We think that Bristolian duo Meadowlark deserve more acclaim than they get.
After all, it’s not easy to release a meticulously-crafted debut album, much less one that’s packed full of the sort of soft synth-pop songs that London Grammar dream of writing; but, they did it. It’s not straightforward to hone your craft to the point where you’ve become two of the most compelling multi-instrumentalist live acts that the One on One Music team has seen for a long time; but, they’ve managed it.
In case you hadn’t gathered, we rather like them
We guess that what we’re trying to say is that they don’t often make them like Meadowlark any more. Yes, it’s true that you can barely move nowadays for ambient piano-pop singer/songwriters; and, it’s arguably true that most of them are capable of releasing a solid-enough debut album, or even of landing a support slot on a small UK tour.
Despite this, though, there’s still something that makes Meadowlark stand out from the crowd.
Maybe it’s their musicianship. Throughout the duration of their hour-long set at Bristol’s The Louisiana, the duo – comprised of Kate McGill and Daniel Broadley – hit, twinkle, and pluck their way through more instruments than we could manage to keep count of. While McGill is providing delicate keyboard layers, Broadley is pounding away at a drum pad; while she adds vocals, he fiddles with an electric guitar, or adds a layer of harmonies to the already-rather-pleasant sound emanating from the Louisiana‘s speaker system.
In short, we think that you should go and see them
Maybe it’s the songs. After all, you don’t need us to tell you that Meadowlark‘s songs are genuinely beautiful compositions; even a cursory wander through their Spotify page would tell you that much. Be honest with us: have you listened to them? If you haven’t, you need to. They have this wonderful knack of taking a melodically simple synth-pop song and turning it into something that makes you feel like you’ve been punched right in the heartstrings; it’s glorious.
If we’re honest, though, that’s not the special thing about them. No, it’s the way that the songs are performed live that expose the band’s true talents. Let us put this to you simply: there’s something about the way that McGill and Broadley‘s voices meld together that just sounds… Fantastic. We’ve been racking our collective brains to try and think of a better description for a few days now, but all that we can really think to say is that they just sound really, really good.
We just can’t quite put our finger on it
We’re not sure whether it was the sold-out crowd, the layering of keyboards, vocals, and an assortment of other instruments, or simply the fact that the band gave it every ounce of effort they had from the moment they stepped on to the stage; but, there was something about Meadowlark‘s performance at The Louisiana that really impressed us, and we think that it’d impress you too. So, if you like your songs sad and your vocal/keyboard harmonies edging towards the heavenly, then we think you’d be a fool not to head down to a Meadowlark show the next time they’re in your town. After all, they write great songs, and they perform them perfectly – what’s not to love about that?
