The Kays Lavelle: Be Still This Gentle Morning

Ten Times mp3 The Kays Lavelle Be Still This Gentle Morning ….. out May 17 (Europe) on Wiseblood Industries

Ten Times (Japanese War Effort Remix) mp3

From Edinburgh, The Kays Lavelle are a band I keep always within my reach… on my phone, on my ipod, in my car. There’s a moment in every week when I just need to close my eyes and lose myself in something that spins me a little bit out of control, in that sort of emotional whirlwind kicked up by love, and the ensuing mental anguish. Love isn’t all sweet and kind, … well ok, it is that, but it’s also fucking intense, ya know?! And while the songs that Euan (and Graeme) write on Be Still This Gentle Morning aren’t all about love and relationships, they lend themselves easily to those subjects. Not only in the lyrics, but in the long, lingering chords struck so purposefully, in the hanging notes of echoing vocals, in the sparsest use of percussion, this band has pared down human emotions to the barest poignancy.

I can’t help but be amazed by that. It’s like some bits of modern art. You look at a painting with only three colors and some people see nothing there. Others see so much creativity, so much intensive focus. I used to be the person who saw nothing, but the more I listen to music the more I see how very little is accidental. I’ve chatted, seemingly endlessly, to Euan about this record, for probably almost a year now. He and I are facebook buddies, having met over on Matthew’s blog Song, by Toad. Euan’s told me of the various steps of getting this album made, the excitement and minor frustrations of how it all comes together when you have little money, little time and wonderful, generous friends and family. I’m incredibly proud of this work. I’ve heard the beautiful but flimsiest of demos turn into fully orchestrated pieces. This is such a gorgeous debut from a band that’s come of age and is now being championed by The Radar Scotsman as “one of Edinburg’s best kept secrets,” I don’t know how secret they are, but I’ll do my damnest to let you know here, how special they are.

Be Still This Gentle Morning is twelve tracks featuring what Euan and I often talk about as being emo-indie based on modern classical. Oh, he might hate me for saying that. But these songs are dark, and bleak, and sad. And they’re also very structurally complete and orchestrated at times. This isn’t haphazard; it’s not folk music that’s been patched together in an organic way over a traditional framework. Yet it doesn’t sound forced either. What The Kays Lavelle do best is re-imagine  those tones and swells and silences that make you go, hmmm and think a bit. Lush with keyboards, songs like “Aftermath” take an earnest vocal track and cloak it in woody, gauzy beauty. “Fires” has a nice characteristic Pennycook intro, all synthy and distorted and producing what Euan calls “the saddest carnival song ever.” It’s not all soft and fuzzy however, “Ten Times” takes on an urgency with a  strong beat and a building surge to the bridge. The remix by The Japanese War Effort takes this one step beyond, it’s also gorgeous. Other tracks like “Scars From The City” and “8 am” sound like perfect backdrops for movie scenes. Not that they’re inconsequential, no… the important movie scenes… the one where she’s walking out the door, and the camera pauses for that moment, the saddest moment of the whole film. This will grab you, my dears. Let it. xoxo

Please do go read the track by track discussion with The Radar Scotsman here.

Tour Dates
May 7 2010 7:00P ALBUM LAUNCH, Glasgow – Stereo Glasgow, GB
May 8 2010 7:00P ALBUM LAUNCH, Edinburgh – Wee Red Bar. Edinburgh, GB
Jun 2 2010 7:00P Euan solo show supporting Sleepingdog – Roxy Art House, Edinburgh Edinburgh, GB
Jun 3 2010 7:00P Euan solo show supporting Sleepingdog – Brel, Glasgow Glasgow, GB
Jun 18 2010 7:00P Leith Festival – Queen Charlotte Rooms Edinburgh, GB
Jun 19 2010 12:00P West End Festival, Glasgow – Venue TBC Glasgow, GB
Oct 15 2010 7:00P The Barrells Alehouse, Berwick Upon Tweed Berwick Upon Tweed, GB