“Illusio Veri (Album)” by Me & Melancholy
Choosing the theme of “The Illusion of Truth” (“Illusio Veri”) for a full-length album is personally fantastic, in my opinion. If it’s then executed by Peter Ehrling, also known as Me & Melancholy, we’re approaching grandeur. Why, you might wonder? The reason lies in Me & Melancholy’s consistently slightly dark mood, although I must admit that this time, it glimmers a bit brighter in its nuances.
The opening track, aptly titled
“My Bucket of Things to Do Before I Die,” is convincing.
It’s a song that portrays the enduring emotions of hope, fear, and longing, describing a list of things one wants to achieve or experience before their demise. The fact that this list seems to grow longer each year underscores the pursuit of fulfillment and life’s infinite possibilities, all packed into a 3-minute and 30-second song, simply magnificent!
Sometimes, it’s essential to say “no” and disappoint people to remain true to oneself. “Meant to Be Broken” encourages us not to accept everything blindly but to deviate from the path we originally chose.
Moving on to “I Can See You So Clear in the Night,” we encounter a track that represents an intense connection between two individuals. They feel secure and protect each other in the darkness, with the night symbolizing clarity and mutual understanding.
Having immersed ourselves in Peter Ehrling’s world with the first track, we now take our first breath. “Tears in the Rain” reveals various facets, dancing between hope, fragility, and the strength of the human spirit. While the initial songs carried a melancholic mood, “Tears in the Rain” exudes a warm sonic aesthetic, lyrics aside.
Continuing in a poppier vein, we arrive at “24h Square,” a SynthPop track perfectly aligned with love, desire, and the desire to live in the present without regrets.
Next comes “Clear Blue Skies,” where the dark reality and hopelessness coexist with the beauty of moments and the longing for change. Musically upbeat, the song lyrically portrays the darker side of reality, creating an excellent contrast. It’s a world destined for decline, with the fading light of a dying sun symbolizing disappearance and human frailty.
The tone grows darker and weightier with “All the Money in the World,” followed by “The Chosen Few,” which compels everyone to the dancefloor. This track invites reflection on an allegory of the human condition, exploring self-perception, societal awareness, and criticism of hasty judgments.
As we bid farewell, morning breaks, and we reach the last song on the record. The initial impact wanes, replaced by a sense of fear after the euphoria. The search for inner peace begins with “When the Morning Comes.”
This album offers a rich musical tapestry, spanning from Dark-Electro to cheerful Synth Pop. And occasionally, hope shines through, a rarity for Me & Melancholy, as you may know. When comparing the LP to its predecessor, it has turned out slightly brighter and fresher in nuances. Additionally, more investment was made in the drums, with greater attention devoted to them.
In summary, ‘Illusio Veri’ is an album that Depeche Mode never created but would have gladly included in their discography. And if they had made it, it would have fit somewhere between '84 and '87, echoing elements of ‘Some Great Reward,’ ‘Black Celebration,’ and ‘Music for the Masses.’
Peter Ehrling’s sonic worldview encapsulates the darker side of human existence, making it one of the highlights of 2024. Me & Melancholy impresses once again!
Q&A
You recently dropped your third album, "Illusio Veri". How did the creative process go? Were there any songs that needed extra attention, or did everything go according to plan?
For the creative process, I had a had a period during the winter/spring when I was super inspired and created 2-3 songs per week. I think one of the reasons was that I got some new synths and playing around with new sounds is very inspiring. The process to actually finalize the songs did go pretty smooth this time. I think I had to re-record the vocals on 1 song pretty late in the process as there where some strange digital noice in some places that just was not possible to fix.
In terms of sound selection, the album feels fresher and somewhat brighter to me personally compared to its predecessor. Am I mistaken, or how would you describe the choice of sounds?
I’m not sure it was all intentionally to make it brighter, but I think you are right in that it feels brigther and partly it is sound selection but mostly it is because it’s mixed in another way than before that makes it brighter. Then I guess I have found some new favorite synths/sounds that I have not used before. You being from Austria, I have for private reasons been in Vienna 3 times during the winter/spring and you got that Klangfarbe store there that is amazing, where I have spent quite some time and it is hard to leave that place without a new synth :-)
I'd also like to highlight the drum parts, which turned out to be quite playful this time. Did you invest more time in them, or is it due to the mixing/mastering that they stand out a bit more than usual?
Yes I think I have invested more time than before in the drums on this album. I love drums and it has always been a important part for me and I have played around a lot with all sorts of drum sounds. To be honest, I have probably also invested a lot of money on drum sounds/plugins and I probably have more than I will ever have time to go through.
Sometimes when I bring up a song that is almost done but I think is missing something I can just replace the drums and I then it feels complete. Then I guess as you mention, I have mixed and mastered the tracks a bit different this time too and made sure the kick, snare and bass get all the room it needs in the mix so they are more clear.
Were the number of tracks planned, or were there originally more?
I didn’t really plan for the number of tracks and initially I was working on 20 or so tracks and I think I at one point was thInking to make a double album :-) Anyways, after getting my mInd back I thought I would end up with maybe 10-12 tracks.
But I had actually set up a time limit for me when all tracks must be ”releasable” and when that time came I had maybe 10-12 tracks all done, but I dropped 2 or 3 that didn’t really fit into the theme of the album. When it came to choosing the tracks I also wanted to only have songs that I felt could be released as singles.
The overall impression is fantastic SynthPop that really shines in the Dark Electro genre. How would you describe the mood for our readers?
I think the mood has a touch of melancholy but sound wise it might feel less dark than the previous album. But looking at the lyrics it’s no happy ones, except maybe 24 Hour Square. Remarkably, the tracks consistently maintain high quality, I'd even say that excellent songs alternate seamlessly with great ones, and none fall short. Which three songs from the album would you recommend as an appetizer?
My favorite track is ”Clear blue skies” so I must choose that one, then I would recommend ”I can see you so clear in the night” and ”All the money in the world” that are two songs I like more now listening to it after the release. I like the singles to of course, but I have listened to then too many times by now.
What are your next goals? Are you considering taking an artistic break?
I have no special goals, but I have a few things planned. There are a few collaborations I am working on right now. I released ”Under cover part 1” during the spring and a part 2 is not far away. I also had this creative flow the latest weeks so I don’t think I will have a break anytime soon ;-)
“Illusio Veri (Album)” by Me & Melancholy [DE]
Die Illusion der Wahrheit (“Illusio Veri”) als Thema für einen Longplayer zu wählen, halte ich persönlich für großartig. Wenn dieser dann noch von Peter Ehrling aka Me & Melancholy umgesetzt wird, dann nähern wir uns der Grandiosität. Warum, wird man sich eventuell fragen? Der Grund dafür ist die immer leicht dunkle Stimmung von Me & Melancholy, wobei ich gestehen muss, dass es dieses Mal schon etwas heller in seinen Nuancen schimmert.
Der Opener ist vom Titel her sehr gut gewählt: “My bucket of things to do before I die” überzeugt zum Einstieg. Ein Song, der die unvergänglichen Emotionen von Hoffnung, Angst und Sehnsucht darstellt und eine Liste von Dingen, die man vor seinem Tod erreichen oder erleben möchte, beschreibt. Der Umstand, dass jedes Jahr diese Liste länger zu werden scheint, verdeutlicht das Streben nach Erfüllung und die unendlichen Möglichkeiten des Lebens – in einem 3-minütigen und 30-sekündigen Song verpackt, einfach großartig!
Manchmal ist es wichtig, “Nein” zu sagen und Menschen zu enttäuschen, um sich selbst treu zu bleiben. “Meant to be broken” ermutigt dazu, nicht alles ungeprüft hinzunehmen, sondern sich auf den eigenen Weg, den man ursprünglich gewählt hat, zu verlassen. Mit “I can see you so clear in the night” kommen wir zu einem Track, der eine intensive Verbindung zwischen zwei Personen darstellt. Sie fühlen sich im Dunkeln sicher und schützen einander. Die Nacht wird als Zeit der Klarheit und des gegenseitigen Verstehens dargestellt.
Wenn man mit Track Nummer eins in die Welt von Peter Ehrling eingetaucht ist, holt man jetzt das erste Mal Luft. “Tears In The Rain” enthüllt verschiedene Facetten und tanzt zwischen Hoffnung, Zerbrechlichkeit und der Stärke des menschlichen Geistes. Während die ersten Songs noch von einer traurigen Stimmung geprägt waren, erzeugt “Tears In The Rain” eine wärmende sonische Ästhetik – die Lyrics lassen wir hier natürlich außen vor. Sehr poppig geht es weiter: SynthPop pur im Einklang mit der Liebe, dem Verlangen und dem Wunsch, im Jetzt zu leben und dabei nichts zu bereuen. Wir sind bei “24h Square” angekommen.
Die düstere Realität und Hoffnungslosigkeit werden mit der Schönheit des Moments und der Sehnsucht nach Veränderung in “Clear blue skies” beschrieben. Der Song mag musikalisch fröhlich klingen, zeigt aber lyrisch die dunkle Seite der Wirklichkeit und stellt einen hervorragenden Kontrast dar. Eine Welt, die dem Untergang geweiht ist, und das verblassende Licht einer sterbenden Sonne als Symbol des Verschwindens und der Schwäche der Menschheit.
Es wird düster und schwer: “All the money in the world” setzt wieder ein Ausrufezeichen, bevor “The chosen few” alle auf den Dancefloor zwingt. Dieser Track regt zum Nachdenken über eine Allegorie des menschlichen Zustands an – dieser beschäftigt sich mit Selbstwahrnehmung, gesellschaftlicher Wahrnehmung und Kritik an schnellen Urteilen.
Der Abschied naht, der Morgen bricht an, und wir haben den letzten Song in der Rille. Die Wirkung lässt nach und weicht der Angst, die nach dem Rausch auftritt. Die Suche nach innerer Ruhe beginnt: “When the morning comes” beschließt einen Longplayer, der sehr viel zu bieten hat. Von Dark-Electro bis hin zu fröhlichem Synth Pop wird musikalisch alles geboten. Lyrisch blitzt hin und wieder auch Hoffnung durch, was bei Me & Melancholy, wie man weiß, eher die Ausnahme ist.
Vergleicht man die LP mit ihrem Vorgänger, ist sie in Nuancen doch etwas heller und frischer ausgefallen. Auch wurde in die Drums mehr investiert und diesen mehr Aufmerksamkeit gewidmet. Fasst man es zusammen, ist ‘Illusio Veri’ ein Album, das Depeche Mode nie gemacht haben, aber gerne in ihrer Discographie hätten. Und wenn sie es gemacht hätten, dann irgendwann zwischen '84 und '87, hört man doch ein wenig ‘Some great reward’, aber auch ‘Black Celebration’ sowie ‘Music for the masses’ heraus. Die dunkle Seite des menschlichen Daseins im sonischen Weltbild von Peter Ehrling verpackt als eines der Highlights von 2024. Me & Melancholy begeistert erneut!
NENESBUTLER - INDIE MUSIC BLOG
