Arab Strap - The Red Thread
(Matador)
Arab Strap have built their reputation with simple but amazingly evocative music and
explicitly powerful lyrics. While their newer work may be somewhat less explicit (possibly due to
Aidan Moffat's more stable relationship) and more complex, it has lost none of its power.
The album begins with the incredible "Amor Veneris" which is one of the simplest of all
Arab Strap's songs. It features subtle, picked guitar, faint piano, and Moffat's tale of a more
comfortable and stable relationship, but one that still includes it's fair share of jealousy and self-conscious doubting. "Last Orders," the second song, introduces the heavier, more full element that
is common on the album with stronger beats and more complex arrangements. The third track,
"Scenery," is classic Arab Strap at its best.
The rest of the album continues as you might expect from Arab Strap, with intimately
personal lyrics and hauntingly beautiful music. "Love Detective" is the only exception, which is
probably the most upbeat, straightforward Arab Strap song to date. "Turbulence," the final track,
completes the album's tales of paranoid and suspicious relationships, broken hearts, and sex and is done with
a maturity and polish never before seen.
The Red Thread maintains the intensity of previous Arab Strap releases while managing,
still, to mature and develop. Arab Strap's development has most certainly not reached its climax,
and, I expect, we can look forward to even more heart-wrenchingly pathetic, but beautiful tales of
love.
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