Arab Strap - The Red Thread

With Scottish duo Arab Strap, the buzz tends to focus on Aidan Moffat's lyrics. Heavily accented though they may be, his words are (allegedly) gritty, crude, and despondent. Not being able to fully decipher his brogue is no loss, however, as the music alone (including the sound of his voice) easily stands on its own merits. Sad is not the word for this album — it's only as sad as a rainy day. The songs are dark and moody, without a doubt, but far from the depressing vocals of Morrissey or The Cure's Robert Smith.

Like a rainy day, the music is cinematic and pulses with understated energy. The prominent drums, like dance beats on codeine, tick by metronomically — and their interplay with Moffat's mumbled, half-spoken, too-human voice is already remarkable.

The addition of Malcolm Middleton's delicate guitar lines, and occasional organs, beautifully fills out the soundscapes and takes the songs through unexpected — though never abrasive — changes.

"The Long Sea" stands out with its eerie excitement, generated by organs wheedling in the background of Moffat's slurred mumbling, then giving way to soft female backing vocals and an emergent, wailing guitar. The 10 songs vary in tempo and texture — from the spacious and spare album opener "Amor Veneris" to the claustrophobic urgency of "Love Detective" — and there's not a dud in the bunch. — Will Comerford