The Wire Magazine (UK) 298 Dec 2008

http://www.thewire.co.uk/

I'm always partial to records that use the letter Y as a title or signifier, be they records by Albert Ayler, the Pop Group or, uh, Maya. Currently a resident of New York City, although born in the UK, Maya crafts an interesting version of post-hook pop music with a darkly floating voice (a la Kendra Smith) and minimal accompaniment from Joseph Budenholzer. Pretty rich smoke.

Reviewed by Byron Coley

 

Terrascope (UK) December 2008

http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Rumbles_December08.htm

Growing up slightly, "Y" is a gorgeous 4-track 10" EP from Maya, the songs slow and languorous, sounding as if you are eavesdropping on secrets you should never have heard. Filled with slow-motion strings and rippling piano, the songs are completed by the hesitant yet beautiful voice of Maya herself, best heard on "Bliss Implode", although all four songs shine out into the night sky with an ethereal icy beauty. (www.discalcula.com)

Review Simon Lewis

 

Dark Sounds (Germany) 2008

"Y" is the first solo release of Maya. The ep consists of four songs, drifting slowly between experimental ambient sounds and folky elements. Just like Maya is gazing into some unknown void on the lovely cover of the record the songs seem to meander into unknown directions which makes this ep a perfect late night listen. The first track ("Power") is a soft ambient piece with layers of synthesizers, cello and soft acoustic guitars, a dreamy melodic piece that puts you in the right mood for the record. This is not going to be a dance party, but who would..ve expected this? ;-) Next up is the piano-driven "Bliss Implode", which is the most difficult track of the four. One gets sucked into a slow whirl of sound which is sometimes irritatingly dissonant, especially the different voice tracks. The constant change of rhythm/speed makes it hard to follow the song at first listen, but if you have interest in experimental music that..s no barrier at all to grow to like it. After a few spins I..m getting more into its dark blurriness, although it..s not my favourite on the ep after all. The B-Side is even more ambient than the A-Side. "Living Behind Smoke" is sung like a sinister nursery rhyme over heavy, swirling synths, to me it feels like I..m stuck in complete darkness - then suddenly a tiny ray of light shines in, when the flute begins to sound in the middle part of the song, just until the next dark cloud comes to cover the sky... And last but not least there is "Common Thread" which is also my>> favourite of the bunch, mainly because I love the vocal melody and the songs overall calm repetitive beauty. To sum it up, this ep sounds just as I had wished it would and>> leaves me with big expectations for the first fulltime album, which will hopefully follow this first taste."

Reviewed by Scatterbrain

 

 

Cyclic Defrost Magazine (Australia) Issue 20

http://www.cyclicdefrost.com/blog/?p=2515

This curious 10 inch vinyl is the work of New Yorker Maya Hardinge, who was apparently named after the song 'Maya' by the Incredible String Band. It's a pretty tenuous selling point really, but if perchance that connection has convinced you to listen to this record then you probably won't be disappointed. Like that 60s group, Maya's songs have an aura of otherness about them, a quality that makes her voice and these compositions not of this age. Implementing droning strings, vintage synths and eerily disconnected multi-tracked vocals, Maya's music has a mystical complexity about it, one that isn't of this world and is hardly plausibly borne of it.

There's no whimsy in Hardinge's songs. Sometimes her vocals are reminiscent of David Tibet or even John Balance in the way they glide along notes insistently and rather rigidly at times, with an intensity that never lets up irrespective of volume or tone. In some ways, yes, she's reminiscent of Nico too, though Maya's music is more sensual than severe; more pastoral and contemplative than it is punishing. Most importantly, sadness and desolation are the prevailing moods here, and in spite of lyrics like 'I was beat down in December / left awash in a canal to die', it's the rather subtle instrumentation and Maya's sorrowful voice that make this EP as enchanting as it is.

Reviewed by Shaun Prescott

 

 

Dusted Magazine (USA) Vol 4, No.16

http://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/777

Four tracks of blissfully dour ethereal float, the titular artist cooing over slowly developing pop-ambient landscapes. The dusky clouds that float through these songs cross the proceedings over into Goth territory, but not too far; Maya stays more on the side of the commoner, or moreover, the intellectual visionary. There is a strong kinship here with moon-eyed modern psych stylists like Valet, and towards the most delicate of New Zealand singer-songwriter, Alastair Galbraith. Plaintive melodies march through the ether, gaining confidence from unlikely corners of the atmosphere. Beautiful and rare. 500 numbered copies.

Reviewed by Doug Mosurock