Molly Lewis: Mirage
Molly Lewis’s compositions seem to float into our
ears from distant shores. They’re otherworldly, drawn more from
landscapes of dream than from anywhere you could find on a map.
Lewis is a unique presence in music today. Her trademark whistle,
which brings to mind the great Peruvian soprano Yma Sumac, has
graced recordings of everything from Schumann lieder and Brazilian
jazz to Spaghetti Western ballads and noir lounge.
Lewis’s collaborations are diverse: La Femme, Sébastien
Tellier and Dr. Dre. She’s performed around the globe, at Shanghai’s
Yuz Museum, the Cannes Film Festival, Mexico City’s Salón Los
Angeles, and across the whole of New Zealand. Lewis’s 2021 debut
EP, The Forgotten Edge, was produced by Tom Brenneck (Charles
Bradley, Amy Winehouse). It was a critical success, drawing praise
from The New York Times and NPR, and landing Lewis a spot on CBS
Sunday Morning.
Now, Lewis and Brenneck have teamed up again for her
second EP, Mirage, bringing aboard Brazilian guitarist Rogê, as well
as percussionist Gibi Dos Santos and keyboardist Roger Manning.
Capacious and atmospheric, Mirage is Lewis’s most hypnotic effort
yet. Like Eden’s Island (1970) by eden ahbez-whose “Nature Boy”
is covered in one of Mirage’s standout moments-the album is based
on Lewis’s visions of an imaginary island. The lush, oceanic textures
of Mirage transport us to the sands of an unknown beach-all alone
or in the company we’ve always dreamt of keeping.
