ANNOUNCINGS

It was nice to visit Edinburgh a few weeks ago and find that at last, hooray, a community has formed there that makes great, wild music. I'm still trying to learn all the groups' names, but alongside Withered Hand there's certainly Meursault - who despite a few middling acoustic jams have made one of my favourite albums this year.

I'm gonna get metaphorical in a sec but just to get two one-liners out of the way:

“The Furnace”: It's M83 meets Phosphorescent!

“Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues”: They borrowed the melody from Neutral Milk Hotel's “Song Against Sex”!

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Meursault - “The Furnace”

BREAKING NEWS: CYBERMAN 3000-D HAD HIS HEART BROKEN THIS WEEKEND. HAS GONE ON RAMPAGE THROUGH COUNTRYSIDE. VALLEYS OF CLOVER BEING BURNED BY CYBERMAN 3000-D'S ROCKET-BOOTS. BARNS SMASHED APART AND LEFT SMOULDERING. TWO SHEPHERDS DEAD. DOGS HOWLING. CYBERMAN 3000-D HAS BEFRIENDED A SWALLOW WHOM HE IS CARRYING ON HIS SHOULDER-MOUNTED ELECTRO-BAZOOKA. THE SWALLOW IS TRYING TO CONSOLE THE CYBERMAN. THE SWALLOW IS SINGING A SWEET SONG. NOW CYBERMAN 3000-D IS SINGING TOO AS HE CONTINUES HIS RUN OF TERROR. UNDER STARLIGHT HE HAS ENTERED THE FOREST. HE WILL EITHER BUILD A NEW HOME OR BURN THE WHOLE WOOD DOWN. MORE LATER.

Meursault - “Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues” BREAKING NEWS: CYBERMAN 3000-D HAS BEEN SPOTTED. HIGH-POWERED TELESCOPES PICKED UP MOVEMENT IN THE BLACKENED WRECKAGE OF THE FOREST. CYBERMAN 3000-D HAD BEEN PRESUMED DEAD AFTER TRANSFORMING THE WOOD INTO AN INFERNO. BUT THERE HE IS, ALL STEEL AND TITANIUM, A GLITTER STILL IN HIS PRISMATIC EYES. HE STAMPS THROUGH ASH, SMOKE SWIRLS AROUND HIS ANKLES. HE MOVES WITH A CLUMSY & MECHANICAL REGRET. EXPERTS PEERING THROUGH TELESCOPE FEEL THAT PERHAPS HE IS BUILDING A HOME, BELATEDLY. BUILDING IT OUT OF CINDERS. HE LOOKS LIKE HE IS WAITING FOR SOMETHING - OR SOMEONE. NO ONE HAS SEEN ANY BIRDS. THE CYBERMAN GLITTERS IN THE SUN.

[buy]

(P.S., a brand spanking new pressing of the album is due 12/15 on Song By Toad Records)

- Sean Michaels