maria minerva - c or d?

with four significant releases (albums or eps) in the calendar year, and existing at a unique intersection of genres, she deserves her own thread.

is she an engaging enough vocalist to transcend nite jewel levels of relative anonymity? is the production too much of a hurdle for pop connoisseurs? what could/should she refine?

been listening to new ep 'sacred & profane love' all night and its the most impressive and accomplished thing ive heard certainly from her and very nearly anyone this year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFzsvC89POk

artful flat-singing, idk, i love it

I liked a lot about what I heard by her, but I can't get past the vocals.

Will be surprised if she ever makes a track I like more than this one, but I'd be glad to see her try:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c-cxOQ13m8

that video [for a classic revisionist-enya tune] is unacceptable & dampens my enthusiasm, but I think the newer stuff is more perverse & beguiling

nina power article in this month's wire is a good read, she comes off really well

Liking her new track, 'The Sound'. It's cool she's willing to explore different genre tropes.

She's finally doing some US dates. Gonna go see her here in Atlanta in a couple months.

My fave MM

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

No Boston on her US tour. Drat.

This photo is just...wow

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/424720_410515325674740_792581856_n.jpg

http://stereogum.com/1141192/stream-maria-minerva-will-happiness-find-me-stereogum-premiere/album-stream/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+stereogum%2FcBYa+%28stereogum%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

^new album streaming

this is brilliant imo

On first listen this is mostly more diffuse than I was hoping for, but "Sweet Synergy" is everything I want from a Maria Minerva track.

i am really enjoying it... especially the feeling that she's got a bit more of a swagger in terms of lyrics and persona. also the alt-madonna vibe.

I definitely enjoy that side of it, and think you're right - it's the grooves that are more diffuse than on the EPs (and if not her previous albums).

i love the track that ends with the shout out about deep house and stuff, really cool.

contrary to yourself tho i'm finding it (after second listen) more of a complete work than the other ones, which i love but more in a cherry-picking way.

also the tune with the rap in it really works for me

The EPs are my favourite to date. Need to listen to this more than once though!

Which are the EPs actually, I think I've just heard the two full-lengths that are on Spotify.

Oh man Ronan, you gotta hear Noble Savage and Sacred and Profane Love.

Esp. "Noble Savage" and "Gloria".

I like the vocals on this first track more than any of her vocals elsewhere (that I can remember). It's been a while since I've listened to anything by her, so I don't know if it's really different or I'm responding differently. Liking "I Don't Want to be Discovered" too.

i must look on youtube or something.

the version of the new record on spotify actually has 11 tracks too, btw.

xpost

Is the ending of "I Don't Want to be Discovered" Mina Minerva doing Kate Bush?

I thought it was funny, in a good way, to be clear.

Now that I've listened to the whole thing, "The Sound" still stands out as my favorite (and definitely because of what she does with the vocals on it). Is she doing some kind of faux-Indian thing on that? How is it possible that I am one of only a handful of people to have posted to this thread? This thread has a weird demographic profile.

I find it weird that nobody is talking about this, it seems a v ILM album.

*observes patiently from afar, not holding breath*

I couldn't get into it on my first couple of listens, will try again given the universal love here.

I haven't liked anything as much as I liked Tallinn at Dawn and the Noble Savage ep. The more she "grows" as an artist, the less immediate it feels.

Must listen to this.

i'm halfway through the first track and i feel a bit ill, why have i allowed ilm to recommend me music

a split-second of weakness in which you stopped thinking your tiny snowglobe was the centre of the universe?

JF otm, really dug tallinn but everything else has been diminishing returns

it's as laughably bad as the laurel halo album

Prefer the Laurel Halo but the vibe is certainly similar, druggy NNF stylings but in a very down/disorienting way. It's hard to love them.

Had nearly burnt out on her, but... diggin this one. Def my fave thus far.

never heard laurel halo or not really sure who she is.

really enjoying this though, i think prob the best songs on previous lps top anything on this but i like this as a coherent listen quite a bit more. it's fairly detached but that's something i generally like.

So Maria Minerva is doing a thing with LA Vampires coming out at the end of the month already. I haven't really listened to LA Vamps but I love everything mm has done so far so I'm pretty excited. It took me a bit to get into the new album but I think it's my favorite now.

I was hoping for some more expansive 4x4 biz mb like the ajukaja 10" but she has a really good ~presence~ on this that necessarily blows the album apart somewhat. she works her own awkwardness p well live too

LA Vampires collab feels a lot more straightahead and unsurprising in a world of hipster house, but I like it. This tune is pretty cool imo:

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

Oh my goddd I love this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggWi1Vjm91Y

This track with Pharaohs is badass:

http://soundcloud.com/100percentsilk/pharaohs-miraculous-feet

I really enjoy her Tumblr updates.

really digging the bless ep. fun stuff.

New album due in April, here's a track from it.

https://soundcloud.com/not-not-fun-1/maria-minerva-the-beginning

I love her.

dope

New album feels like a refinement of her work so far: not a bid for crossover appeal but a sharpening of focus - there's still lots of blurriness and wooziness to her production textures and singing, but the songcraft itself is sharper and the ideas are stronger and deliberate. There's still a sense of diffuseness stylistically but there's no longer the sense of noodling meander that let the last album tail off towards the end, and she's got such a strong identity in her sound that it holds together. I've always been surprised that she doesn't have a bigger following on ILX but I imagine this album might change that - I hate to compare female singers against each other but this feels like her Visions, in that it is a turning point in a career arc, still obviously by the same artist but a leap forward in terms of capability.

this is my favourite thing she's released, there are some great hooks (though it's much less straightforwardly catchy than visions & it's less of a departure from her previous records) some great mid-90s techno basslines. ivory tower & runaway standing out atm

Need to hear this one.

you really should

I dug Happiness? a lot; will be listening to this...

Wau @ the "What Have I Done To Deserve This?"-quoting on "Endgame", and the airhorns (& Yarbrough & Peoples?) on "Spirit of the Underground".

i will give this a closer listen, though woof @ that album cover. kind of stopped listening to this sort of thing, idk. *not motivated*

Will be surprised if she ever makes a track I like more than [California Scheming], but I'd be glad to see her try

Unfortunately, this is still true. I just listened to this song again for the first time in quite a while and it's still luxurious.

Seeing Grimes win the EOY poll while this thread languishes with minimal interest saddens me

there's always next year

my fav remains love so strong in all its wonky splendour

new minerva cover

http://calvertjournal.com/news/show/7819/listen-to-experimental-musician-maria-minervas-new-estonian-track

I made a definitive mix covering all her albums if anyone's interested

yes please Ross

hey boxedjoy, not sure the best method for this - you got an email?

oh nvm cool, got it

also interested if you can't post it here

this ended up being really good thanks!

No worries :)

https://soundcloud.com/mariaminerva/florian-wahl-maria-minerva-whitney-feelin-prod-by-florian-wahl

total classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sXtAjnUl3U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht-TLz9BLKY

why does the world continue to malign her?

Soft Power is a little slight compared to her last two solo albums but it's still better than most music I've heard from 2020