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| Track List: 1. Crappo the Clown 2. Wake Up 3. The Loneliest Night of My Life Come Calling 4. Best in Me 5. Cold Winter 6. Bring Down (Preprise) 7. Rotten Heart 8. Speed on the M9 9. 1, 2, 3, 4 10. Birdwatcher 11. The King of Bring 12. Devil and the Angel Running Time: 54 minutes Released: 2002 |
What a stupid name. I've also noticed that my 4th listen starts with "4" and my 5th with "5". That pattern ends here. Right, with that out of the way, on to the listen.
I picked up Malcolm's solo albums after getting into Arab Strap (or Falkirk's 98th most influential people according to an anecdote Middleton told at a gig I went to) after they started to appear regularly in the LastFM stations I was listening to at one time... Scottish music featured strongly.
I think I grabbed Sleight of Heart first, as it was new at that point then worked back. This is his first and probably his worst (though I've not really listened to Human Don't Be Angry enough to judge...).
I do remember reading a smart alec comment somewhere along the lines of "If Arab Strap was Aidan singing Malcolm's songs, how come 5:14... was shite but L.Pierre's output was good?" but that is awful close to prejudgement. Certainly it's not a strong start. Wake Up is fairly tuneless and Crappo the Clown does not live up to the name. The extended tag list is reflective of backing vocalists, not just related artists. Going in I don't recall hearing Emma Pollock or Jenny Reeve on this Middleton album, but I'll be listening out this time. I own solo work by both and I am very partial to Reeve's voice.
The Loneliest Night... is the first tune that resonates with familiarity for me. It presages the tone and sound that for me characterises several tunes on later albums, and when more polished represents the Malcolm Middleton that convinced me to shell out... at least before it goes all twangy to end.
Huh. LastFM has a "love" marker for Best In Me. That seems a bit strong, though when the backing starts and Jenny Reeve is in harmony I can maybe see it. I also see that someone has tagged it with "Either they have beards or they should have beards" which is the kind of drive-by, bumper-sticker tag that I approve of, and have been known to drop. That said, it has higher take up than any of mine; 47 people? Really?! Only 1 other person has used "could or should be my theme song"... once, and Happy-Clappy Menace is a truly unique tag. Make that had a "love" marker, but another use of cosbmts now that I listen to the lyrics of Cold Winter. It's a pretty good thing I conflated could and should or that would be a bleak list of tracks. Not as bleak as this album though, perhaps. But then what do you expect from a work that puts Prozac at the heart of its name?
Jesus, Bring Down is unpleasant; thank **** it is short. Rotten Heart is more affable, strangely catchy hook to accompany the now familiar self deprecation. Over very soon, and into more bleak. No guitar, just a piano for Speed on the M9 and a whole bucket of loneliness. I can relate to the emotion, but I don't really think that the delivery works so well and the laughter at the end is a freaky switch-a-roo.
Is it wrong of me to want this listen to end? Not because I am not enjoying it, but because I actually want to go pick up re-reading the Albion RPG (from Silver Branch Games). I've been trying to get myself keyed up to run an RPG again and the mixture of mild post-apoc setting with British folklore is seductive, even though I'm not sure what I would use for core events in the setting as described. Not long to go now anyhow as I'm listening to Birdwatcher. It feels like the vocal performances mature through this album but they are layered over very hit-and-miss melodies, beats and bass and the overall impression is something of a mess, and one that does not encourage a dedicated listen... hence the wandering of my mind.
"I'll never amount to anything [...] and my songs are shite" - its one hell of a self assessment. It is funny what depression can do to our minds. I do like the way that Middleton has used his music to tackle this over the years, but this is a pretty harsh end to the album. I never did identify Emma Pollock's contribution.
Overall? Yeah, it is not great. Pretty glad he carried on doing stuff though, 'cause he definitely improves.
I think I grabbed Sleight of Heart first, as it was new at that point then worked back. This is his first and probably his worst (though I've not really listened to Human Don't Be Angry enough to judge...).
I do remember reading a smart alec comment somewhere along the lines of "If Arab Strap was Aidan singing Malcolm's songs, how come 5:14... was shite but L.Pierre's output was good?" but that is awful close to prejudgement. Certainly it's not a strong start. Wake Up is fairly tuneless and Crappo the Clown does not live up to the name. The extended tag list is reflective of backing vocalists, not just related artists. Going in I don't recall hearing Emma Pollock or Jenny Reeve on this Middleton album, but I'll be listening out this time. I own solo work by both and I am very partial to Reeve's voice.
The Loneliest Night... is the first tune that resonates with familiarity for me. It presages the tone and sound that for me characterises several tunes on later albums, and when more polished represents the Malcolm Middleton that convinced me to shell out... at least before it goes all twangy to end.
Huh. LastFM has a "love" marker for Best In Me. That seems a bit strong, though when the backing starts and Jenny Reeve is in harmony I can maybe see it. I also see that someone has tagged it with "Either they have beards or they should have beards" which is the kind of drive-by, bumper-sticker tag that I approve of, and have been known to drop. That said, it has higher take up than any of mine; 47 people? Really?! Only 1 other person has used "could or should be my theme song"... once, and Happy-Clappy Menace is a truly unique tag. Make that had a "love" marker, but another use of cosbmts now that I listen to the lyrics of Cold Winter. It's a pretty good thing I conflated could and should or that would be a bleak list of tracks. Not as bleak as this album though, perhaps. But then what do you expect from a work that puts Prozac at the heart of its name?
Jesus, Bring Down is unpleasant; thank **** it is short. Rotten Heart is more affable, strangely catchy hook to accompany the now familiar self deprecation. Over very soon, and into more bleak. No guitar, just a piano for Speed on the M9 and a whole bucket of loneliness. I can relate to the emotion, but I don't really think that the delivery works so well and the laughter at the end is a freaky switch-a-roo.
Is it wrong of me to want this listen to end? Not because I am not enjoying it, but because I actually want to go pick up re-reading the Albion RPG (from Silver Branch Games). I've been trying to get myself keyed up to run an RPG again and the mixture of mild post-apoc setting with British folklore is seductive, even though I'm not sure what I would use for core events in the setting as described. Not long to go now anyhow as I'm listening to Birdwatcher. It feels like the vocal performances mature through this album but they are layered over very hit-and-miss melodies, beats and bass and the overall impression is something of a mess, and one that does not encourage a dedicated listen... hence the wandering of my mind.
"I'll never amount to anything [...] and my songs are shite" - its one hell of a self assessment. It is funny what depression can do to our minds. I do like the way that Middleton has used his music to tackle this over the years, but this is a pretty harsh end to the album. I never did identify Emma Pollock's contribution.
Overall? Yeah, it is not great. Pretty glad he carried on doing stuff though, 'cause he definitely improves.
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