In August, the Portland, Oregon symphonic indie folk band Musée Mécanique released its sophomore LP, the high-minded and ornately arranged From the Shores of Sleep. Musée Mécanique, fronted by the longtime musical partnership of Micah Rabwin and Sean Ogilvie (the latter of Tristeza fame), is a band that manages to both sound very much like a product of its environment and rise above its native scene through meticulous and creative songwriting. Anyone familiar with the evergreen-lined Pacific Northwest will no doubt hear aural similarities to those environs in Musée Mécanique’s music, particularly the through-composed tunes of From the Shores of Sleep. Now, the band is offering listeners to dive even further into the music’s deep arrangements by producing an instrumental version of the LP, which you can stream below.
On the matter of the choice to release From the Shores of Sleep as an instrumental album, Rabwin said this to PopMatters: “All of these songs were conceived with one instrument and a voice. As we went through the process of arranging and recording we realized that the arrangements were as integral to the songs as the lyrics and chords. The instrumental version gives the arrangements their own voice.”
From the Shores of Sleep is out now via Tender Loving Empire. The instrumental version of From the Shores of Sleep will be out on October 28th.
Musée Mécanique will be taking to the road, performing all across the United States at the dates below:
10/24 Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
10/25 Wichita, KS @ Fisch Haus
10/26 Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Saloon
10/27 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
10/28 Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
10/29 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
10/30 Northfield, MN @ HeartWork Yoga
10/31 Fairfield, IA @ Arbor Bar
11/2 Columbus, OH @ Brothers Drake
11/5 New York, NY @ Cake Shop
11/7 Biddeford, ME @ Hogfarm Studios
11/8 Burlington, VT @ Skinny Pancake
11/11 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
11/13 Fort Worth, TX @ Live Oak
11/15 Marfa, TX @ El Cosmico
11/16 Silver City, NM @ house show
11/17 Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space
11/18 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
11/19 Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg
11/20 Carmel, CA @ Barmel
11/22 San Francisco, CA @ Hotel Utah