Arab Strap (band)
Encyclopedia
Arab Strap were an indie rock
band from Scotland that consisted of core members Aidan Moffat
and Malcolm Middleton
. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground
, and split in 2006. As indicated by the title of Belle and Sebastian's third record, The Boy with the Arab Strap
, and by Aidan Moffat's involvement in the two Reindeer Section albums, they were a central part of Glasgow
's influential late 1990s music scene.
and multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Middleton
grew up in Falkirk
, and bonded over their mutual love for Drag City
recording artists such as Smog
and Will Oldham
(who at the time recorded under the name Palace Brothers). They began collaborating in 1995, and their debut album, The Week Never Starts Round Here
, was released the following year.
Over the course of their ten-year existence, Arab Strap worked with a number of musicians, including Jenny Reeve and Stacey Sievewright, as well as Adele Bethel and David Gow, who went on to form Sons and Daughters
. Stuart Murdoch
of Belle & Sebastian
featured on the album Philophobia
, but the Belle & Sebastian album/song "The Boy With the Arab Strap
" would later create something of a feud between the two singers.
Arab Strap's marked characteristics include sordid, personal, yet honest, lyrics – described by the NME
as "fly on the duvet vignettes". Like fellow Scottish band The Proclaimers
, their lyrics are sung in their native Scots tongue
. At first essentially an electro-acoustic band with a brooding, spare sound, later albums and gigs saw them develop a fuller sound that drew deeply on both indie and dance music.
Arab Strap's first two albums, The Week Never Starts Around Here (1996) and Philophobia (1998), depicted the desperate decadence of post-Thatcherite Britain. The former album's "The First Big Weekend", a five-minute piece of drunken mayhem that end with a joyous singalong, "Went out for a weekend, lasted forever / Got high with our friends, it's officially summer," which was the chorus to "Hey!Fever," one of the tracks on the EP The Girls of Summer. The 1999 live album, Mad for Sadness
, demonstrated how the sometimes spare recorded sound of their early music could lift into a celebration of a sexually empty, drug- and alcohol-dependent life.
After these albums, Arab Strap's music became much more musically polished, but continued to focus on drink, drugs, and existentially bereft versions of sexuality.
In keeping with the theme of sexual allusion (see arab strap (sexual device)
), Moffat records as a solo artist under the name Lucky Pierre (later changed to L Pierre) – slang for the man in the middle of a gay threesome. This work is also characterised by a brooding, spare sound, but is instrumental in nature. Middleton also has a solo career under his own name, releasing two albums with Chemikal Underground
and three more via Full Time Hobby Records.
On 9 September 2006, the band announced on their website that they were to split up. They celebrated the ten years since their first studio album with the release of a compilation record, Ten Years of Tears. They went on tour in Europe
for the last time at the end of the year, and played their final show at the end of a secret tour of Japan
at Shibuya O-Nest on 17 December 2006.
In December 2009, Monday at the Hug and Pint
, The Red Thread and The Last Romance
entered The Skinnys "Scottish Albums of the Decade" list at #7, #12 and #25 respectively.
In April 2010, the Scenes of a Sexual Nature box-set was released, featuring early albums, live recordings, and a newly-recorded track.
In August 2011, Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton released a cover version of Slow Club
's new single, "Two Cousins", under the name "Two Cousins 1999". Moffat noted, "It’s not an Arab Strap performance as such, rather it’s the two guys who used to be Arab Strap recording their own, informed pastiche".
On 17th November, 2011, the band reformed for a one-off show, as part of Glasgow venue Nice N Sleazy's 20th birthday celebrations.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Scotland that consisted of core members Aidan Moffat
Aidan Moffat
Aidan John Moffat is a Scottish vocalist and musician, best known for his work with Malcolm Middleton in Arab Strap.-Early life:...
and Malcolm Middleton
Malcolm Middleton
Malcolm Bruce Middleton is a Scottish musician best known for his work with Aidan Moffat in post-folk indie band Arab Strap as well as his solo career writing and producing...
. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 by Glasgow, Scotland rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties....
, and split in 2006. As indicated by the title of Belle and Sebastian's third record, The Boy with the Arab Strap
The Boy with the Arab Strap
The Boy with the Arab Strap is the third album from the Scottish band Belle & Sebastian. The inspiration for the album's name came from the band Arab Strap, who are also from Scotland and briefly toured with Belle & Sebastian. An Arab strap is a sexual device for retaining an erection.Arab Strap...
, and by Aidan Moffat's involvement in the two Reindeer Section albums, they were a central part of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
's influential late 1990s music scene.
History
Vocalist Aidan MoffatAidan Moffat
Aidan John Moffat is a Scottish vocalist and musician, best known for his work with Malcolm Middleton in Arab Strap.-Early life:...
and multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Middleton
Malcolm Middleton
Malcolm Bruce Middleton is a Scottish musician best known for his work with Aidan Moffat in post-folk indie band Arab Strap as well as his solo career writing and producing...
grew up in Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
, and bonded over their mutual love for Drag City
Drag City (record label)
Drag City is a Chicago-based independent record label. It was established with a Royal Trux release in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois by Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn.Drag City specializes in experimental indie rock acts...
recording artists such as Smog
Smog (band)
Bill Callahan , is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has also recorded and performed under the band name Smog. Callahan began working in the lo-fi genre of underground rock, with home-made tape-albums recorded on four track tape recorders...
and Will Oldham
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
(who at the time recorded under the name Palace Brothers). They began collaborating in 1995, and their debut album, The Week Never Starts Round Here
The Week Never Starts Round Here
The Week Never Starts Round Here is the debut studio album by Arab Strap, released on November 25, 1996, on Chemikal Underground. During a 2009 interview, Malcolm Middleton stated that The Week Never Starts Round Here is his favourite Arab Strap release: "it’s completely undiluted and free from any...
, was released the following year.
Over the course of their ten-year existence, Arab Strap worked with a number of musicians, including Jenny Reeve and Stacey Sievewright, as well as Adele Bethel and David Gow, who went on to form Sons and Daughters
Sons and Daughters (band)
Sons and Daughters are a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland.-Biography:Conceived while on tour with Arab Strap in 2001, Sons and Daughters was initially Adele Bethel's creation...
. Stuart Murdoch
Stuart Murdoch (musician)
Stuart Lee Murdoch is a Scottish musician, and the lead singer and songwriter for the indie pop band Belle & Sebastian. The majority of his childhood was spent a stone's throw from the birthplace of Robert Burns in Alloway, Ayr until he left school and attended university in...
of Belle & Sebastian
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
featured on the album Philophobia
Philophobia (album)
Philophobia is the second album by Arab Strap, released in 1998.The artwork is of singer Aidan Moffat and his then girlfriend posing nude, created by Niall Sullivan.-Track listing:#"Packs of Three" – 3:23#" Soaps" – 4:16...
, but the Belle & Sebastian album/song "The Boy With the Arab Strap
The Boy with the Arab Strap
The Boy with the Arab Strap is the third album from the Scottish band Belle & Sebastian. The inspiration for the album's name came from the band Arab Strap, who are also from Scotland and briefly toured with Belle & Sebastian. An Arab strap is a sexual device for retaining an erection.Arab Strap...
" would later create something of a feud between the two singers.
Arab Strap's marked characteristics include sordid, personal, yet honest, lyrics – described by the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
as "fly on the duvet vignettes". Like fellow Scottish band The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers, Charlie and Craig Reid . They are probably best known for the songs "Letter from America", "I'm On My Way" and "I'm Gonna Be ". The band tours extensively throughout Europe and other continents...
, their lyrics are sung in their native Scots tongue
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
. At first essentially an electro-acoustic band with a brooding, spare sound, later albums and gigs saw them develop a fuller sound that drew deeply on both indie and dance music.
Arab Strap's first two albums, The Week Never Starts Around Here (1996) and Philophobia (1998), depicted the desperate decadence of post-Thatcherite Britain. The former album's "The First Big Weekend", a five-minute piece of drunken mayhem that end with a joyous singalong, "Went out for a weekend, lasted forever / Got high with our friends, it's officially summer," which was the chorus to "Hey!Fever," one of the tracks on the EP The Girls of Summer. The 1999 live album, Mad for Sadness
Mad for Sadness
Mad for Sadness is a live album by Arab Strap, released in 1999.-Track listing:# "Intro/My Favourite Muse" – 7:26# "Packs of Three" – 3:23# "New Birds" – 6:27# "Toy Fights" – 3:49# "Here We Go" – 5:04# "Phone Me Tomorrow" – 4:26...
, demonstrated how the sometimes spare recorded sound of their early music could lift into a celebration of a sexually empty, drug- and alcohol-dependent life.
After these albums, Arab Strap's music became much more musically polished, but continued to focus on drink, drugs, and existentially bereft versions of sexuality.
In keeping with the theme of sexual allusion (see arab strap (sexual device)
Arab strap (sexual device)
An Arab strap is a sexual device, usually made of leather and a metal ring, that is placed around the penis and testicles. This device is usually included in the group of cock rings and cock harnesses usually to play the role of a bondage-type sex toy...
), Moffat records as a solo artist under the name Lucky Pierre (later changed to L Pierre) – slang for the man in the middle of a gay threesome. This work is also characterised by a brooding, spare sound, but is instrumental in nature. Middleton also has a solo career under his own name, releasing two albums with Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 by Glasgow, Scotland rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties....
and three more via Full Time Hobby Records.
On 9 September 2006, the band announced on their website that they were to split up. They celebrated the ten years since their first studio album with the release of a compilation record, Ten Years of Tears. They went on tour in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for the last time at the end of the year, and played their final show at the end of a secret tour of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
at Shibuya O-Nest on 17 December 2006.
Post-breakup
In a 2008 interview, Middleton stated: "It was a good time to call it a day. Unless there's a definite need and desire for us to play, I don't think we should ever get back together. We always said we would [collaborate again] when we split up, but I think maybe it's still too soon. Maybe in a few years when we've got time, we'll maybe try something for a laugh. Who knows?"In December 2009, Monday at the Hug and Pint
Monday at the Hug and Pint
Monday at the Hug & Pint is the fifth studio album by Arab Strap, released on April 21, 2003 on Chemikal Underground. The album features Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Omaha-based indie collective Bright Eyes, and Barry Burns from Mogwai.- Press :...
, The Red Thread and The Last Romance
The Last Romance
The Last Romance is the sixth and final studio album by Arab Strap, released on October 17, 2005 on Chemikal Underground. Upon release, vocalist Aidan Moffat stated that the album is "a lot more upbeat, but still deals with some of the darker aspects of relationships...
entered The Skinnys "Scottish Albums of the Decade" list at #7, #12 and #25 respectively.
In April 2010, the Scenes of a Sexual Nature box-set was released, featuring early albums, live recordings, and a newly-recorded track.
In August 2011, Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton released a cover version of Slow Club
Slow Club
Slow Club is a folk-rock duo from Sheffield, England. The band formed in 2006, after the break-up of Sheffield band The Lonely Hearts.-History:The band is made up of Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor...
's new single, "Two Cousins", under the name "Two Cousins 1999". Moffat noted, "It’s not an Arab Strap performance as such, rather it’s the two guys who used to be Arab Strap recording their own, informed pastiche".
On 17th November, 2011, the band reformed for a one-off show, as part of Glasgow venue Nice N Sleazy's 20th birthday celebrations.
Studio albums
- The Week Never Starts Round HereThe Week Never Starts Round HereThe Week Never Starts Round Here is the debut studio album by Arab Strap, released on November 25, 1996, on Chemikal Underground. During a 2009 interview, Malcolm Middleton stated that The Week Never Starts Round Here is his favourite Arab Strap release: "it’s completely undiluted and free from any...
(1996) - PhilophobiaPhilophobia (album)Philophobia is the second album by Arab Strap, released in 1998.The artwork is of singer Aidan Moffat and his then girlfriend posing nude, created by Niall Sullivan.-Track listing:#"Packs of Three" – 3:23#" Soaps" – 4:16...
(1998) UK Albums ChartUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#37 - Elephant ShoeElephant ShoeElephant Shoe is the third album by Arab Strap, released in 1999.The album's title is apparently the phrase said by Scottish teenagers afraid of saying "I love you", where they mouth "I love you" under their breath, but when asked what they had said, answer "elephant shoe" or elephant juice,...
(1999) - The Red Thread (2001)
- Monday at the Hug and PintMonday at the Hug and PintMonday at the Hug & Pint is the fifth studio album by Arab Strap, released on April 21, 2003 on Chemikal Underground. The album features Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Omaha-based indie collective Bright Eyes, and Barry Burns from Mogwai.- Press :...
(2003) - The Last RomanceThe Last RomanceThe Last Romance is the sixth and final studio album by Arab Strap, released on October 17, 2005 on Chemikal Underground. Upon release, vocalist Aidan Moffat stated that the album is "a lot more upbeat, but still deals with some of the darker aspects of relationships...
(2005)
Live albums
- Mad for SadnessMad for SadnessMad for Sadness is a live album by Arab Strap, released in 1999.-Track listing:# "Intro/My Favourite Muse" – 7:26# "Packs of Three" – 3:23# "New Birds" – 6:27# "Toy Fights" – 3:49# "Here We Go" – 5:04# "Phone Me Tomorrow" – 4:26...
Go! Beat 3 May 1999 - The Cunted Circus Private pressing 2003
- Acoustic Request Show Private pressing 2005
Compilations and EPs
- The Girls of Summer EP Chemikal Underground 1997 UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#74 - Live Too Many Cooks 1998
- Cherubs EP Go! Beat 1999 UK Budget Albums ChartUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#5 - Singles Bandai 1999
- Fukd IDFukd IDFukd ID is the name of an imprint on the Chemikal Underground record label, established to allow them to release a wider range of musical styles from artists who might not necessarily be signed to the label...
#2 Chemikal Underground 2000 - Quiet Violence Private pressing 2002
- The Shy Retirer EP Chemikal Underground 2003 UK Budget Albums Chart #25
- Ten Years Of Tears Chemikal Underground 2006
- Scenes of a Sexual Nature Chemikal Underground 2010
Singles
| Year | Release | Album | Label | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "The First Big Weekend The First Big Weekend "The First Big Weekend" is a song by Scottish post-folk indie band Arab Strap. It was first released as a 7" single limited to 700 copies, then later on Arab Strap's debut album, The Week Never Starts Round Here, both released in 1996 on Chemikal Underground.The song received a large amount of... " |
The Week Never Starts Round Here The Week Never Starts Round Here The Week Never Starts Round Here is the debut studio album by Arab Strap, released on November 25, 1996, on Chemikal Underground. During a 2009 interview, Malcolm Middleton stated that The Week Never Starts Round Here is his favourite Arab Strap release: "it’s completely undiluted and free from any... |
Chemikal Underground Chemikal Underground Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 by Glasgow, Scotland rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties.... |
- |
| 1997 | "The Smell of Outdoor Cooking" | '(none)' | Lissys | - |
| "The Clearing" | The Week Never Starts Round Here | Chemikal Underground | - | |
| 1998 | "Here We Go"/"Trippy" | Philophobia Philophobia (album) Philophobia is the second album by Arab Strap, released in 1998.The artwork is of singer Aidan Moffat and his then girlfriend posing nude, created by Niall Sullivan.-Track listing:#"Packs of Three" – 3:23#" Soaps" – 4:16... |
48 | |
| "(Afternoon) Soaps" | 74 | |||
| 2000 | "To All A Good Night" | (none) | - | |
| 2001 | "Love Detective" | The Red Thread | 66 | |
| "Turbulence" | - | |||
| 2005 | "Dream Sequence" | The Last Romance The Last Romance The Last Romance is the sixth and final studio album by Arab Strap, released on October 17, 2005 on Chemikal Underground. Upon release, vocalist Aidan Moffat stated that the album is "a lot more upbeat, but still deals with some of the darker aspects of relationships... |
- | |
| 2006 | "Speed-Date" | - | ||
| "The Shy Retirer" | (none) | Self-release | - | |
| "There Is No Ending There Is No Ending "There Is No Ending" is a song by Scottish post-folk indie band Arab Strap. It was first released on Arab Strap's last album, The Last Romance, and later as a 7" single limited to 1000 copies, both released in 2006 on Chemikal Underground.... " |
The Last Romance | Chemikal Underground | - |
External links
- Official site (Arab Strap).
- Arab Strap discography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
. - Arab Strap page at Chemikal Underground Records.
- Melodic Records.
- Lazy-i Interview, May 2003.