William Henry Miller pt. I & II: Meursault

It’s not often that I dig out the ol’ vinyl player.  If fact, being the fresh faced youth I am, the world of vinyl is one of which I have only a cursory knowledge.  Anytime I want to enjoy my (admittedly meagre) 7″ collection I have to drag my dad’s old Pioneer PL-112D turntable out of the attic…

But it does appear that the 7″ is still alive and well.  An old flatmate of mine had quite an impressive collection – all released in the last few years – and most singles seem to get a 7″ release alongside the newer formats.  These two singles from Song, by Toad Records are available exclusively as vinyl (not counting digitally, which surely doesn’t count these days).  The band behind this pair of singles is Meursault, already an Eaten by Monsters favourite owing to their fantastic debut LP, Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues.

Now I gather that William Henry Miller is something of a live favourite for hardcore Meusault fans, but I must admit that when it was finally released (on last years Nothing Broke EP) I wasn’t all that taken with it.  To be honest, I wasn’t that taken with the whole EP; I enjoyed it, for sure, but having never seen the band live and getting to know them through their album, the change of direction (from dense electronic soundscapes with a furious energy to a slower, more contemplative acoustic sound) wasn’t what I was looking for.  In the months following it’s release Nothing Broke has certainly grown on me, but in my opinion these two new singles mark a welcome return to the more “produced”* sound of Pissing/Kissing.  In fact, the B-sides (The Dirt and the Roots and A Few Kind Words respectively) are the same cuts that were used on the album.

And now William Henry Miller Pt. II – a track that sounded decidedly like filler on Nothing Broke – is now the stand out track of both these singles;  a feat made doubly impressive when you consider that A Few Kind Words (the Pt. II B-side) was one of my favourite tracks on the album, which was in turn one of my Top 10 Albums of 2008.  And Pt. I has undergone a caterpillar/butterfly rebirth as well!  The word on the street is that Meursault are on the brink of writing/recording a new album, and if that’s true then I really can’t wait.

Meursault – William Henry Miller Pt. II**

Meursault – A Few Kind Words

And as being as posting both the A-sides would be a bit cheekey, here’s a live version (subtitled Dylan Gives the Clap) that they recorded during last year’s Homegame for The Waiting Room:

Meursault – William Henry Miller Pt. I (live)

*Lazy writing, I know…

**You know the drill: single=no A-side download.

 

The Moth Trap: Nightjar

Yet another bl**dy scotch indie/folk/whatever band! There must be something in the water up there, as this is the latest in what’s becoming a long list of great albums to emerge from that neck o’ the woods…

Nightjar set themselves apart from the rest of the pack by presenting a much more stripped-back, rootsy sound.  You could almost be forgiven for thinking it’s of Appalachian origin, such is the strong bluegrass flavour that tints most of the songs.

The Moth Trap has apparently been kicking around for quite a while, but has just recieved an offical release on Song, by Toad Records (you can get your mits on your own copy here).  As an interesting aside; it features some guest guitar playing from Kris Drever, who’s current band was the subject of my very first CD review for these hallowed pages…

Nightjar – Poor Man’s Son

 

Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues: Meursault

I don’t know if anyone else feels this, but it seems to me that really good records are few and far between.  I don’t even mean great records; just good ones.  By good, in this context, I mean a record that can stand up to repeat listening and that delivers on all fronts – technical ability of the players, the quality of the songs, the production values, everything.  Sure, a new album can impress on first listening, but does it still sound as engaging ten or twenty listens down the line? Sadly, the answer is often no.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however, as 2008 (in my “humble” opinion) has had more than its fair share of genuinely good records.  I was going to list a few examples of good ’08 albums here, but there are actually too many to list.  I’m going to have real trouble come the new year when I attempt to compile my “Top Ten Albums of 2008″…

As a result of this lengthy preamble I can safely assume that many of you will have already guessed where this review is heading.  But it’s not as clear cut as all that: on my first few listens I was pretty close to dismissing Meursault‘s new album, Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues, as merely “okay”.  Sure, it’s got a great title, but it certainly didn’t grab me on my first listen.  Thankfully, for some unknown reason I kept playing the record, and now a few days later I can say that (barring a whole slew of awesome albums coming out in the next month and a bit) this album will definitely be on my end of year Top 10.

Above all else, PoB/KWT “works” as an album.  The songs all fit together beautifully and create a superb soundtrack to an evening in with subdued lighting, a good drink and a rubbish book.  I’m going to tread carefully here, as I’m in danger of sounding like a real music journalist and using words such as “sublime”, “hypnotic” and maybe even “transcendental”…  Long story short: this is a wicked album.

It’s being officially released on Dec. 15th on Song, by Toad Records, but it appears you can already buy a copy from the SbT site and from the band’s myspace (from an older pressing by Bear Scotland Presents, I’m guessing Song, by Toad has claimed a re-release…).  I’m also told that there’s a 7″ of The Furnace coming soon.

Meursault – The Furnace

Meursault – A Few Kind Words