Russell Leadbetter

Progressive rock’s elaborate compositions, classical influences, fantasy imagery and ambitious live performances made it both influential and divisive. Although punk musicians and critics accused the genre of being pompous and soulless, its major bands remain active and the music continues to attract new listeners. The article highlights a renewed public profile through concerts and publications, as well as Scotland’s flourishing prog scene, including the Wha’s Like Us 2 festival in Glasgow. Co-organiser Bela Alabastrom argues that prog has continually adapted rather than disappeared and is documenting its neglected Scottish history in a forthcoming two-volume book.

Russell Leadbetter revisits Meursault’s 2010 second album, All Creatures Will Make Merry, recalling how the song “New Ruin” first captivated him and examining the album’s critical reception. The piece traces frontman Neil Pennycook’s musical development, the band’s evolution from a solo project into a seven-piece, and the album’s themes of happiness, contentment, love, loss and mortality. It concludes that the record’s blend of folktronica, orchestral textures, urgent rhythms and Scottish-inflected vocals has retained its emotional force and cult appeal.