If you ever find yourself sitting around at home in your long johns, sipping some Blatz on ice and wondering, what the hell ever happened to Arab Strap? Well, we've got an answer for you tonight. And if you do ever find yourself in that situation, call me, because we need to be friends. But back to Arab Strap.
After their demise in 2006, one half of Arab Strap, frontman Aidan Moffat, branched out to create a spoken word album I Can Hear Your Heart.
Now, Moffat is back, this time in Aidan Moffat and the Best-Ofs. It’s not really a band, says Aidan, so much as “an open-door club where anyone with a talent for something I like the sound of is welcome.” The band has a very Broken Social Scene flavor, with no real makeup to speak of but instead a revolving door of artists that come and go as they please, with Moffat being the one constant. The new release from Moffat and crew, titled How To Get To Heaven From Scotland, is set to be released on Valentine's Day. It's a very diverse album that can go from beatboxing to folk rock in mere minutes, but as Aidan explains, it's really an album about love:
“I decided it was time that I attempted to write some positive love songs, which is incredibly difficult to do if you want to avoid cliché and repetition,” says Aidan. “You have to try to make them both personal and universal, which can be quite difficult; you have to try to forget other people are going to hear them while also making sure it will appeal to an audience. There’s a lot more sunshine and happy endings on this record, plus a song about my grandfather’s non-existent ghost and a lullaby about the terror of impending fatherhood. Hopefully I’ve managed to keep it at least diverting for the 37 minutes it lasts.”
Check out the track "Big Blonde" off How To Get To Heaven From Scotland before you head out to pick up this nice little Valentine's Day gift for your loved one. "Big Blonde" has a Dylanesque rambling pace that tumbles over lyrics warmly and with much poise. Check it out, you'll be glad you did.
Aidan Moffat and The Best Ofs - "Big Blonde"