SAY Award 2013

Of all the depressing facets and minor annoyances which bug my life, the fact I'm not Scottish is perhaps the one which riles me the most. That might sound like a strange statement for those preoccupied with lazy, negative stereotypes, but there's something about the nation and its people which grip me every time I visit - something that's conspicuous in its absence even in my relatively convenient residence in North East England. What attracts me the most, though, is that along with its widely cited culture and heritage, Scotland also has a knack of spawning some of the most vital and transcendent music around, and even as a staunch advocate of my local scene I find it neigh on impossible not to become entranced by goings on north of the border.
 

2012: A Year In Retrospect

The Twilight Sad

I don't want to cast a downer on the past 12 months, but I think most would agree 2012 has hardly been a vintage year. Let's not get overly dramatic here; affairs in the musical world have been as compelling and headline-worthy as ever, and although short on true masterpieces we haven't exactly been bereft of quality releases on which to gorge. Speaking from a personal perspective, nothing has hooked me in the way that WU LYF's Go Tell Fire To The Mountain or The National's High Violet have in recent times, though to grumble would seem irreverent given the wealth of worthwhile material we have been blessed with.

Live Review: Meursault, The Black Swan, Newcastle, 22/11/2012

Although far from revolutionary, one could make a case for Meursault's Something For The Weakened being among the most intriguing musical transitions of the past year. Largely abandoning their electronic flutters and lower than lo-fi aesthetic, the Edinburgh collective's third LP essentially saw them trade individuality for the songwriting abilities of leader Neil Pennycook, uncovering reserves of depth and emotional resonance previously only hinted at. Some would call it bold, others would call it a regression, but few have disputed the end result - perhaps the finest recent produce from Scotland's thriving folk scene. What's also becoming evident, though, is the extent to which it suits their live shows, a fact reflected by both its heavy presence in tonight's setlist and the moving performance it oversaw.

Album Review: Meursault - Something For The Weakened

Album Rating: A-

It's no secret that Scotland's folk scene is going through a glorious purple patch, but what's not so often mentioned is the level depth and diversity it's currently offering. As well as your obvious frontrunners such as Frightened Rabbit and Broken Records, there's a wealth of less renowned acts operating beneath the radar, not only making excellent music but also doing so on their own terms. Among the leaders of this pack are Edinburgh outfit Meursault, who have won praise from virtually every corner with their dynamic, digitally enhanced take on the genre. It's a formula that's already reaped handsome rewards on their pair of LPs to date, with common sense dictating that natural progression should be the order of the day come album number three. As it turns out, though, Meursault either don't have any common sense or they've bypassed it completely, with Something For The Weakened instead winding up doing the complete opposite.