Search - Malcolm Middleton :: Brighter Beat

Brooding, melancholic and impossibly bleak

Richard Brooke | London, England | 01/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brooding, melancholic and impossibly bleak, yet somehow uplifting and joyous, A Brighter Beat is Malcy's finest moment outside of Arab Strap. A combination of everything that was great about his previous two albums condensed into one amazing record. An album for anyone who has ever felt sad for no reason, felt lonely even with a thousand people around or just felt plain grumpy. The songs are sorrowful laments that charm your socks off with their honesty and humour. From the wonderfully silly 'We're All Going To Die', to the beautiful anthem for the shy ones that is 'A Brighter Beat' right through to the epic closer 'Superhero Songwriters', this is a consistently brilliant album. Every word a confessional, every note a wonderful bit of audio therapy. The self deprecating humour packed in every word stops the album descending into self obsessed misery, and forces the listener to crack a smile. A Brighter Beat is a testament to just how much Malcolm Middleton continues to grow as a songwriter. A caustic, grumpy masterpiece for the modern age."