Misty Monday XVIII

Today it's up to Meursault to put us back on track.

Meursault are a Scottish indie rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 2006 and Led by singer-songwriter Neil Pennycook. The band's musical style has been variously categorised as folktronica, alternative rock and indie folk. The name of the band is a reference to the main character of L'Etranger, the existentialist novel by Albert Camus but Meursault is also a whine and a commune in France :) We start the week a bit cautious with this performance of "A Mother Arms" The band are noted for their use of traditional acoustic instruments such as guitar, banjo, harmonium and ukulele, accompanied by electronic sounds and beats generated by drum machines, samplers and synthesisers. Pennycook possesses a powerful singing voice, which, in combination with the unorthodox instrumentation, lends the band a distinctive sound. So we go ahead for some more uptempo music and a song to exemplify their use of synths and drumcomputers here's "Crank Resolutions". In 2012 they released their third album " Something for the weakened" From that album this track with a more acoustic approach "Lament for a teenage millionare" And we end with the same song we started with but now it's the album version, of "A Mothers Arms".

Warm Wednesday VII

Well out here it's getting cold so today it's simply the Beth....Beth Orton who's giving us a warm wednesday.

Beth Orton, is a BRIT Award–winning English singer-songwriter. Known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica, she was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers in the mid 1990s — but these were not Orton's first recordings. She released a solo album, Superpinkymandy, in 1993. Since the album was only released in Japan, it went largely unnoticed by international audiences. Her second solo album, Trailer Park, garnered much critical acclaim in 1996. With the release of the albums Central Reservation (1999) and the 2002 album Daybreaker, with up tempo pop songs and acoustic ballads. It featured guest appearances from musicians such as The Chemical Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Ryan Adams and Four Tet. It was a great commercial success, reaching the top 8 of the UK album chart, and received largely positive from the press, ranging from "Her best work yet" from Mojo magazine. Beth developed a devoted fan base. On her 2006 release, Comfort of Strangers, she has moved towards a more folk-based sound and away from the electronic sound of past albums. This year she released the Album "Sugaring Season" (another carbon neutral album by the way). Here's the full album stream on Youtube starting with the beautiful song "Magpie" She once said "My voice sounds like a piano with a quirky key". Thats what I like! Here's a soundcloud link to Magpie.