(from beat-sketching, July '03) / home / reviews index
Arab Strap - 'Monday
at the Hug & Pint' (Chemikal Underground LP)
Lyrically, Aidan Moffatt brings us more meditations on the pursuit of
romance, or of just another shag, another drink, on a night and its morning;
musically, the duo and their friends have expanded their palette something
wonderful. 'Loch Leven' is as traditionally Scottish as its title suggests
- a wheel of strings and bagpipes - but Arab Strap are the kind of band
who'd state bluntly over this pastoral ballad, "fuck you."
Aidan's half-spoken singing can be compared to the style of Jarvis Cocker,
but he shares little of Pulp's new-found love for nature: explanatorily-titled
'Fucking Little Bastards' recounts his feelings for the birds outside
his window over intense and dirty drums and strings, breaking up into
a fight between opposite speakers. Screaming guitar feedback and a confused
verbal diary are set against the whisper, "I want to party all
the time…"
If all this sounds somewhat depressing; for once, it isn't. For all they have to offer, the two albums between 98's 'Philophobia' and this fifth album are pretty heavy-going, but, with a sense of musical and of their own history, this is the Strap's most accessible and consistent collection yet. 'The Shy Retirer' is ironically upbeat; using synthetic percussion and acoustic guitar under a tale of a night out strangely serves to show how sophisticated they've become since 'The First Big Weekend' with its similar elements. In contrast to the cold, modern beats and atmosphere of a track like 'Peep-Peep', 'Act of War' could've been recorded by the delgados if their Emma was away: "I needed a barmaid and a lover," and Bright Eyes howls while brass and strings climax like the end of an old film. Touchingly sincere in their directness, this is another fine mess they've gotten us into.
