A Brighter Beat
Kicking off with the ever-optimistic We’re All Going To Die, Malcolm Middleton’s third solo album A Brighter Beat delves further into the darker side of life. The album is due for release on 26th February 2007 following the release of the title track a month earlier.
We’re All Going to Die has an upbeat tune with quick music, lyrics facing a basic fact of life that people seem to forget. Fight Like the Night is again upbeat, a nice duet with some cool electronics. A Brighter Beat is folky and has a strong tempo but portrays a sad tale of fear and loneliness. Death Love Depression Love Death is as you would expect lyrically, the track opens with acoustics then pounding drums and a funky guitar riff rip open the track. Next track Fuck It, I Love You is a mellow sounding tune, with nice steady guitar and drum backing. It’s quite a sweet song about being lonely and finally allowing those three words to be said to win back a lost love.
Up next, Stay Close Sit Tight is a pessimistic view of the onset of depression and being afraid of death and darkness. It’s quite a beautiful song that goes on to describe the good things in life and asking for patience during the dark times. The tune is slow and quite grand with strings, brass and a good melody. Four Cigarettes is a sad song about needing to get away, about sleepless nights and self-torment. Track eight, Somebody Loves You, is another acoustic track, a declaration of love, simple and lovely with vocals taking the forefront. Up Late at Night Again is slow, with strings for mood – it’s a grand and loud song. Final track Superhero Songwriters opens massively with brass and big crashing drums. This song has an optimism and talks about making a change and the decision to start living life and being happy. A nice note to end the album with.
Malcolm Middleton manages to produces plucky tunes whilst delivering painfully honest lyrics, with an honest voice. It’s clear that he has put so much into the album, and the result is really very good. A fine album to brood over.