Send "Meursault " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Mp3 blogs are blamed for every music-in-the-digital-age woe: declining CD sales, blink-and-you-miss-it hype cycles, cavalier attitudes towards copyright, loss of paying music journalism jobs. What you don't hear so much is how these sites create and foster communities-- virtual ones, obviously, but geographical ones too. Like many other indie bands, Edinburgh's Meursault are releasing their new LP on a small, local label. The difference is that Song, by Toad Records is a spinoff of a successful mp3 blog and podcast of the same name. Together they comprise a triple threat that the Scotsman has called the "DIY front-line of the city's homespun and rapidly expanding music scene." Think globally, act locally, eh?At this point, Meursault have little name recognition beyond the borders of Edinburgh or Hype Machine. But All Creatures Will Make Merry, a more developed and thoughtful follow-up to their craggy 2008 debut, Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues, could change that. Don't let the album title fool you: Like fellow Scots Frightened Rabbit and the Twilight Sad, Meursault are ambassadors of misery, self-loathing, and huge, heart-heavy choruses. Most sad bastards can generate a modicum of optimism on January 1. But on "Crank Resolutions", the sadder bastards in Meursault declare, "I broke down on New Year's Day/ And I mixed my drinks/ And I lost my way," among hyperventilating electronic beats and pyrrhic victory shouts. It's enormous fun, of course, and I can't wait to see a live audience sob along to every word. Throughout Merry, the seven-piece band busts out pitter-pattered drums, string swells, banjo solos, and rousing refrains. But Meursault largely retain the intimacy of their origins as the solo project of Neil Pennycook. His voice is confident and warm-timbred, but he always sounds a shade short of losing his mind, and his grim intensity makes even a garden-variety acoustic folk number like "Weather" compelling. With only voice, ukulele, and a blanket of lint, the fragile "One Day This'll All Be Fields" is a desperate-- and devastating-- little song....full text |
| Theskinny |
| This is a very literal song and therefore a natural choice for the opener as it's fairly representative of a lot of the album's lyrical content. With the majority of these songs I wanted to find the clearest, most direct way to communicate the themes I was interested in. Crank Resolutions This one has been played live more than any of the rest. It was the first thing I had written that gave me a clear idea of what I wanted to do with this record. These songs have a lot more of the band on them than those on the last record and with the addition of Pete [Harvey, cello] and Phil [Quirie, guitar], they have a sense of urgency that's hard to achieve when you're recording by yourself....full text |
| Skiddle |
| All Creatures Will Make Merry is the second album to be released by Meursault (pronounced Merr-Soo). Hailing from Edinburgh, the sextet have been credited as one of the most promising new bands to come out of Scotland. The album starts with a tour de force after the riveting one-minute introduction of ‘Payday’. The second song, ‘Crank Resolutions’ and probably my favourite off the album, is powerfully tinged with a raw emotion. Lead singer Neil Pennycook has a compelling voice, reminiscent, as Mojo rightly pointed out, of Elbow’s Guy Garvey. There is an underlying sadness to each song, gentle enough to leave you with a lump in your throat and in a state of reflection. ‘One Day This’ll All Be Fields’ is an intriguing song that sounds like you’ve been sent back in time to the 1940s and are listening to something off an old radio. It’s simplistic and grainy, which gives it an almost melancholy vibe. Yet the message in the lyrics is profound, making for an interesting combination. Pennycook’s haunting, pleading voice will stay with you after you listen to ‘Song For Martin Kippenberger’ and the album is wrapped up stunningly with the soothing ‘A Fair Exchange’. Having started off as a soloist, Pennycook’s vocals are complimented brilliantly with the addition of his talented band mates. After receiving critical acclaim for their debut album ‘Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing with Tongues’, expect to hear higher praise for this follow up. As sombre as it may be, it offers a richness in passion that is sure to tug on the old heart strings of many listeners....full text |
Meursault lyrics
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