Saturday 21 January 2012

Lovesong: Wells & Moffat: (If You) Keep Me in Your Heart & The Copper Top

As 'Everything's Getting Older' was on many folks' 'best of' lists for 2011 I invested in the album. I was aware of Aidan Moffat's work with Arab Strap and admired his poetry; he has a dark and dismissive eye; honest and keen, caustic and cutting; yet there are occasional glimpses of tenderness that strike you dumb. That brutal beauty is evident on this collaboration with fellow Scot, the multi-instrumentalist Bill Wells. I've seen Moffat described variously as 'venomous', 'the Scottish Lou Reed' and 'a right miserable bastard'. Sure, this is 'Marmite' territory and wont be for everyone; but if you can get past the bitter brogue there's a rough integrity to the work that stops you in your tracks, and there's not much music around that can do that to me these days...
Have a look a these two videos; the first '(If You) Keep Me in Your Heart' is probably the most accessible thing on the album; the second 'The Copper Top' will give you an idea of the mordent humour that abides the darkness.

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