Malcolm Middleton - Sleight of Heart (Album)
Sleight of Heart is an anthem for anyone stuck in the rat race. Or simply stuck in life. These are honest, straight forward and often disturbingly depressive lyrics delivered with a sunny, upbeat backdrop of acoustic guitar, piano and brush drums.
Initially an obtrusive element, Malcolm’s strong and sharp Scottish accent becomes overwhelmingly infectious, if not slightly inaudible. Comprising oddly catchy melodies that work when they shouldn't, Sleight of Heart is to the point.
Album opener, Week Off, is uplifting and confronting, reminiscent of a hung-over daze on a sunny Sunday afternoon watching the footy. Uplifting through the catchy and up-tempo guitar, cello and drum march, yet confronting through the lyrics Malcolm rambles; “Tired of the thought that if I sleep it only brings a new tomorrow” is typical of this album. Genuinely twisted.
At times throughout the album it may seem that this Malcolm bloke is a fair whinger. Total Belief could be taken as a heap of self depreciating crap, especially with a repeating chorus of “a lack of bike and gentle sleep remind me of my total belief in the depth, of my unworthiness”. And it is a heap of self depreciating crap, but it is brilliant self depreciating crap. Unlike a dead serious and utterly depressing Radiohead song, Middleton delivers these tracks so openly and with so much hate that it becomes a joy to sing along to - “I hate everything I make, this is shit and that is shit and being shit is great / I can't even cook a meal without falling into stress”. When you hate the world, listen to this song and smile.
Sleight of Heart's nine songs are comprised of six originals and three covers, including a cover of Madonna's Stray and King Creosote's Marguerita Red. The reason for the addition of these covers seems a bit of mystery, perhaps it so he is paid an album's wages rather than an EP's. These covers are done in Middleton's typical slow-burning style and they aren't lost on the album, but by no means are they standouts, especially in comparison to Middleton’s own confronting gems.
Minus the covers, Sleight of Heart is so far one of 2008's biggest triumphs. Just make sure you don't lose the lyric booklet – it'd be like owning a treasure chest but losing the key.
