All Creatures Will Make Merry

All Creatures Will Make Merry
Studio album by Meursault
Released April 2010
(hand-printed edition)
24 May 2010 (general release)
Recorded Dec 09-Jan 10, Stockbridge, Edinburgh
Genre Folktronica, indie folk
Label Song, by Toad Records
Meursault chronology
Pissing On Bonfires / Kissing With Tongues
(2008)
All Creatures Will Make Merry
(2010)
Something for the Weakened
(2012)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
BBCfavourable[1]
Beardedfavourable[2]
Clash[3]
Drowned In Sound[4]
The Line Of Best Fitfavourable[5]
The List[6]
Mojo
Pitchfork Media(7.9/10)[7]
The Skinny[8]

All Creatures Will Make Merry is the second studio album by Scottish indie folk band Meursault, released on 24 May 2010. A limited edition, hand-printed version of the album was released in April 2010. Songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Neil Pennycook states that "the main theme of the record is one of contentment – what people are willing to do to obtain it, hold on to it, and what we stand to lose or gain if we try."[9]

Background and recording

Following the critical acclaim of the band's debut album, Pissing On Bonfires / Kissing With Tongues, a newly extended version of Meursault recorded All Creatures Will Make Merry in the winter of 2009, in Stockbridge, Edinburgh. Songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Neil Pennycook states that "playing with a full live band helped shape this record considerably," and praised the contributions of both Phillip Quirie and Pete Harvey: "[they] opened up a huge range of possibilities with these songs."[10]

Pennycook states that his production was influenced by The Microphones and Mount Eerie.[10]

Content

According to songwriter Neil Pennycook, "the themes and motivation behind All Creatures Will Make Merry come from completely different place than those on Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues. I feel a certain duty to myself in terms of my own expectations for this album, other than that I couldn't imagine making an album to someone else's supposed criteria, that is my idea of hell."[11]

Track listing

All songs written by Neil Pennycook, performed by Meursault.

No.TitleLength
1."Payday"1:00
2."Crank Resolutions"4:44
3."All Creatures Will Make Merry… Under Pain of Death"3:50
4."Weather"4:22
5."One Day This'll All Be Fields"3:29
6."What You Don't Have"5:16
7."Another"4:42
8."New Ruin"4:30
9."Sleet"4:50
10."Song for Martin Kippenberger"6:51
11."A Fair Exchange"1:52

Personnel

Meursault perform to a capacity audience at Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh for the launch of All Creatures Will Make Merry

Meursault

  • Chris Bryant
  • Fraser Calder
  • Peter Harvey
  • Calum MacLeod
  • Neil Pennycook
  • Philip Quirie
  • Gavin Tarling

Production and design

  • Neil Pennycook - recording
  • Brothers Grimm - artwork

References

  1. BBC review
  2. Bearded Magazine review
  3. Clash Magazine review
  4. Drowned In Sound review
  5. The Line Of Best Fit review
  6. The List review
  7. Pitchfork Media review
  8. The Skinny review
  9. Pennycook, Neil (31 March 2010). "Meursault's All Creatures Will Make Merry: Track-By-Track". The Skinny.
  10. 1 2 Brown, Ally (5 April 2010). "Meursault: Escape from Auld Reekie". The Skinny.
  11. McMeeken, Euan (9 February 2010). "The Steinberg Principle Interview #12: Meursault". The Steinberg Principle.
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