Aidan John Moffat

Remember King Midas, who whispered his dark secrets into the earth, only to have a plant spring up and hiss them back to every passing stranger? Former Arab Strap man Aidan Moffat is Glasgow’s equivalent and this album forms a series of spoken-word vignettes that accompany a short story in the CD sleeve. Moffat documents a more dissolute self, from intimate scenes of sordid adultery (‘Party At Your Boyfriend’s’) to memories of gatecrashing a stranger’s gathering (‘Hilary And Back’). Rather than Arab Strap’s bleak beats, it’s backed by lush, John Barry-esque string samples that contrast with Moffat’s gruff tones as deliciously as his brutal honesty jars with raw romanticism, such as “I’ve been planning all our future conversations and picturing your curls on my chest”. A beautiful flower growing out of filth.

Emily Mackay

8 out of 10