"I’ve grown to have a love/hate relationship with Twitter. Even with the litter of spam messages telling you to check out some slutty girl’s fuck-for-cash profile or useless tweets about how someone just brushed their teeth and are now going to bed, there are some beautiful things that can emerge. This past week I was lucky enough to find that beauty in the music of Magen Melancholy. Magen recently released her 8 song debut EP, titled “The Short-Lived Life Of Magen Melancholy”.

There’s something about this EP that caught a hold of me instantly. Could it be the production? Could it be the sultry vocals? Could it be Magen’s proclaimed feeling and emotion in every song? I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a combination of all these elements that makes it something special. Listening to what she says, you get to understand who she is and receive an honest taste of her short-lived life.

Malark3y (with some featured help from Yamil Rodriguez) has given this EP’s production such a smooth, down-tempo feel that blends perfectly with Magen’s vocal style – a mix of spoken-word, hip hop and deep soulful singing. I generally hate artist comparisons, but thoughts immediately went to Dessa when I heard Magen’s combination of vocal ability, but be aware Magen is most definitely her own artist with her own musical projection. Although there is distinct sadness in some of what she speaks, it’s not a “woe is me” kind of approach. Magen seems to embrace the melancholy in life, realizing that this is just as much a part of being alive as happiness is. In fact, maybe the ability to understand and fully accept this side of life puts her at a better place, being able to realize and be open with sadness gives her more ability to grasp at true happiness.

So as I sit and listen to “The Short-Lived Life Of Magen Melancholy” for the umpteenth time this week, I have secured recognition in that the best artists are the one’s doing it for the love of the art. Self produced, engineered, distributed and promoted may not land you on the shelves of HMV, but if you have that deep rooted passion for what you do, these things will land you right in the hearts of the true fans.

I know we’re still only in summer, but I’m going to go on record saying that this is one of my favorite albums of the year. Check out her website at www.magenmelancholy.com for more information and to listen to the album in it’s entirety. Oh and be sure to buy it, $7.52 isn’t a lot to ask for something so beautiful."