Describing their sound as landscape pop, Modern Studies utilise “analogue synths, cello, double bass, drums, guitars, a wine-glass orchestra and, at the creaking centre of things, a Victorian pedal harmonium.” This harmonium proves to be paramount for the band, a source of influence not just musically but also aesthetically, the instrument’s storied history and mysterious air diffusing into the songs at a subconscious level. And its not hard to see why. Take, for example, the bands description of this antique:

“Slowly but surely the harmonium gives up its provenance. Cigarette cards of moustachioed soldiers tucked between the keys, a Miss Havisham drape of cobwebs, a selection of foxed and edgeworn song-sheets, and a short hand-written history of a short life.”

Working at Pumpkinfield (Harvey’s studio in rural Perthshire) and developing songs from Scott inspired “largely from the salt and spray of the sea”, the band produced a debut album, Swell to Great, which is being released on Song, by Toad Records.

While we have to wait until September for the full record, the band have unveiled the first single, ‘Father is a Craftsman’. The song fuses the nostalgia of classic folk with sweet and sunny pop melodies all imbued with a sense of narrative and history. I like to think this is a subconscious result of the harmonium, it’s past haunting the songs by it mere presence.

“Father is a craftsman from a long long line
mother swims in the winter time
brother oh my brother is faraway”

Swell to Great is due on the 12th of September and you can pre-order it now via Song, By Toad Records. You can also check out two other tracks from the album there too.

Photo credit: Jannica Honey

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The May Roundup mix below contains a track from every artist we featured during the month (apart from Sharon van Etten and Noah Gundersen, sorry!), so plug your headphones in and enjoy some new music. Click the artists’ names in the tracklisting below to be taken to the post in question.

Tracklisting:

1. No More Sad Songs – Elvis Depressedly
2. Catchyalater – Frog
3. The Day Draws Near – The Washboard Abs
4. Every House is On Fire – Island Eyes
5. Forever – Boosegumps
6. Open Casket Hidden Meaning – Molly Drag
7. The Arp – Aidan Knight
8. Atheist Money – Adam Stafford
9. Lynx – The Tarantula Waltz
10. Milo – Young Jesus
11. Slow Dark Water – Furnsss
12. Aubrey – Debris Slide
13. Foreign Hands – Aisha Badru
14. I Need Never Get Old – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
15. Outside the Pale – Samantha Crain
16. Home – The Modern Folk
17. Staggers and Rise – Small Houses
18. Yannina – Jake Houlsby
19. To the Black Horizon – Mark Timmins
20. Heart – Bobby’s Oar
21. Bling – Bells Atlas
22. And You Meant the Sea – Ruth & Trudy
23. Party – Lake Michigan
24. Growing Leaves – Gay Angel
25. On and On – Zee Town and the Dog Boys
26. Travel Map – Hip Hatchet
27. Zoa – Batte Ave.
28. The Bird – Kathryn Joseph
29. …Until They’re Called – Old Earth

May 2015 Roundup from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

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“The rebel inside is just a cipher baby.
I will not rise to you
and you will not lie to me.”

You get the impression that Stafford could quite easily make solid, radio-friendly, painted-by-numbers pop music that would be lapped up by the undiscerning masses, but instead endeavours to make innovative, progressive music. Aspiring musicians take note!

Taser Revelations will be released by Song, by Toad Records in October. You can buy Stafford’s previous album here.

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That’s all very exciting for American fans or those braving the trip to Texas, but why should the rest of us take notice? The answer lies in the ingenious method of fundraising that the band used along with the good folks over at Song, by Toad Records. The basic premise was that anyone who pledged support to the Kickstarter campaign was asked to vote for up to five songs that they would like to hear the band play on a specially produced album. And they weren’t limited to Meursault songs, suggestions of covers were welcomed.

The result is a pseudo-covers album (pseudo as there are a couple of re-imagined Meursault tracks thrown in too, such as the re-worked version of ‘Dearly Distracted’ in the player below), which has been wonderfully captured and produced. It must also be said that Meursault fans have great taste, with some of my all-time favourite songs making it onto the album (see ‘No Children’ by Mountain Goats and Wolf Parade’s ‘I’ll Believe In Anything’ in particular).

Each track has its merits, and I really don’t think there’s a dud amongst the fourteen strong collection. A personal favourite is the cover of Chad VanGaalen’s ‘Rabid Bits of Time’, which is perfectly suited to Neil Pennycook’s emotive vocals.

You can get the album now via Song, by Toad Records.

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The atmosphere is otherworldly and ever-so-slightly ominous, the vocals abrupt, lyrics opaque and indistinct. Last summer, Umhoefer was kind enough to do an interview with us and here’s what he had to say about his lyrics,  “They’re intentionally vague, contradictory, and sometimes irrational. I like homonyms and multiple interpretations- sometimes the lines are a conversation, sometimes narration, and sometimes simply a human voice needed to be present and it felt good to sing there.“ This instinctive attitude to songwriting is evident on All Kill, and the results make me very excited indeed to see which direction Old Earth decides to take things next (we wont have too long a wait to find out as there is an LP due later this year).

You can get All Kill right now as a digital download courtesy of mini50 Records.

P.S. If you missed Umhoefer’s excellent session with Song, By Toad, I’d highly suggest you check it out.

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The PR blurb for the release says that ‘Dull Spark’ is far more upbeat than usual Meursault songs. While this may be true, the lyrics and themes in the song may not be what you’d expect after such a description. The song is hopful and defiant but still revolves around unhappiness and death, yet another example of the band refusing to deliver cliche. Meursault don’t create half-familiar, build-your-own identikit tracks, no variations of the common themes. Each song is crafted from the bottom up, a unique blend of love, melancholy, and humour that enables their albums to stand head and shoulders above the crowds of artists out there today. Not all love songs are soppy, not all sad songs are break-ups.

Both the album and the single are available from Song By Toad Records. There is a lovely video from David Lemm and both the single and it’s B-side after the jump.

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Much has been said in other reviews (I’m a little late to the party) of the pros and cons of Meursault switching from their electronic-based leanings to the rich and clear sound of SFTW, a point of debate that, while interesting, is not really needed. Pennycook’s songwriting and voice excel regardless of what is behind him. On Pissing On Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues, ‘A Few Kind Words’ was a standout for the urgent lyrics. Now, the sound has changed but the clever and cathartic lyrics remain. If anything we should welcome the variation.

I think the true appeal of Meursault is the way that they manage to balance everything across the songs. There are sincerely restrained songs (for example ‘Mamie’) and there are songs with a bit of a ‘fuck off’ attitude (‘Settling’ and ‘Hole’). It takes quality writing to pull off emotion without the trite, to achieve plain-speaking honesty without sounding pompous. Cliches are circumnavigated with care. Pennycook captures a wide range of feelings and the narratives/themes appear all the more human and realistic as a result. I find myself banging on about this idea when writing about my favourite songs; if something is believable, if something truly meant, I feel the quality of the music increases exponentially.

Something For The Weakened is available from Song By Toad Records, along with a rather extravagant (but reasonably priced) deluxe edition. Stream ‘Flittin’ above or head over to This Is Fake DIY for a full listen. If you are new to Meursault then pick up the previous records here too.

Ha, fucking ha.

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I love what Neil Pennycock’s voice does in these songs, his distinctive sound is equally suited to gentle, subtle verses and the more raucous sections, giving a real sense of the emotion and effort that has gone into crafting this music. I can honestly say that ‘Settling’ is one of the best tracks I have heard all year.

I’m not sure when Meursault plan to officially record these new songs but I’d recommend going back to their (numerous) other releases to whet your appetite. These are available on Song, By Toad Records.

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