The Moulettes keep it natural on their new album

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      In 1977, Pink Floyd released Animals: a concept album describing the allegorical exploits of sheep, dogs, and pigs. 39 years later, prog-rock quintet Moulettes has done the same—but, true to its eclectic reputation, the band didn’t just look to farm staples for inspiration.

      What creature did the group choose instead? You guessed it. The Halicephalobus mephisto nematode worm.

      “I read an article about the extremophiles of the natural world,” singer and cellist Hannah Miller tells the Straight on the line from the band’s Winnipeg hotel, “and it changed my world-view. That particular worm had only just been discovered, and it completely turned the scientific world on its head. It lives without oxygen and sunlight, faces extreme pressure and extreme heat, and thrives about 3km underground. It looks like a Pan’s Labyrinth monster—it’s got such a funny little face. It captured my imagination. That worm reminds us that there’s this whole other world that we’re just not aware of. There are so many gaps in human knowledge, and this record is about prompting people to recognise that we don’t understand as much as we think we do.”

      Naming their album Preternatural—a title set to invoke “the space between the known and the unknowable”—the Moulettes’s 11-track disc takes listeners on a tour of the natural world. Celebrating everything from pufferfish to ocean coral with its Queen-meets-Tangerine Dream-meets-Pentangle sound, the record blends electronic instruments and complex string lines to create a new riff for every organism.

      “We covered a lot of creatures,” Miller says, “even parasites. That track in particular was quite a journey. It started off being inspired by the mind-controlling codycep fungus, which can completely change its host’s behaviours. It makes ants in the tropics willingly leave their homes in the leafy canopies, go down to the dangerous forest floor, attach their mandibles to a leaf and stay there until they die. The ant commits suicide, and that allows the fungus spores to spread. But then I started looking further into the word ‘parasite’, and it became even more relevant. It originally comes from the Ancient Greek word ‘parasitos,’ which refers to somebody who entertains others for their dinner. Which, to be honest, isn’t so far from the life of a musician.”

      If you're thinking that Preternatural sounds particularly profound for a modern album, you'd be correct. But that's not even the half of it. Carefully selecting each creature for its unique characteristics, these organisms create a launchpad for a more politically-charged idea. By celebrating some of the world’s most exotic animals, Preternatural aims to highlight to the damaging effects of global warming.

      “There are a lot of love songs out there,” Miller says. “And lost love is definitely sad, but lost species are a tragedy for everyone. I think it’s hard to know what to put your weight behind when there's so much shit hitting the fan right now, but looking after our planet is the most important. Climate change denial is going to seem even more absurd as the years pass, and we’ll get to a point where we can’t ignore it anymore. This record aims to help us focus on what’s significant. We’re using the natural world as a mirror for examining our behaviour as humans—that’s the real concept behind the album. Side B in particular takes a dark look at the human psyche in its sound and lyrics, and examines how phenomena in nature can be used to talk about people’s actions.

      “Music is a living thing for us,” Miller continues. “And like the animal kingdom, our songs will keep adapting.”

      Moulettes: Behemooth (Live)

      The Moulettes play at the Vancouver Folk Festival at Jericho Beach Park every day from Friday (July 15) to Sunday (July 17). See the website for details.

      Follow Kate Wilson on Twitter.

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