Magana has released her second album ‘Teeth’.
Magana is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Jeni Magaña, who has spent the last few years on the road as the bassist for Mitski (from Jimmy Kimmel to Glastonbury Festival) and Lady Lamb.
Speaking of her new album, Jeni Magaña said: “I recorded this during lockdown in the pandemic. The world started to look strange to me, as if I was an alien plopped down in the middle of Los Angeles but with all these human feelings. I wanted this album to reflect that not only in the lyrics but in the soundscapes as well. I wanted it to sound like earth and space at the same time, so I arranged acoustic guitars, strings, and winds to weave in and out of synth lines and electric guitar solos.”
To celebrate her album release, Jeni shared with us 5 tracks that influenced ‘Teeth’.
Colin Stetson – This Bed of Shattered Bone
The brutal simplicity of this track is what makes it stand out. The sounds are interesting, and each one is showcased in a way that drives the tune but still leaves space for the whole thing to breathe. I spent a lot of time trying to emulate tracks like these, which you’ll hear a bit of in the instrumental track. I simultaneously was inspired by the sparse instrumentation, which is something you can hear on songs like ‘In My Body’.
Bon Iver – iMi
There is so much free sounding experimenting in the sounds here. I was really inspired by the idea of just trying sounds, including standard instruments but seeing what else would make the arrangement speak. I spent a lot of time in previous records just working with what I knew. The idea of taking sounds and manipulating them in unconventional ways was new to me and tracks like this helped unlock the path.
Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks
There’s something in the melodic line against the static 8th notes that really has a chokehold on me. It’s directly what inspired my arrangement of the song ‘Matter’. They are obviously wildly different songs, but the melody/bass line that the whole thing is based on comes from this idea. In contrast, I also think this is a pretty full sounding track and I like the energy that comes from that.
FKA Twigs – Two Weeks
This song is sooo sparse and leaves a lot of room for the lyrics, but the sounds that are happening are so purposeful. Everything that is happening seems to exist solely to support the interesting vocal stuff. There are dynamics still ebbing and flowing by adding and taking away parts. It’s not acoustic but it has feeling.
Sufjan Stevens – Should Have Known Better
I’d be remiss not to put one of these songs on my list of influences. The acoustic aspects of Teeth, as well as the orchestration of the woodwinds and pianos. The mixing in of synth elements. This was probably all born from a love of Sufjian. As well as some of the frankness is my songwriting.
Listen to Magana musical influences below:
Stream Magana ‘Teeth’ via Spotify: