Mull Historical Society, a Glasgow based collective revolving around DIY musical obsessive Colin MacIntyre, are the latest Scottish export to have allowed the somewhat inclement weather conditions north of the border to colour their gloomy yet infectiously catchy song writing sensibilities.
From Roddy Frame and Deacon Blue to the stadium filling desperation rock of Travis, MHS are firmly rooted in the Scot rock tradition, and on the basis of this album, it is a musical canon in which they can more than hold their own.
At their best, namely 'Barcode Bypass' and former single 'Animal Cannabus', MHS display a rare rhythmical melodic touch and flair for driving power pop. At their worst ('Public Service Announcer' and 'Only' - reminiscent of a slightly bloated Aztec Camera after 11 pints) MHS perhaps rely too heavily on sweet melodies and rye observational lyrics to divert attention away from an unwieldy trad. bass, drums, guitar backing. Either way, however, the songs are solid and the arrangements thoroughly tried and tested.
The acid test for the MHS sound, however, will come if and when 'Loss' attracts the kind of attention so lavishly heaped upon it's musical precursor 'The Man Who... '. Arguably, Travis' problem has always been that they simply do not sound as if they should be as big as they actually are. It may sound miserly and unambitious but songs of such honest, solitary, kitchen sink misery have never quite worked in the day-glo world of All Stars and Shaggy. This kind of thing has always been easier to stomach coming from emaciated, undernourished life casualties in the Brilliant Corners, Trash Can Sinatras mould - bands who you can genuinely believe are living the Kleenex-love, bed sit dream to the full.
With such cheery one-liners as "only I know how hard I tried to get nowhere" and "I'm determined to be a loser" Colin MacIntyre could potentially suffer similar credibility problems. It can be taken as read that the music of MHS will always work in those dreary student indie discos that will be forever 1983. Whether this album can survive the crack of dawn world of SM:TV, something that Travis' recent success suggests could be a distinct possibility, remains to be seen.
