Floating Leaf

So, like I mentioned, several of my favorite musicians have new albums available for download on Soundike.com. One of them is Mirel Wagner. Her first album came out a few years ago, and captivated me instantly with its unique style. This - second one - is even better. She is clearly maturing as an artist, honing her seemingly effortless ability to create a powerful atmosphere with very minimalist arrangements (in most of the songs, the only two instruments you hear are her deep velvet voice and an acoustic guitar). She is, without question, my favorite type of singer/songwriter: one who can tell rich, complex stories with very few words. A true poet of amazing depth. Fortunately, I found some clips on YouTube, so I can illustrate my point.:) Here's a live performance from a Seattle radio station:



This is actually one of the "happier" songs on this album. A few others are very, very dark (just like on the first one). Looking at that fresh, young face, you can't help but wonder how she can possibly have lived long enough to have such intimate knowledge of so many aspects of human suffering. But since I have come to believe in reincarnation (and I have; which probably deserves a whole separate post, much like several other topics I haven't had a chance to touch upon in this journal so far), I can only conclude that she is an old soul.:)

Case in point - another excerpt from the same live performance:



And one more. Just a sweet little lullaby... or is it? More of a seductive epitaph, perhaps. At any rate - two minutes you will never forget: