Something to Mull Over

There’s something about pining reedy voices that makes me do a double take, or in this case, a double listen-to. Mull Historical Society is the nom-de-guerre of one-man Scottish indie band Colin Macintyre. Macintyre hails from a tiny island of Mull off the coast of Scotland, and the offbeat name actually comes from the island’s genealogical society. Lately, he’s since dropped MHS and has been using his real name for the band.

I almost wanted to kick myself for missing out on two of the critically-acclaimed albums released under the MHS moniker: Loss (2001, Warner Bros. UK) and Us (2003, XI Recordings).

All the same, good music is good music, even if it’s an old album and you’ve only just heard of them for the first time. Maybe it’s the slightly nasal, watery tenor voice that got me - Macintyre sounds like a euro version of Ben Folds Five. Loss and Us are quite a revelation, and both could be the best albums to have a go with before sampling his newer releases.

MacIntyre churns out sunny, hummable pieces with Loss. Although some songs suffer from repetitiveness, they do have a charming quality that is both compelling and engaging.

He strokes his quirky side with doses of interesting instrumentations – 80s synth, xylophones, a children’s choir, and even alarm bells in ‘Public Service Announcer.’ Every piece in this album is slightly spruced up and embellished with inclusions such as these. Memorable songs include the ‘Barcode Bypass,’ a song about the closing of a corner shop, ‘Watching Xanadu,’ and the eternally beguiling ‘Animal Cannabus.’

Although much slower-paced and melancholic than Loss, Us shines with emo-pop you can tolerate. It’s likable; and while you may have gotten used to the earlier album’s tempo, Macintyre’s brings his signature odd bits to the songs. In ‘Final Arrears,’ he includes a public announcement recorded from a shipyard. ‘Supermarket Strike Back’ belies an anti-suburban theme, while ‘Can’ and ‘Oh, Mother’ are the album’s more remarkable tracks.

Mull Historical Society gives music lovers a sumptuous multi-instrumental music buffet that is rousing, mixed in with a world-weary voice that still evokes optimism. It’s not too late to dig up his older albums - listening to this wonderful Scottish indie band may even be a Eureka moment.

Where were we when the world first heard him? Apparently with ears pointed somewhere else.

Rating: 4/5

- Meg Cabanes

Links:
http://www.myspace.com/colinmacintyre