MUSIC: Moses Sumney – Lonely World

[embed width="640" height="150"]https://soundcloud.com/mosessumney/lonely-world[/embed]
Moses Sumney keeps good company with an eclectic mix of indie music disrupters, including Karen O, Grizzly Bear, and Sufjan Stevens. The 26-year-old Los Angeles product plays lush, jazzy figures on electric guitar and loops them—and his voice—using a digital pedal. The assembled sounds and choral harmonies are then paired with his wavering vibrato, which pulsates like the second coming of Ella Fitzgerald. The net effect: An avant-pop-and-R&B fusion that bridges the gap between, say, Erykah Badu and St. Vincent (the two acts he just opened for at the Hollywood Bowl).

On “Lonely World,” Sumney gets some help from Thundercat (bass) and his musical cohorts. The tune builds up from an ostinato flurry of guitar notes into plangent, unsettled jazz, before bringing the house down in an EDM-worthy crescendo.
Want more of Moses? He’ll be hitting DC and New York, along with a slew of other cities, in support of James Blake. More tour dates can be found on his website. Sumney’s new EP, Lamentations, is set for release this Friday (9/30). And he's also featured on Solange’s latest, A Seat At The Table, which is dropping the same day.