A pagan looking wizard emerges from the mountains; the mist clears and reveals a tall man with a long beard and a staff in his hand. I squint closer and he’s singing, a mournful song that hangs ominiously like the mists on rolling valleys. It’s a warning of bad things to come….
This is the kind of scene that Meilir Tomas’ haunting music conjures in my mind. Born in North Wales, Meilir now resides in Cardiff and has cultivating his talent for instrumentals and vocalisation over a period of years, from his first release ‘’’Bydd Wych’ EP, now he unveils a six track bedroom recorded mini album entitled ‘Cellar Songs’. Meilir’s cinematic, nuanced sound is constructed upon looping instrumentation, pianos, harpsichords, trickling guitar arpeggios, and the odd brush toward the electronic and dominated by ‘that’ voice. It’s more of a sorrowful sigh that washes through each bar, carefully shifting with the ebb and flow of the tides of instrumentation, and pared back orchestration on display. Reminscant of Thom Yorke’s solo album ‘The Erazer’ and the classic Welsh folks song reimaginings of John Cale’s early solo work, Meilir’s tone is unremitantly stark: there are few easy commercial melodies nor many foot tapping rhythms to be heard here, this is a voice of melancholia, experience, tenderness, patience and hands of experimentation and passion.
Opener ‘Shifting Time’ sets the sombre tone, its weaving electro acoustic guitar picks its way through a flickering screen backdrop, while Melir’s voice is at once broken and haunted the sound of a man tossing and turning as he tries to sleep, he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders, quite literally: ‘I want to go to bed but I feel weighed down’ he sings, as bleeping keyboards usher in the final minute and splutter out this elegant soundscape. ‘Troedio’ meanwhile is more traditional, and recognisable of the Welsh folk tradition, sung in his native tongue the tone is still mournful but now resting on a poigninant almost hymn like melodic quality that calls to mind the uninhabited landscapes of Meilir’s small home town of Caerwys.
Standout track ‘Fingertips’ is ushered in by a almost knightmarish piano motif that draws to mind the theme tune of cult David Lynch series ‘Twin Peaks’, while Meilir’s narrative litrerally caresses your subconsciousness, battling with the intimacy of touch of skin and deception. In the background ingenious instrumentation generated by the scratch and thwack of gravel on drum stick, while yearning violins drape over the shoulders of the verses, and glide into the almost wailed repeated refrain of ‘don’t be so strange….’ It’s a darkly captivating listen.
Fingertips by Meilir
In contrast ‘Less Wrong(Part 2)’ is perhaps the most wearing piece on the record lacking even the shifts in sound or intriguing lyrics that characterise his best work, you are left with Melir’s tone and a single piano motif that ends up sounding a little repetitive in this company. Closer ‘Anghyfiawnder’ is a ghostly walk through the forrest at midnight punctuated by echoing piano notes, twinkling triangle tinkles and scary worst case scenarios that race through your mind and are vocalised by our menacing protagonist Meilir. It’s spooky yet somehow spellbinding.
Ultimately ‘Cellar Songs’ is difficult but ultimately rewarding listen, when he gets it right Meilir is undoubtedly a talent, with a ear for a sound that weaves its way unexpectedly into your brain, forged upon the grounding of his classical training, that he adds experimental flourishes to his songs should be applauded and in the live arena his songs breath and grow to even deeper levels. But make no mistake this is a difficult listen it’s as challenging as any of the bare orchestration that’s laid naked before our ears and as such will be an aqcuired taste as it deals with the crumbling subconsciousness and haunted visions, so don’t listen to it before you sleep. Don’t have knghtmares now…
[Rating: 3.5]
