2/10/26.
While the name Madonovan contains the name Donovan and thus could be creating a bias, I can't help but think the name sounds like something from the 1960s. There isn't much information available about Madonovan, but I did find one site that described him as "a singer, musician and self-proclaimed leader of the second psychedelic revolution."
Listening to "The Ocean's Brighter Than The Sun" makes me think of bands like the Chameleons U.K. Madonovan plays and wrote all the music for this album. It definitely veers into shoegaze without getting too gazey (the trumpets help with that). Favorites are "The Former Lovers", "Open", and the 13 1/2 minute close "The Ocean's Brighter Than The Sun".
Madonovan (Brighton, England) also does an online radio show with Avy from Sharkboy (a band from 1990s): Record Club: An Underground Miscellany. They have a monthly show with a diverse playlist. I wasn't surprised to see The Rain Parade, Nick Nicely, and The Weather Prophets across their playlists. The music of Madonovan is pretty hard to pin down - looking at his and AV Sharkboy's playlists gives one a good idea of the multitude of musical inspirations.
This is the first release on The Magnificent Record Company.