Magneta Lane — Dancing With Daggers

What a difference a producer can make. I'm not about to give MSTRKRFT's Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P full credit for Magneta Lane's beefed up sound on Dancing With Daggers — I mean, Lexi Valentine, French and Nadia King did write the songs — but there's a definite loud, fuzzy awesomeness to the trio's full-length that wasn't there on their sparse and chipper EP, The Constant Lover. "Broken Plates" rumbles dangerously beneath Valentine's sassy vocals, while a distorted bassline gives Dancing With Daggers highlight "Wild Gardens" a room-shaking kick. Still, it's Valentine who steals the show, generously laying her soul and vocal chords bare throughout the 10-track disc. She's among the absolute best emerging voices on the Canadian soundscape.