El May
Ely May
By David Chiu
After paying her dues by being an instrumentalist for the likes of Luna and Ben Lee, Australian Lara Meyerratken finally emerges as her own artist. Under the moniker of El May, Meyerratken crafts a very wonderful indie pop self-titled debut album full of instrumental textures and atmospherics, gorgeous melodies and dreamy, imaginative lyrics. Tracks that highlight those characteristics include the catchy “Don’t You” and the groove-filled “Decide on a Direction and Go”; the last song “Hold Yourself” tempers the infectious mood of the record with gentle, almost haunting balladry; With her vocals up front and center, Meyerratken possesses a stately and elegant singing style that is equally distinctive as her instrumental and arranging prowess. El May harkens the approach of Lindsey Buckingham, ELO’s Jeff Lynne and many other musical geniuses. It’s hard not to be captivated by the modestness yet decorative sound of this album as. It may have taken a while for Meyerratken to finally get around to finally record on her own but if you listen to her album, you can appreciate why.
For info on El May, visit her Web site.
Watch “Don’t You” by El May:
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