Formed in the late 2000s by multi-instrumentalist Simon Tong (the Verve, Blur, the Good, the Bad the Queen), guitarist Gawain Erland Cooper, and drummer David Nock, London-based folk-rock outfit Erland the Carnival began by experimenting with contemporary neo-psychedelic arrangements of traditional Scottish and English folk songs. Inspired by British folk icons like Pentangle, Fairport Convention, and Steeleye Span, the group, which also includes Andy Bruce, Georgia Sands, and Danny Wheeler, released its eponymous debut album in 2010. The group's sophomore outing, 2011's horror-themed Nightingale, was recorded over a span of three months aboard the HMS President, a World War I era anti-submarine ship moored on the River Thames, while 2014's Closing Time saw the group eschewing the fairy tales, poems, and traditional material of earlier outings for a more personal, albeit still chamber folk-oriented, collection of songs. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi