Mesadorm’s debut album ‘Heterogaster‘ was a fantastic introduction to a superband style of mature indie pop. Each person brought something unique and interesting and you could hear where they expressed themselves in different songs across multiple genres. ‘Epicadus’ is utterly the opposite – it’s the acoustic version of ‘Heterogaster’ with some new tracks to boot.
Seven of Heterogaster’s tracks are rearranged into an acoustic version for ‘Epicadus’. That isn’t just a guitar or piano and vocal rendition – it’s a removal of synths and clever tech trickery and replacements with simple drums, double basses, xylophones, string arrangement. In many ways, arrangements of epic tracks like ‘Obsidian’, ‘Alice’ and ‘Heterogaster’ end up feeling more cinematic at times because of the analogue feel they bring. The big epic arrangement is saved for ‘One of My Friends’ which is utterly glorious in its soulful, southern blues rearrangement. Other tracks such as ‘Easy’ and ‘Colour and Sound’ are more subtle and cleaner in their arrangement, focusing on vocal layering and a more gospel vibe to proceedings. It’s entirely down to personal choice over which versions are better but I appreciate that for the vast majority of these acoustic versions, they are sufficiently different enough to breathe new life into already superb tracks.
Mesadorm provides three completely new tracks for the album. ‘Rabbit’ and ‘The Joy That Joins Us Up’ are the quietest tracks on ‘Epicadus’ and are mostly piano and vocal pieces. The latter of these is delicately put together with the gingerest of backing vocal hums to evoke those tears. My favourite of the new tracks is ‘When She’s in That Mood’ which is a flowing wave of music where all the instruments and sounds just breeze over you cinematically and dramatically. GoGo Florence Penguin as a mash-up perhaps? I’m not sure but I know it’s beautiful.
‘Epicadus’ may not be the best place to start, depending on where Mesadorm goes next with their music. However, if anyone is looking for mature alt-pop-rock that strips away all the bells and whistles to leave just pure melody and emotion exposed – you’ll love this.
Recommended track: When She’s in that Mood
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Mesadorm - Epicadus
