benoit pioulard - hymnal

Thomas Meluch returns as Benoit Pioulard. Last time we heard from Meluch it was as one half of Orcas with Rafael Anton Irisarri. That album being one of out favs of 2012 we were looking forward to this latest work by Melch. More uplifting and less meloncolic than his previous Pioulard albums Hymnal is said by Meluch to be inspired by "religious iconography and grandiose cathedrals" in and around Europe and Great Britain. While the album title and a few of the track titles could be mistaken for spiritual embellishment and on the surface probably have little to do with such 'spirituality' but Hymnal does have an undeniable feel of positive nostalgia that is a much welcomed turn in Meluch's output.