Mull Historical Society - 'Us' (Blanco Y Negro)
4/5
By: Toby L
The first time your correspondent ever experienced the Mull Historical Society live-experience, 'underwhelming' summed things up best - but this was solely down to context. As the opening act on the super-lauded, now-infamous, first UK Strokes/Moldy Peaches tour back in 2001, the Mulls (aka Colin MacIntyre and backing band) seemed as out of place as a Teenage Fanclub fan in a Limp Bizkit mosh-pit.
Just to recap, here were three, ordinary-looking Scottish blokes in T-shirts supporting a) a US boy/girl duo who dress up in giant animal suits and sing about crack and f***ing, and b) five, super-sexy, well-dressed New York boys that had been sensationalised to high heaven. Who, one was forced to ponder, would be interested in these guys?
Well - they sure showed us. The debut album 'Loss' was packed with charming music-box piano-pop gems, typified by singles 'Animal Cannabus' and the top-40 'Watching Xanadu'. It was indie, alright - melodic, structured, a little cardigan and slippers-y - and, thus, just as it should be.
This, their second LP, doesn't so much provide a sonic-boom to the senses, as it provides more of the same. Ace first single 'The Final Arrears' may prove Mull HS at their most traditional, but there's also a pleasing willingness to deviate into the realms of acoustic balladry ('Don't Take Your Love Away From Me; '5 More Minutes') and even doing a fair impression of Weezer classic 'Buddy Holly' on 'Live Like The Automatics'. No, we're not joshing.
At 15 tracks in length, it may overhang in parts, but as a consistent body of work and prime song-writer in MacIntyre, really, the 'Society still prove that they have few peers worthy of extensive consideration.
Artists in this article: Mull Historical Society
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