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Sounds to soothe savage beasts

By John Kenyon

There is an odd disconnect between the elation in fans elicited by the music of Margo & the Nuclear So and So’s and the ornate melancholia of that music.

Band leader Richard Edwards himself seems to fall toward the mopey end of that spectrum. Despite some battles with his new record label over the band’s latest release, he sounds practically dour about the whole affair, a far cry from the usual enthusiasm and joy expressed – even if it is sometimes an act – by most artists on the eve of an album’s release.

Then again, those troubles certainly have dominated the storyline about the band’s sophomore outing. The group worked for two years on Animal, the follow up to its acclaimed debut, The Dust of Retreat. But its new label, Epic Records, didn’t like what it heard. Edwards protested, and the two parties compromised: Epic will release two albums on Oct. 7. The first, Animal, is the band’s vision for the record. It will be released as a double vinyl album and a download. The version that Epic preferred will be released as Not Animal the same day on CD.

“It was a bummer,” Edwards says. “Nobody likes there not being enthusiasm for their record. But I’m OK with the compromise. There are good and bad things about it.”

The band has been clear in posts on its MySpace blog and elsewhere that it wants fans to consider Animal its real second album, calling Not Animal “a label-compiled collection of songs.” Edwards later says that a couple of Not Animal songs were close to making Animal, but that those ultimately chosen “had a little more substance musically.”

Further confusing things, each album includes 12 tracks, with five tracks found on both releases. So, technically, the band is releasing 19 songs over two different releases. The first single, “As Tall as Cliffs,” is found on both.

While the label’s willingness to call its version Not Animal would seem to infer for even casual listeners that there is probably something called Animal also available, it’s also clear that the label’s version will be the more readily accessible and heavily promoted of the two.

“I don’t really care if they promote it or don’t promote it,” Edwards says. “I think if (Animal) is good, people will discover it and get into it. I wish they would (promote it), but you can’t spend too much mental energy on it. At least it’s out there.”

It’s a strange path for a band tabbed by many for great things. Their debut disc, issued in 2005 on a tiny label and reissued in 2006 on Artemis Records, earned near-universal accolades. It offered Edwards’ catchy folk songs adorned with numerous instruments to create a deceptively simple batch of lush, brooding tunes.

In an interview from 2006, when Edwards and his seven bandmates began recording what became Animal, he said, “I think the next record will be a bit more operatic in terms of melody. Lyrically, it’s not quite as idealistic. Technology based. The touring surely makes us more confident and tighter.”

Today, he says, “Animal didn’t turn out as operatic as some of the songs I was writing when we did that interview. I think everything has matured a little bit and gotten a little bit more unique. I like the record a lot more than the first one.”

There is a definite maturation on display. The songs are more sophisticated, their arrangements more intricate. The result is a more difficult listen because the hooks aren’t quite as obvious.

“I think it does take little bit of time,” Edwards says. “I think it’ll pay off when people listen to it.”

Part of the change comes in the way the disc was recorded. The debut was done with people coming in and out, recording between day jobs and other commitments, Edwards says.

“On this one it was everybody in the studio for three months,” he says. “Vocal stuff, specifically, it was going to be a lot heavier. Some of that stuff was planned, to really go in and build the vocal parts.”

The resulting songs are more difficult to perform live, but Edwards says it’s more exciting because of the challenge of adapting them for the stage.

“It’s a whole different thing playing these songs,” he says. “The last one it was all, four-chord verse, three-chord chorus. They were constructed like little folk songs with a bunch of instruments, and these are a little bit more challenging.”

Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30 with David Vandervelde and Judgment Day at Old Brick, 10 S. Market St., Iowa City. The show is presented by the University of Iowa’s SCOPE Productions. Tickets, $13, are available online or at the University of Iowa Box Office located in the Old Capitol Mall.