Arab Strap - The Week Never Starts Around Here (1996)
I was still well into the Stella Artois fuelled self congratulatory haze that Britpop had become when I first became aware of Arab Strap. My quiz-addict friend insisted on playing The First Big Weekend on our sixth-form radio station and my head was turned. Who was this grumpy-sounding Scottish bastard capturing a night out so perfectly over a mesmerising guitar and drum machine? Why the fuck was I still listening to Menswear when this was the alternative?
Admittedly, it took a while for me to really like this record. Different songs caught me at different times. The drums from 'The Clearing' were terrifying at first before making perfect sense after repeated listens. 'General plea to a Girlfriend' was tragic, funny, stripped and distorted all at once and pointed toward a future favourite topic for Aidan Moffat. My favourite then and now is 'I Work in a Saloon' which sound-tracked my two week career as a barman at the Smuggler's Inn pulling shit pints for shit wages.
Musically and lyrically this might not be their best album, but it's still my favourite.
Chris
I was still well into the Stella Artois fuelled self congratulatory haze that Britpop had become when I first became aware of Arab Strap. My quiz-addict friend insisted on playing The First Big Weekend on our sixth-form radio station and my head was turned. Who was this grumpy-sounding Scottish bastard capturing a night out so perfectly over a mesmerising guitar and drum machine? Why the fuck was I still listening to Menswear when this was the alternative?
Admittedly, it took a while for me to really like this record. Different songs caught me at different times. The drums from 'The Clearing' were terrifying at first before making perfect sense after repeated listens. 'General plea to a Girlfriend' was tragic, funny, stripped and distorted all at once and pointed toward a future favourite topic for Aidan Moffat. My favourite then and now is 'I Work in a Saloon' which sound-tracked my two week career as a barman at the Smuggler's Inn pulling shit pints for shit wages.
Musically and lyrically this might not be their best album, but it's still my favourite.
Chris
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