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Arab Strap, "Monday at the Hug & Pint"
The Monday night crowd at any bar is probably an interesting bunch. On their latest album, Arab Strap gives us their rendition of that crowd as thirteen songs comprised of their gloomy, downtrodden, and defeated thoughts. Amid drunken hazes and empty hookups, the pub patrons reveal the conflicts and regrets that led them to their early week retreat.Matador
"The Shy Retirer" kicks things off with a quick, programmed drumbeat and a bouncy acoustic accompaniment. Were it not for the lyrics, this could almost be an upbeat song. Instead, the speaker mourns his lack of social skills and longs for any kind of connection but finds himself incapable of doing what he needs to start one. The introspective bent continues with the stumbling, yet delicate "Meanwhile, at the Bar, a Drunkard Muses." The shots must start to kick in on "Fucking Little Bastards," as a furiously primal drum beat and a swirling noise-fest of guitar engulfs bitter words about the speaker's fake friends. The outburst fades quickly however, and the songs return to the somber mulling. "Loch Leven" continues Arab Strap's exercise in local color, beginning with ambient rain and a bagpipe introduction, setting the scene for yet another missed connection in the foggy streets of Scotland. The longing, lovelorn "Act of War" is a beautiful ode to a careless lover, with a straining violin counterpointing the speaker's world-weary attitude as he intones "you've always been clumsy / be it with tables at your work / or with my heart." Following that track is the far less poignant "Serenade," which spills out a leering advance over Casio keyboard drum beats. "You're the kind of girl I want to bathe and dance with" probably isn't going to score any points. Still, the song is an interesting character study, and musically intriguing. Monday at the Hug & Pint is a perfect album at three in the morning, after another unsuccessful night at a favorite club or bar (against better judgment). While the concept is a bit of a downer (we could have used just a little break from melancholy), Arab Strap captures it very well, from the articulate musings on love to the base, lecherous impulses that invade our minds in our weakest moments.
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