Friday 15 November 2019

Merel


Merel were a five-piece hardcore/emo band from New Jersey that were around from 1990 to 1993. They were integral in developing the "emo" sound of the underground hardcore scene in the 90's, with desperate vocals, driving bass lines, syncopated stop-and-starts, and dual guitar chaos, blending octave chords and dissonance. They'll fit right in for fans of Heroin, Mohinder, Hoover, and other like-minded bands of the era. Members of Merel went on to form Rye Coalition, while Merel reformed in full for a few shows in 2013.

Merel put out a handful of releases in their brief time together. The most notable was a self-titled LP in 1993, along with a split with Iconoclast in 1992 and a self-titled 7" in 1991. These were all compiled in 1995, on the again self-titled Merel. This is the most essential listening for the band, as it includes all their prime recorded material. However, thanks to Blogged and Quartered, we also have an early live recording, a demo (that includes both recorded and live material), and two tracks that appeared on a compilation put out by Troubleman United. I've included those as well, since the link at the aforementioned blog seems to be down. Enjoy.

1. Daydreamer
2. Fountain Wishing
3. Vigil
4. Under the Gun/Play Dead/Vigil
5. Bring To Pass
6. Wrong Again
7. Troops
8. Unknown
9. The Give And The Take
10. The Weathering

1. Troops
2. Vigil
3. Under The Gun
4. Bring To Pass
5. The Give And The Take
6. Fountain Wishing
7. The Give And The Take
8. Play Dead

26. Daydreamer
27. Wrong Again

Note: Merel tracks only

1. Lint For Brains
2. So Lovely Breath
3. RustyFishDeadPipes
4. Poolside & Potbellied
5. Waiting For A Fist Fight First
6. Cock Diesel
7. Bile (The Golden Years)
8. Pinatubo Said You Out
9. NewfoundSnideRemark
10. Play. Dead.
11. My Sweet Dull God
12. Shivers Thru A Loophole
13. The Weathering
14. Roadkill
15. The Guest

Note: Tracks 1-8 from the LP
Tracks 9-14 from the EP
Track 15 from the split

3 comments:

  1. Acts 16:31, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 1 Peter 1:17-21, Revelation 22:18-19

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  2. best band, best people. truly blessed to have seen them live

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  3. Found their lp in Moscow record store last year!

    ReplyDelete