Altered Zones

By Ric Leichtung

Maria Minerva, aka Maria Juur, was born in the bedroom. Most musicians emerge from there, of course, but it's rare that their first releases are as strong as the Estonian-born musician's lean Noble Savage 12" and sprawling Tallinn at Dawn cassette. Contrary to the usual order of the blogosphere, where an unknown band that has one song can get written up on GVB and cause everyone to freak out, Minerva didn't catch eyes until a month after her two March releases dropped. Arresting and ethereal, Tallinn's "California Scheming" caught on fast, causing fans to lust after two albums that had already almost sold out-- both of which are great. The songs are introspective but accessible, packaged with infectious dance loops ("Disko Bliss," "A Little Lonely," "Strange Things Are Happening In My Room"), entrancing synths ("Unchain My Heart," "Other Side"), and lush, layered vocals ("Hagasuxzzavol," "Hop Hop Gone In Spring"). Her songs are soft, guided by flow rather than form. At times, Minerva's dismissal of firm structure can feel liberating, but it also comes off as a little amatueurish, her musings having calcified prematurely.

Minerva has definite potential, and when taken together, Savage and Tallinn feel very much like a debut bedroom effort. But you can tell that for Juur, the bedroom isn't just an outlet for self-expression, but also a place of study. She studies hard-- frankly, maybe a little too hard. There are lot of similarities between her project and female-fronted acts from LA. Maria Minerva takes cues from early Pocahaunted's echoing, indecipherable vocals, Nite Jewel's italo boogie cheese, and Geneva Jacuzzi's pronounced sexuality.

But like any good scholar, she takes what she's learned and puts her own spin on ideas that have been laid down before. You can hear it in her emphasis on layered vocals and synth pads rather than leads, a fresh and welcome update of the dragging italo trend. She trades in animal magnetism for the coy allure of an unraised brow. But what seperates her from countless others giving experimental music the old college try is her acute self-awareness. In "Sad Serenade (Bedroom Rock 'N' Roll)," she samples an interview of Ariel Pink remembering a time 10 years ago when his idol, R Stevie Moore, offered to collaborate with him after hearing some of his demos. In doing so, Maria brilliantly contextualizes her own situation as a beginner who has just been taken under the wing of LA fringe legacy label Not Not Fun. Juur is cognisant of her role as a promising newcomer and welcomes all that it entails, so it's only a matter of time until she sheds her skin as a genuinely promising follower to a real leader.

Maria Minerva: Selections from Noble Savage and Tallinn at Dawn

100% Silk's Noble Savage is nearly sold out and there's another pressing of Not Not Fun's Tallinn at Dawn on the way, you can also download them digitally from Boomkat. Stay tuned for the forthcoming "Cabaret Cixous" LP due this June.