If Björk (circa Medulla) and Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs had a baby, she would probably sound a lot like Xenia Rubinos. Her debut, Magic Trix, builds successfully off the appealing contrast between Rubinos’ sunny, charming vocals and her more ominously intricate synth lines and harmonies. “Hair Receding”, one of her standouts, plays off of this; the combination proves to be her strength. The keyboards surge darkly, fighting her straining, beautiful voice to come to a conclusion about the “right thing.” Rubinos is quirky in the best way, her music wholly original even as its influences are strongly felt. While the darker, deliberate flourishes give the music its color and personality, her crystallized voice grounds the music and keeps it from becoming too kooky. The album threatens to have a long shelf life for the summer, bolstered by “Hair Receding” and other exciting oddities.
