I fucking love it when I get it right. So here it is- 8 months ago, one of my first reviews was this, by a band I've grown to love, that had a Record of the Week award from Radio 1, and above all, are a bunch of very lovely gents. Like Meursault, they are also from Edinburgh, oddly enough. Enjoy!

North Atlantic Oscillation

Callsigns EP

Kscope Records

www.kscopemusic.com/northatlanticoscillation

Rating: 4/5

Callsigns is NAO’s first release, showcasing tracks from their upcoming full-length. This being the case, the tracks on offer here show a degree of sophistication that has clearly come either through a great deal of hard work or a great deal of gigging. Whichever it may be, the bleepy psych-pop of opener ‘Cell Count’ is a treat for the ears, while the drum-driven ‘Ceiling Poem’ at its heights has a percussive energy equal to any of the most drum-heavy Secret Machines tracks.

Fans of the Beta Band will be at home with the vocal delivery, although the instrumentation of NAO is a great deal thicker on the ground. Cover ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’ is, in the parlance, ‘lush’- this is to say several phased synths play around the vocal line with stereo trickery that spins the head. The unexpected highlight is the show-stealing Engineers remix of ‘77 Hours’, beat heavy and expertly layered with melodic synth lines. Definitely ones to watch.

Meursault

All Creatures Will Make Merry

Song,

by Toad Records

Rating: 4/5

A lot of reviewers (to me) always seem unduly concerned with what they term 'consistency'- i.e. all the songs on the record sounding the same. To me, consistency is not about sound, it's about quality- although sometimes it may not work, unexpected variation that delivers without fail will add value to a record. Case in point- the new TPT album, where 'Barely Breathing' and an acoustic 'Nothing at Best' sit well amongst the modern progressive nonsense (in a nice way).

This is, I guess, how I would approach the new Meursault album, All Creatures Will Make Merry as well. Because here, showcased alongside the a cappella folk of 'One Day This Will All Be Fields', you'll find the Beta Band-via-U2 driving electronica of 'Crank Resolutions', the post-rock of 'What You Don't Have', and the almost Nine Inch Nails-esque industrial of 'New Ruin'. What's more, whilst these deviations from the norm (that is, a pleasant and eclectic mix of folk, rock and electronica) represent the high points of the record, there is a consistent quality to it that means it's impossible to get bored.

It's on tracks like 'Song for Martin Kippenberger' that this becomes obvious- it might not win over a new fan with the first ten seconds like 'Crank Resolutions' will, but it is just as good. And few bands manage that.

So, all in all, a great first record. Let's hope the second is just as quirky and exciting. Three thumbs up, as they say.

Also, if you're interested, check out the BBC Glastonbury footage of them here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/glastonbury/2010/artists/meursault/