Remember Eagle Seagull? If you do, good work – the band came to a messy end a few years ago, finally getting their major-label-hampered second album out, before calling it a day after briefly burning bright in the mid-2000s. Eli Mardock was the frontman of that band, and he decided to start making music again not long after his old band went their separate ways. There is now an album in the can: Everything Happens For the First Time is out in August; its title track was leaked in December, and is streaming below (*free download klaxon*). It’s absolutely wonderful, but it’s not the subject of this piece. The lead track from forthcoming EP NE Sorrow is Born is, though: Cut Me Open is a gloriously understated indie-folk tune that is content not to cut loose until the last minute, having built up from quiet beginnings; heart-wrenching strings and gentle percussion provide the backdrop for Mardock’s excellent voice, in a song that is heavy on atmosphere and possesses a wonderful hook that is difficult to shake once it’s heard. We’ve heard the EP, too, and it’s excellent – look out for further thoughts on that in a week or two, but for now, get your ears round this.

http://soundcloud.com/elimardock/02-cut-me-open

http://soundcloud.com/papergardenrecords/eli-mardock-everything-happens