I'm happy to announce the launch of MBV, a new website bringing together Said the Gramophone, Fluxblog, Large Hearted Boy, Catbirdseat and Chromewaves - ie, five of the eldest, creakiest and most consistent musicblogs. All of our sites are syndicated there, but there will be additional content - including contributions from Matt LeMay. We're not entirely sure where MBV is headed, but we hope you'll head over there and help us turn it into a site for intelligent & passionate discussion.

---

It was nice to visit Edinburgh a few weeks ago and find that at last, hooray, a community has formed there that makes great, wild music. I'm still trying to learn all the groups' names, but alongside Withered Hand there's certainly Meursault - who despite a few middling acoustic jams have made one of my favourite albums this year.

I'm gonna get metaphorical in a sec but just to get two one-liners out of the way:

"The Furnace": It's M83 meets Phosphorescent!

"Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues": They borrowed the melody from Neutral Milk Hotel's "Song Against Sex"!

---

Meursault - "The Furnace". BREAKING NEWS: CYBERMAN 3000-D HAD HIS HEART BROKEN THIS WEEKEND. HAS GONE ON RAMPAGE THROUGH COUNTRYSIDE. VALLEYS OF CLOVER BEING BURNED BY CYBERMAN 3000-D'S ROCKET-BOOTS. BARNS SMASHED APART AND LEFT SMOULDERING. TWO SHEPHERDS DEAD. DOGS HOWLING. CYBERMAN 3000-D HAS BEFRIENDED A SWALLOW WHOM HE IS CARRYING ON HIS SHOULDER-MOUNTED ELECTRO-BAZOOKA. THE SWALLOW IS TRYING TO CONSOLE THE CYBERMAN. THE SWALLOW IS SINGING A SWEET SONG. NOW CYBERMAN 3000-D IS SINGING TOO AS HE CONTINUES HIS RUN OF TERROR. UNDER STARLIGHT HE HAS ENTERED THE FOREST. HE WILL EITHER BUILD A NEW HOME OR BURN THE WHOLE WOOD DOWN. MORE LATER.

Meursault - "Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues". BREAKING NEWS: CYBERMAN 3000-D HAS BEEN SPOTTED. HIGH-POWERED TELESCOPES PICKED UP MOVEMENT IN THE BLACKENED WRECKAGE OF THE FOREST. CYBERMAN 3000-D HAD BEEN PRESUMED DEAD AFTER TRANSFORMING THE WOOD INTO AN INFERNO. BUT THERE HE IS, ALL STEEL AND TITANIUM, A GLITTER STILL IN HIS PRISMATIC EYES. HE STAMPS THROUGH ASH, SMOKE SWIRLS AROUND HIS ANKLES. HE MOVES WITH A CLUMSY & MECHANICAL REGRET. EXPERTS PEERING THROUGH TELESCOPE FEEL THAT PERHAPS HE IS BUILDING A HOME, BELATEDLY. BUILDING IT OUT OF CINDERS. HE LOOKS LIKE HE IS WAITING FOR SOMETHING - OR SOMEONE. NO ONE HAS SEEN ANY BIRDS. THE CYBERMAN GLITTERS IN THE SUN.

[buy]