Malcolm Middleton

Malcolm was the "musical" part of Arab Strap with his partner in vocal crime, Aidan Moffatt. Now, he's still the musical part, but adds vocals to his enchanting mix. If you're unfamiliar with his work with (now defunct) Arab Strap, think heady and uncompromising Scottish vocals with some incredible melodies behind them, staggered beats and jangled guitar.


Malcolm's new album, A Brighter Beat, is out on the 27th of February. The lead single, A Brighter Beat, is out now - a brilliant guitar riff teamed with piano leads up to Middleton's vocals which possibly hint at a more optimistic sound for the rest of the album. Dare I say it, he sounds as if he is having a good time rocking out to this one. As for the rest of the album, in his own words:

‘If I was forced to describe it (which I am) I'd probably say it was a pop album for people who hate pop music’ - Malcolm Middleton

Find the video for A Brighter Beat here. Directed by Tom Haines, there's a few interesting things happening here. Balloons as heads is sure to stir up the symbolism if that's what you look for in music videos. Otherwise there is a lot of obligatory slow motion music video running to keep you satiated.

Listen:
Malcolm Middleton - Crappo The Clown (from 2003's 5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine)
Malcolm Middleton - A Brighter Beat (myspace)

Released on Full Time Hobby. Pre-order the album.