The Magic Place Asthmatic Kitty****

Julianna Barwick may be due some love from the arty masses. The Louisiana-born, Brooklyn-based musician garnered fine reviews for previous releases, such as the FlorineEP, but has spent most of her time until now fine- tuning her dreamy, sparkling, minimal sound. Here the main ingredient is her voice looped into intense drones, but Barwick's less-is-more approach works because of how she coaxes ambient, folk, pop and classical influences and tones into her work and transforms these slivers of sound into beautiful, spooky harmonies. It's a much harder trick to pull off than might appear at first glance, but Barwick has the skill not to have to rely on Enoesque guide ropes to do that. For an album that sets out such a minimal stall, there is much to immerse yourself in here. See juliannabarwick.com

Download tracks: Cloak, Envelop, Keep Up the Good Work