Listen to Shana Cleveland's Manzanita
Shana Cleveland - the brains behind La Luz, one of our favorite groups this side of the new millennium - has just released her second solo album, Manzanita.
It’s the sort of thing one might expect per her last release, the ear-pleasing and ethereal Night of the Worm Moon, although everything’s sounding a bit more haunted here (in a fun way, the way a friendly ghost might haunt a pumpkin patch).
Cleveland’s wistful vocals are augmented by the slow, warm creep of the mellotron on “Mystic Mine”, and songs like “Quick Winter Sun” hit the ear like spirited echoes sounding off the ridges of Laurel Canyon, a nod to past masters like Joni Mitchell and David Crosby. Meanwhile, “Babe” and “Mayonnaise” both have a certain quality about them that I can’t quite put into words…
A Touch of Schmilsson. That’s it. —Jackson Todd
Perfect for: Making a campfire in the living room. Ghost stories. Big Sur. Nature walks. Sunsets.
