Song, by Toad

There’s not much going for the Edinburgh music scene by all accounts. You probably know this because you’re sick of me complaining about it all the time, but apart from a few really excellent bands – Found, Ballboy, Broken Records, Kid Canaveral and a couple of others, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there’s not much going on here. It’s not entirely accurate though. There’s a relatively thriving hush-folk scene which I am starting to get to know, and here and there there are actually some excellent groups to be found, if you are prepared to dig a little.

It’s not often that I sit bolt upright in my chair after a couple of seconds of a MySpace tune, but The Furnace by local lads Meursault did just that for me. Electronica and banjo are not what I would describe as natural bedfellows, but you’d never know it listening to this track. Much in the tradition of Found, but without the frantic tit-over-teakettle pace, this music is part folky and part the kind of electronica that veers from quite dancey to morosely atmospheric. The vocal is a wail of entreaty over the top of this sea of disquiet which can also drift from haunting to yelping in a moment.

I’d appreciate more upbeat stuff in the line of The Furnace, because all the quiet can become a little oppressive after a while, but these fellows are clearly capable of great things and I will be keeping an eye on them this year. There’s an EP to be had from their MySpace page too, which I have ordered and will tell you about in due course, along with a write up of a gig that’s coming up at the Art School. In the meantime, enjoy…

Meursault – The Furnace
Meursault – Nothing Broke