Muriel began as the recording project of songwriter Zak Thomas based in Cardiff, Wales. It incorporates classical guitar driven arrangements, layered vocals, and introspective lyricism. Over time Zak has been joined by a cast of friends and musicians Rachel Crabbe, Andy Oliveri, Jamie Joiner, and Will Davies who have helped him realise his bedroom recordings as fully formed songs and perform them live, where they take a life on their own as lush, emotive soundscapes packed with pathos. This lo-fi quintet releases their self-titled debut album this month, an album that Zak shares explores themes including the stages of grief and his own spirituality.
`Blue Village` eases us in and it`s a dreamy guitar led instrumental soundscape. We have a further gentle dreamy offering in `Seaside Painter` with lyrics that were a fairly surreal stream of consciousness.
Front man Zak Thomas has said that the wonderfully titled `Lavender By The Frames` is about “having a creative drive that at times has to endure through finding a purpose, but celebrates letting go of that worry, instead indulging in the many forms creativity can take—relinquishing the struggle for definitions like ‘work or hobby, art, or practice’ and settling into just doing to do.” A fairly mesmeric listen that rolls along and will have sucked you into it`s beauty before you know it. There`s a breathtakingly tender guitar solo that leads us out in the last minute or so of this number. There`s almost a shimmer to `Relative` on which we enjoy intricately shared guitar chords as a narrative on receiving the news of Zak`s father`s passing leads to a greater contemplation on mortality in general.
`Someone’s Coming In` is another captivating listen with complex guitar chords and a steady drum beat with lyrics that appear to relate to a home intrusion but are relayed in an almost detached manner. We have a gently rolling amble like ambience to `Passing Fields` which almost feels like a visit to or a wander through a place of serenity, a kind of safe place which is visited in times of distress.
`I Hope It Won’t Hurt Me` seems like the singer`s innermost thoughts and fears revealed over a revolving breezy musical soundscape. Another deeply introspective nigh on philosophical musing is contained within `Body Of Light` played out over a busy aural landscape. A body of light being an aspect of the human body, neither solely physical nor solely spiritual.
The album closes out with `Walking Just To Walk` which seems to awaken but retains that sense of a state somewhere between sleep and consciousness.
Although Zak Thomas is the driving force of Muriel and supplies vocals, nylon string guitar, 12 string guitar and electric guitar, his vision is brought to life with the assistance of some gifted musicians with Rachel Crabbe (vocals and keyboards), Andy Oliveri (lap steel, electric guitar, and mandolin), Will Davies (bass guitar) and Jamie Joiner (drums and percussion).
It`s an album that although fairly lo-fi has an underlying beauty about it and is full of mysticism and spirituality which reveals itself the more times you are prepared to listen. A pleasingly rewarding slow burn.
Rating 8.5 /10
