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Merz

MusicBlog

Location: United Kingdom

Website: http://www.merz.co.uk/

Bio: After walking away from huge hype and a major label deal in 1999 and disappearing completely, Merz returned in 2005 with the critically lauded album ... (more) Loveheart. His third album, Moi et Mon Camion, is set to produce the same kind of fawning from all corners with its mixture of beautiful balladeering, heartfelt tunes, intricate production and a display of Merz's multi-instrumental talents. The Presume Too Much EP is a snapshot of his upcoming full-length effort—an abbreviated look into the immense depth and authenticity of the modern day troubadour. It’s set for a digital only release August 26, 2008 and will be followed by the US digital and physical release of Moi et Mon Camion in early 2009

Since Loveheart was released, Merz has been touring Europe with The Earlies, playing all over the world at festivals as diverse as Green Man, Montreux Jazz festival in Switzerland and SXSW. More acclaim followed in the US, where the track 'Dangerous Heady Love Scheme' was iTunes Single of the Week, and 'Postcard From A Darkstar' was also Single of the Week with influential LA radio station KCRW.

Merz has spent much time traveling England in the last few years, and this restless spirit sets the tone for Moi et Mon Camion and it’s abbreviated Presume Too Much EP version. Named after a West Country removal firm who have moved Conrad and his wife's belongings several times, the album even begins with the sound of their truck packing up and leaving. The album itself was written on the move, as Merz was relocating from Bristol, to Plymouth then subsequently to Bath.

Further adding to the transient and homeless theme, Conrad employed the singing talents of an itinerant local to help with backing vocals on the album. “I wanted a vocalist who sounded like an old man, I told Bruno Ellingham who produced the album and he said 'what about the Old Man of Bath?' It turned out to be a down-on-his-luck thespian who lived in the local hospice. We brought him in and despite it being impossible to get him to sing the same melody twice, he ended up singing on three songs".

One of those songs is 'Eviction Song', where the Old Man of Bath does a fine job, adding another level of meaning to the song about Conrad moving house, yet again. The intriguing character asked only for a bottle of whisky and a 4 pack of Tenants in return. Conrad was also joined by a few more notable musicians for the album. Charlie Jones, some time bass player with Robert Plant & Jimmy Page and Goldfrapp helped out, as did Clive Deamer, drummer for Portishead and Roni Size and coincidentally, now drumming with Robert Plant. The Earlies also join Conrad for a guest spot, singing backing vocals on 'Call Me', dropping in on their way back from Glastonbury.

For an album surrounded with so much un-rest and with its creator in a permanent state of flux, it’s also relevant to mention that while the record was being mixed, Conrad's house in Bath was plagued by 140 bats living in the wall cavity. “Come dusk our garden looked like a version of the battle of Britain, with hundred of bats swooping around at super fast speeds. We were chasing them out of the house, being dive-bombed by them when we were outside and kept up at night by their high-pitched squealing". And so, the pair moved out, again.

Merz presents real stories—first hand working-class accounts—told through gorgeous melodies and a smart British accent. The Presume Too Much EP is a snapshot of the songwriter’s power to deliver instantly compelling tunes. (less)