Future Folk MP3 from David (Ghosts and Strings) Molina

Of the three songs that make up David Molina‘s Canciones del Futuro EP (recorded under the name Ghosts and Strings), two feature prominent vocals, which as is so often the case with songs end up relegating the instrumental material to the role of mere backing tracks. That’s unfortunate, because Molina has a way with murky electronic textures. The welcome exception here is the opening piece, “Heights,” which has some verbal material buried in the mix but emphasizes the electro-pneumatic pulse that serves as a downbeat, the hovering whirl of tone that is the piece’s substance, and in place of a vocal a searing yet understated woodwind line that commands the listener’s attention (MP3).  That woodwind matches the voice heard early in the piece, where Molina just intones some syllables with an emphasis on sound rather than on lyrics. There is some earnest spoken-word material toward the close of “Heights,” but it’s purposefully muddied, stuck amid the music rather than above it. The song is further enhanced by a slow guitar line, and Molina achieves something special when he occasionally tweaks the woodwind, just briefly, into a glorious feedback-laden moment of electronic noise. More info at the website of the releasing netlabel, restingbell.net.