New Music Reviews: Foxing, Magdalena Bay, and Jupiter & Okwess

Welcome to what’s probably the most obscure batch of reviews for this year – Missouri indie band Foxing, Miami synth-pop duo Magdalena Bay, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Jupiter & Okwess.

Since it’s almost December, brace yourself for a few more New Music Review Tuesdays over the coming weeks – there are still at least ten records I’m planning to cover for 2021.

Foxing

Draw Down The Moon

2021, 8/10
St. Louis band Foxing have been a going concern for the last decade, and Draw Down The Moon is their fourth album. Musically, it’s in the same zone as the Manchester Orchestra album that was reviewed on these pages earlier in the year. It’s emotive indie-rock, with a big sound and spiritual overtones. Vocalist Conor Murphy is the focal point – his voice is raw and emotive.

The rawer vocals make Draw Down The Moon less enjoyable as a repeat listen for me, but when it hits it hits hard. When Foxing embrace a pop-oriented sound, as on the lead single ‘Go Down Together’ or on ‘Cold Blooded’, it’s effective. There’s musicality – the cinematic guitar solo on ‘Where The Lightning Strikes Twice’ takes the song in another direction altogether. The centerpiece is the drama of ‘Speak With The Dead’, an epic meditation on losing loved ones.

Murphy’s voice is a tough sell sometimes, but there’s a lot of great music on Draw Down The Moon.

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Magdalena Bay

Mercurial World

2021, 9/10
Miami synth-pop duo Magdalena Bay gained some attention with their 2020 EP A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling, and they’re back with a full-length release. The duo consists of vocalist Mica Tenenbaum and musician/producer Matthew Lewin. Their synth-pop is energetic, but also pretentious – it’s not surprising to learn that Tenenbaum and Lewin used to play progressive rock together. Mercurial World opens with a song titled ‘The End’ and closes with ‘The Beginning’.

Pretentious isn’t a pejorative in this case – when Tenenbaum and Lewin hit their stride they make some of my favourite music I’ve featured on this column from this year. Mercurial World is sleek and futuristic, but there’s also a healthy dose of retro – the warm keyboards recall the smooth sounds of 1970s yacht-rock, while the tunes are often driven by funky bass lines. Tenenbaum’s coquettish vocals are full of personality. The pair also have a great visual presence, like this video for ‘Secrets (Your Fire)’:

The first half is particularly impressive – ‘Dawning of the Season’ has a killer chorus, while ‘Secrets (Your Fire)’ opens with a burbling synth that could have come straight from Michael Jackson’s Thriller. ‘Hysterical Us’ rides its yacht rock groove hard, while ‘Chaeri’ is sparse and lovely.

Mercurial World runs out of steam a little in the second half – in particular, ‘Prophecy’ is a little leaden. After all the fantastical fun, the normality of the line “When you’re lying next to me/You’re so real and I believe” has an unfortunate grounding effect.

Mercurial World is an impressive debut, an intensely creative duo flexing their creative muscles.

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Jupiter & Okwess

Na Kozonga

2021, 7.5/10
Jupiter Bokondji is a veteran performer in his mid-fifties. The son of a diplomat, he spent part of his childhood and teens in East Germany. He discovered western music, and fused it with Congolese traditions to create why he terms Bofenia Rock. He formed Okwess International in 1990, although he didn’t release his first album until 2013 after some attention from Damon Albarn helped him to gain a wider audience. I adored ‘Ofakombolo‘ off Jupiter & Okwess’ previous album, Kin Sonic; Barack Obama also included a song from it on his 2018 end of year list.

On Na Kozonga, Jupiter and Okwess valiantly try to expand their range, cramming the record with guest stars. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band provide a nice change of pace on ‘Abalegele Gale’, while ‘Bolingo’ is a chilled closer with its more traditional feel and pretty melody. They’re effective when they hit a hard-edged groove, like ‘Jim Kata’ or ‘Mieux Que Ça’. The band have a good sense of their best material, titling their album after the strongest track.

I find some frustration in not understanding the lyrics – they’re obviously a lyrics-focused band, so I find their subtitled video more accessible than the album. But there’s still plenty to admire in the band’s melding of rock and traditional Congolese forms.

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