merope

New album Vėjula out 5 November on Stroom and granvat. Merope’s roots lie deep in the soil of Lithuania's folk songs, connecting them with ideas from across the cultural map. Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė's kanklės and singing are the foundation of their celestial folk reinterpretations, joined by ornate, experimental guitar and electronics from Belgian multi-instrumentalist Bert Cools, creating an intimate soundscape and guiding the duo towards the unknown. Diving into ancestral words and melodies, they present a contemporary vision of ancient Baltic music. Tangling elements gleaned from jazz, traditional, ambient music, 20th century minimalism and kosmische into their moving, humanist compositions, they provide a soundtrack for today's international landscape. By their third album 'Naktės', Merope had fully developed their signature, taking inspiration from the moonlight on a suite of ambient folk abstractions recorded at the dead of night. They expanded their scope, on their fourth album 'Salos', made alongside Vilnius chamber choir Jauna Muzika. Released in '21 on Belgium's Stroom label. Vėjula will be their most experimental full length to date and is a celebration of collaboration and playfulness. Like its predecessors, the duo's fifth album still roots itself in Lithuanian folk forms, but sprouts out spiritedly from that point into unfamiliar landscapes, muddling ancient themes with contemporary philosophies, concepts and technology.