The target is your heart

Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write.

This session features Malcolm Middleton teaming up with The Hold Steady to perform songs by Bryan Adams and Led Zeppelin.

Talk about unexpected combinations and weird bedfellows. It’s seems bizarre just writing it, let alone listening to it. As though my iTunes shuffle function has gone haywire and created some kind of bastard mutant playlist offspring. But this is no science experiment gone wrong. This is the result of a hook up between two acts that are apparently fans of each others work. And they kind of compliment each other in a weird sort of way. Malcolm’s wry delivery fitting neatly enough with The Hold Steady’s brand of good time bar room American rock. But following the criticism of my post about Jeffrey Lewis and Laura Marling the other day, I’ll refrain from overanalysing it to death. All I’ll say is that I’m not particularly a fan of the original Bryan Adams song and this version doesn’t do much to change that. Still, I guess it’s fun.

It does however give me a reasonably smooth segue into mentioning the new Malcolm Middleton album which I’ve been listening to for the past week or so. Initially it didn’t really grab me and if I’m honest, was a little disappointing after his last two releases. But the more I’ve stuck with it, the more I’m enjoying it. There’s no major departures in sound or style from his previous records. It’s what you might describe as reliable and solid. The lyrics are as dryly witty, self deprecatingly honest and as deeply personal as we’ve come to expect from Malcolm. All set to a familiar mix of acoustic melancholic folk rock that alternates between upbeat stompers like lead single ‘Red Travelling Socks’, to the more sedate and introspective likes of ‘Stop Doing Be Good’ and ‘Don’t Want To Sleep Tonight’. A fine record, if not quite as immediate as ‘A Brighter Beat’. What’s interesting, is that Malcolm’s hinted that it may be his last for a while. At least in this incarnation. Whether he comes back with a new band or starts writing and producing for other people remains to be seen but let’s hope he’s not gone for too long.

Malcolm Middleton & The Hold Steady - run to you (Bryan Adams cover - live session version)

Malcolm Middleton & The Hold Steady - your time is gonna come (Led Zeppelin cover - live session version)

Malcolm Middleton - kiss at the station (live session version) original version available on 'Waxing Gibbous'

mp3 / music / malcolm middleton / the hold steady