Magnolian
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
Music
Press
"Magnolian, the project of Mongolian musician Dulguun Bayasgalan, is reminiscent of, to use a point of reference nobody will understand, Japanese ambient folk duo Kicell, but draws influence from more Western-styled acts like The National, Tom Waits, and Paul Simon. There’s an adventurous delicacy here: Magnolian tries a lot of different things without sounding like he’s ever leaving his comfort zone on his tremendously fun debut EP." - Derrick Rossignol - Nerdist
Hands down you will fall in love with this track. If you don’t, then logically and scientifically you don’t have a soul.
“The Bride & The Bachelor” is off of Magnolian‘s debut EP, Famous Men, and embodies beauty in its truest forms. Inspired by traditional Mongolian “praise songs,” the track also uses a traditional Mongolian horse-head fiddle (Morin Khuur), played by Munkhsaihan Dashzeveg, throughout the track. While the track contains honesty placed on a modern indie foundation, the soul stems from a meaningful root for artist, Dulgunn Bayasgalan.
Stated by Magnolian, the track is a “coming-of-age story that tackles themes of love, loss, and sexuality.” Strong themes and relatable aspects of life are perfectly described and translated into music. There’s a sense of strength that comes after loss, which is the different type of beauty that is emitted. Despite lyrics that sting afterward, such as “If I can’t marry you I’ll go / On my chariot of gold,” the musically-mediated approach ease into the realm of acceptance. Further assisting, Tselmuun Chinzorig’s additional vocals harmonize sweetly and add the sense of hope to the story.
Lyrically, the story is a reflection of the music, and completely genuine. Touching back on the beauty, this is beautiful in the sense where you can appreciate the strength and gentleness of the melodic vibrations; in honesty. Not only for the story at hand, but the honesty within oneself. Even with an odd pairing that stems from the title, the sense of “love” cannot be fully generated with two opposite stages of life, such as a bride and a bachelor- noting the different stances where the two characters are at in life.
“The Bride & The Bachelor” is simply breathtaking for everything that it is, and everything that it isn’t. Loss isn’t drenched in melancholy vibes, but in an act of fearlessness beauty that leads to bliss." - Janette Ayub - Girl Underground Music
Bilguun Munkhjargal wrote a review of the “Famous Men” EP. Bilguun Munkjargal is the co-author of “Caffeine Deficiency” and the author of the blog Asian Gypsy. He is currently the Creative Director at Y&R Mongolia, a full-service creative and research agency based in Ulaanbaatar.
Review by Bilguun Munkhjargal
Magnolian, the project of Dulguun Bayasgalan, caught listeners’ attention a fewmonths ago with the release of his fun and catchy tune “Someday”, featuring Enkhjin on vocals. Now, back with his debut EP, Magnolian’s “Famous Men” is full of character that is refreshing and beautiful to behold. Possessing the charm and simple joy of a musician on a couch with a guitar, “Famous Men” is a meditative, contemplative. and at times, fun and easy-going journey through six tracks (plus the bonus track “Banquet” in Mongolian).
“The Dream of a Ridiculous Man” is a quiet contemplation of death. You can almost imagine it as the soundtrack to the calm and subtly tense moments before a spaghetti western showdown scene, sort of a Radiohead meditation on a Tarantino movie scene.
“Famous Men”, the title track, is reminiscent of Nick Drake circa the “Pink Moon” era.
“The Bride and the Bachelor” is a summery duet with Tselmuun, with the powerhouse vocalist’s voice lending itself to subtlety and depth in the catchy and sophisticated tune about coming of age.
Dulguun’s voice is deep and delicate, and one imagines he will develop the whiskey gravelly-ness of mid-year Tom Waits in the years to come.
“Famous Men” is by far one of the best albums to come out of Mongolia in 2016, with an emphasis on “out of”, as Magnolian’s songwriting in English provides accessibilityto a global audience. To prove the point, Magnolian’s EP has already been named the best underground album of July by Nerdist, a U.S. digital media network of hugely popular podcasts.
While folk in nature, Magnolian’s music is anything but ethnic. Drawing on the influences of the likes of Lou Reed, Nick Drake, Bon Iver, and Radiohead circa “OK Computer”, there is much beauty to behold in Magnolian’s debut EP: the seamlessmorin khuur arrangement of “The Bride and the Bachelor” that catches you by surprise, the simplicity and the sunshine mantra of “The Beach Song”, and the melancholy anthem of “Banquet” ending in a freewheeling brass arrangement.
Expect to hear much more from Magnolian in the near future. - The UB Post
"In a first for us at The Revue, we are sharing a single from a Mongolian artist. The project of Dulguun Bayasgalan, Magnolian is not what you would expect. His music isn’t exotic. There aren’t any noticeable Chinese or Russian influences. His music actually might startle you for how closely it resembles the intimate indie-folk and Americana being produced. The perfect example is his single, “The Bride & The Bachelor”, which echoes the dual harmonies and atmospheric soundscapes of notable artists like Shovels & Rope and The Head and The Heart. The lyrics of the song, too, are also brilliant, as the song recalls the fairy tale-like story of The Decemberists’ “Crane Wife” suite. What a wonderful introduction this is to Bayasgalan and his partners’ music. Maybe we need to start scouring the northern Asian country to discover more surprising gems like this." -Ben Yung - The Revue
Discography
"Someday" - Single (2015)
"Famous Men" - EP (2016)
Photos
Bio
Magnolian is the stage name for Dulguun Bayasgalan, an indie-folk singer-songwriter from Mongolia. In June of 2015, Magnolian performed as the only solo act at Mongolia's biggest music festival, Playtime. Following his performance, he released his first single, “Someday”, in September. It features his girlfriend, Enkhjin Batjargal on vocals and became a local alternative hit, entering the top 20 music charts and garnering praise for its raw indie-rock sound reminiscent of The Strokes and Vivian Girls.
In February of 2016, Magnolian started work on his first EP titled "Famous Men”, and released the first single, “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man”, in May. The song and music video were met with acclaim for its originality with many drawing comparison to Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. The song created much anticipation for the EP.
“Famous Men” was released on June 28th and received critical acclaim in Mongolia, earning Magnolian multiple television appearances and regular radio airplay. The EP has also begun to gain ground on the international music scene. Most notably, it was named best underground album of July on Nerdist's "Bandcamping" column.
In October of 2016, Magnolian played his first international showcase at one of South Korea’s largest music festivals, Zandari Festa. In March of 2017, Magnolian made his North American debut at SXSW.
Band Members
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