Benoît Pioulard
Hymnal
Kranky
/
2013
LP
19.99
KRANK178LP
Incl. VAT plus shipping / Orders from outside the EU are exempt from VAT
Tracklist
1Benoit Pioulard – Mercy 3:00
2Benoit Pioulard – Margin 3:15
3Benoit Pioulard – Foxtail 2:33
4Benoit Pioulard – Gospel 6:14
5Benoit Pioulard – Censer 3:35
6Benoit Pioulard – Hawkeye 3:49
7Benoit Pioulard – Florid 2:51
8Benoit Pioulard – Excave 3:56
9Benoit Pioulard – Knell 5:42
10Benoit Pioulard – Homily 1:11
11Benoit Pioulard – Litiya 3:21
12Benoit Pioulard – Reliquary 3:07

Hymnal is the fourth kranky album by THOMAS MELUCH under his musical alias BENOIT PIOULARD, following Précis (2006), Temper (2008) and Lasted (2010). It was written and recorded throughout a year spent in southeastern England and on the European mainland, during which the ubiquity of religious iconography and grandiose cathedrals became an unexpected muse. Raised as a Catholic but never especially pious, Meluch drew on this aspect of social history as the basis for Hymnal's 12 chapters. He notes a particular preoccupation with the ways that faith offers a sense of solace and belonging in an existence that inherently provides none, framed in a context of tradition, ritual and the notion of the eternal. Themes aside, Hymnal contains some of Meluch's most expansive instrumental works (“Knell,” “Gospel”) and fully realized pop compositions (“Hawkeye,” “Reliquary,” “Margin”), making for a rich and dynamic long-playing arc. Also featured are string arrangements by kranky label mate FELIX and guitar work from ambient maestro KYLE BOBBY DUNN. NB: The album's cover depicts the dessicated interior of a centuries-old tree on the estate of surrealist Edward James.