Waxing Gibbous

Between King Creosote, Glasvegas and the Twilight Sad, there has been a resurgence in Scottish power-pop of late. While this might not be the ‘correct genre’, it roughly demonstrates the premise on show; honest lyrics, beautiful song writing and guitar playing, and various mixes of sweet melodies and crashing distorted violence. 

Former Arab Strap fan and fellow Scot Malcolm Middleton fits snugly into the above fold with material of similar tone; dark and brooding, sincere to an almost unbearable level and often enough, the music fades in and out with surges of delight and danger. Waxing Gibbous, his fifth solo album, begins in such a surging vein. Album opener and opening single ‘Red Travellin’ Sock’ simply  thumps along at 100mph with a straight forward raucous benevolence. It sounds folksy and fragile, like much on offer here but all held together by a strength in the man who sings from his gut on every line. ‘Kiss at the Station’ would be perfect for power walking. It’s a stern and urgent track, one that fiddles with a Talking Heads-esque break and bounces right back into the original dashing fray. ‘Zero’ is a stand-out. With it’s Napoleon Dynamite keyboards and transient 80s feel, it captures an exquisite piece of pop writing. The good moments continue with the gorgeous ‘Don’t Want to Sleep Tonight’ and ‘Shadows.’ 

Unfortunately, a mainly excellent album is lagged down with some rather depressing and uninspiring numbers. ‘Carry Me’ comes across as very preachy and scary, with its sincerity and honesty making it difficult to listen to casually. Those who want an intense introspective journey will be delighted however and the tone is carried over then into ‘Stop Doing Be Good’ and ‘Ballad of Fuck All.’ The album gets weighed down, especially by the latter tracks. Where as Creosote balanced his latest album Flicking the Vs excellently, there is a lack of such close attention here for Mr. Middleton. Dreariness takes hold and much like his former bandmate Aidan Moffat’s latest effort, it all becomes a little flat, possibly even boring.

Waxing Gibbous is better though. Not really one for the Summer but between some fantastic songs, some good and ultimately a handful of beguiling one, it‘s nevertheless a good album.