Alexa Wilding

New York songbird Alexa Wilding just wrapped Coral Dust, the follow-up to her 2009 self-titled debut. Produced by Tim Foljahn (who has collaborated with Cat Power, Thurston Moore, the late Townes Van Zandt), mixed by Television's Fred Smith, and mastered by Fred Kevorkian (Regina Spektor, Joan as Policewoman) the album's lush and atmospheric expanse is an electrifying progression from Wilding's dark acoustic noir. As Foljahn puts it, "The first record is a sweet, dirty delight in sparky darkness. The new one is a whole other thing: vistas of space dust and crystal cliffs." While the songs are still rooted in Wilding and Foljahn's intricate call-and-response guitar play, room has been made for deep sea bells, airy synths, and mischievous percussion, courtesy of Brooklyn drummer, Brian Kantor (Higgins, Vetiver). Wilding reigns over these dreamy equations with warm, layered vocals, weaving her tales with self-possession. "Coral Dust is my Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, " she laughs, "it's deep sea diving for the faint of heart."

After the self-release of her eponymous first album, featuring the fan favorite single, "Black Diamond Day," Wilding was named "one of music's hippest chicks" (NY Post) alongside Florence and the Machine and Juliette Lewis, and as one to watch in Nylon, Page Six, Dossier, Daily Candy, and Time Out amongst others. Her music was brought to a national level last summer when she joined gal pals, Au Revoir Simone, on a US tour (to rave reviews), and overseas with her collaborations with Scandinavian fashion label, IVANAhelsinki. Wilding began her career singing and playing synths with Int'l Shades, the art-psych rock project of ex-Pussy Gallore/Sonic Youth drummer, Bob Bert, and Live Skull's Mark C, opening for indie heavy-weights such as Mudhoney, Genesis P'Orridge and Kid Congo.