Music / Review
Review: Maja Lena, The Louisiana – ‘A night full of cosiness, beauty and connection’
Maja Lena’s recent LP, Pluto, is a gorgeous, transporting piece which pushes her alt-folk sound to new limits. She hopped on stage in shiny trainers, draped in a summer dress and began to sing.
Immediately, her voice and lyrics took the crowd by the hand and gently guided them through her vision. Her unique vocals floated over folky guitar picking and repeating rhythms, allowing melodies to build into a chorus of textural beauty.
Between songs she was understated and personable, addressing the crowd like close friends that had been apart for a few months; her fashion, music and personality lifting the crowd out of the biting cold outside.
Lena’s set moved organically through high points from her recent and debut albums. Notable moments include Avalanche, the single from her debut album which boasts Lena’s talent for seeking surprising yet catchy melody lines. An accessible song which builds with meaning and complexity the deeper you listen.
After that, Lena played The Stone, a heavier take on her style of song creation. Her voice cut through the band from a different perspective, intersecting the warm beating of the snare and the recurring ostinatos.
Another highlight was the intersecting rhythms and melding of electronica and folk in the song clear as the water; The op-1 synthesiser being used as a backbone to which the song revealed itself from.
The crowd chanted for an encore and Lena finished with a song from her debut called The Keeper, which had the members of the band singing repeating vocal lines together.
A fitting end to a night full of cosiness, beauty and connection. Visual lyrics, warm, repeating tones and a voice that touches you. Definitely a must see for when she’s back in Bristol.
Main photo: Angus Cawood
Read next:
- Review: Jadu Heart, Rough Trade – ‘The pair are just deeply deeply cool’
- Review: Charm of Finches, The Folk House – ‘They create the most beautiful, natural space you could imagine’
- Review: Jackie Oats & John Spiers, Downend Folk & Roots – ‘They left the commercialised crass-ness at home’
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