The North Sea Scrolls

about this album

The North Sea Scrolls is a concept album and academic lecture by Luke Haines (The Auteurs, Baader Meinhof, Black Box Recorder, and fine solo albums) and Cathal Coughlan (Microdisney, The Fatima Mansions, and fine solo albums), and with narrations by Andrew Mueller, that presents an alternate history of Britain in song and spoken word. The album's premise is that the North Sea Scrolls were discovered stashed in an East Anglian boarding house and the scrolls contain a hidden history of Britain. 50% of the songs are sung by Cathal Coughlan, and 50% sung by Luke Haines. The listening experience suggests that each artist worked independently on the songs - as each style is so distinctive. Cathal Coughlan's songs are harsher and angrier, whilst Luke Haines' are a bit more accessible and immediate. Luke's tunes continue his usual obsessions, and throw in a few new ones too, and the album's concept is typically Haines-ian. After a preamble about the Scrolls we're off and running with a classic Luke Haines song "Broadmoor Blues Delta" which embraces Gomez (the Mercury Prize winning band of yesteryear), a Vauxhall Astra, the man who tried to kidnap Princess Anne, Berkshire, a sing song in a psychiatric unit to Robert Johnson, the "MTV blues" courtesy of The White Stripes, and so on. How can anyone not love this man? Wonderful. Next up is Cathal Coughlan's "Mr Cynthia". A maudlin tune with more obtuse, less literal lyrics. Then comes "I'm Not The Man You Think I Am Karen, I'm The Ac

tracks

more from The North Sea Scrolls

The Whole Show (feat. Luke Haines, Cathal Coughlan & Andrew Meuller) (Bonus Track Version)

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The North Sea Scrolls - The Whole Show (Bonus Track Version)

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'The North Sea Scrolls' The Whole Show

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The North Sea Scrolls - The Whole Show

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Songs from 'The North Sea Scrolls'

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The Whole Show