makes it to the top of the album charts anymore, so odder stuff like Finnish Memphis-style rap can actually rise to the top 10 on relatively small sales) than of her local popularity.

Great interview, lex! http://www.wonderingsound.com/feature/mirel-wagner-when-the-cellar-children-see-the-light-of-day-sub-pop-interview/

I'd just like to say I'm very into this photo of Mirel Wagner and I hope it means she's gearing up to release a new one soon.

https://i.imgur.com/3eJyjEG.jpg

I hope there's a third album someday.

Any recommendations for other dark, soft, minimal singer/songwriter stuff?

Was expecting a Transylvanian Saxon man based on the name, heh.

I'd never heard of her but these descriptions sound intriguing. I'm assuming her debut is the best place to start?

I'd say so, it's very special. I listen to the second album more these days, it really grew on me...it puts her voice & guitar in slightly sharper relief, but doesn't ruin the spell, just adds some subtle twists in the sound & songwriting. Also every song on 'When the Cellar...' is very distinct & memorable for me.

Thanks – added it to my list.

Slightly disappointed that revive wasn’t for some new material. Agreed that third album is long overdue. Kelsey Lu is in a similar space, especially her first EP which is starker and less poppy than her album ‘Blood’.