Aidan Moffat is best known from the band Arab Strap. I've always liked the idea of that band, but something in the electronic sounds has put me off a little bit. So, this album with its slowcore piano tunes is a perfect way to enjoy Moffat's Scottish vocals and witty lyrics.
The album is very uneven in terms of quality. Some of the songs are amazing, while some songs don't really do anything for me. In that sense, I can't really say this is an excellent album. I can say it's a collection of great and not very special songs.
The album starts with beautiful and simple piano and double bass lines in the song Tasogare that sets the mood but doesn't really extend to being a proper song yet. Let's Stop Here continues almost directly from the intro-like Tasogare. It has some airy pianos that sound like those idle moments when there's nothing to do except thinking about one's life. The vocals also come in in this song and already here, it's clear that they are more about the Scottish accent and lyrics than actually skilful vocals. Cages brings in hasty and fast string instruments and hammered pianos that accompany spoken word vocals. A Short to the Moon has a rhythmic, almost jazzy, style to it. The vocals are actually sung a lot more than on other songs on the album, but I'm not sure if it's a good thing. The swing beat sounds quite nice, but I feel like it's a bit inappropriate for this particular album. Ballad of the Bastard is the first song on the album that I really like. The beautiful and calm piano melodies go really well together with raspy and tired lyrics of an old man telling stories. Then it's time for the masterpiece of the album, The Copper Top. It's about a man who goes to a funeral contemplating his own mortality and getting older. This song defines the theme of the album and in all its sadness it's a very realistic picture of how some people become grumpy old men when getting older. This is followed by a strange rhythmic, yet stripped song Glasgow Jubilee. It almost sounds like a strange Scottish rap song by someone who knows absolutely nothing about rap music. I kind of like this. (If You) Keep Me In Your Heart brings in some electronic beats, while the melodic side is still handled by a simple piano. This is one of the most melodic songs on the album. Dinner Time has some creepy psychedelia in its sounds and strange spoken word storytelling. The Sadness In Your Life Will Slowly Fade is one of the most beautiful songs on the album and one of the most enjoyable ones. I really like the deep double bass sounds on the piano. Even the vocals sound just right in this song. The Greatest Story Ever Told has some rhythms that sound like they're being played on tin cans or pots and pans. Despite the nice piano tunes, this song doesn't really give me that much of anything. The album ends with a lullaby-like song And So We Must Rest where the vocals are muffled and sleepy.
I guess you might call this kind of album very artsy and I think people who mainly like mainstream music would totally hate this album, but I don't think this is still pretentious. This album sounds very authentic and I can feel the pain and grumpiness that comes with getting older.
There's a fantastic music video for The Copper Top as well. It looks like an indie film about a Scottish funderal. There's some beautiful scenery from Scotland and old men with beards, and of course whisky.
As I said before, this is not the most interesting album as a whole, but it has some excellent individual songs. The Copper Top is a masterpiece that I could've bought as a single as well if I ever considered listening to physical singles.
Listen to the album on Spotify.
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