Besides having perhaps the hardest surname to spell in all of indie-rock, Lara Meyerratken is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and singer who has recorded and toured with an impressive array of melodic pop acts. Since rising to the fore as a member of Australian tunesmith Ben Lee’s band, Meyerratken has worked with indie artists such as Crooked Fingers, Dean & Britta, and Nada Surf, as well has having one of her original songs featured in a movie. Most recently, she turned up on Promised Land, the new album by the more folk-oriented singer-songwriter Dar Williams not only as an accompanying musician, but also as a co-writer on the track “Book Of Love”.
All of which makes it not too surprising that she’s decided to step out on her own as well. In what’s probably a wise move, Meyerratken is making it easy on fans and bloggers by billing herself simply as El May. Earlier this year, she released her first disc under that name, a four-song EP titled Sound The Key Note. A full-length album is apparently in the works and close to being finished, according to a recent entry on the artist’s Blogspot blog.
(samples from Sound The Key Note)
I first became aware of Meyerratken through her vocal contributions to Crooked Fingers’ brilliant 2005 album Dignity And Shame most notably her duet with leader Eric Bachmann on the track “Sleep All Summer”. At South By Southwest in 2006, she performed with both Crooked Fingers and with her fellow native Australian Ben Lee, who recruited Meyerratken to be a prime player in his touring band a few years ago. (She was with Lee when he performed his minor hit “Catch My Disease” at the 2005 ARIAs, the Australian equivalent of the Grammys.)
The tracks on Sound The Key Note show Meyerratken, who currently lives in Brooklyn, to be a beguiling singer and tunesmith. Her vocal melodies and harmonies intertwine with deceptively simple piano lines to cast cool, alluring spells; subtle touches of rhythm and strings enhance the mood and the atmosphere in places. The result recalls the music of fellow Brooklyn up-and-comer Dawn Landes, or perhaps Canadian rising star Basia Bulat. (One of the EP’s tracks, “Hero”, first appeared on the soundtrack to the 2005 film The Baxter; in the movie, the song is performed onstage by actress Michelle Williams.)
While it seems likely that her new album will spotlight her original material, Meyerratken also has proven to be an inspired interpreter with an ear for smart cover choices. The song-streaming page on her website includes an exquisite piano-centered rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Brilliant Disguise”; elsewhere, on a compilation record called Souvenirs, she uses considerably more layers on a remake of the Carpenters’ “Yesterday Once More”. (Also worth checking out is her duet with Lee on Don Henley’s “Heart Of The Matter” from a 2005 live-radio performance.)
Though she’s probably primarily known a keyboardist and vocalist, Meyerratken’s website notes that she has also played guitar, percussion, and even drums with other artists. As a solo artist, she’s apparently more inclined to step out front with a guitar:
(El May performing “Want For Wonder” in Iowa City, November 23.)
We’ll let you know when we get further news about the upcoming full-length El May record. In the meantime, the various bits and pieces scattered across the web are a welcome and enticing preview.
