Search - Mull Historical Society :: Loss

What a great CD!

J. Ferrell | Palo Alto, CA United States | 12/14/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got this last year as a gift from a friend living in London and it blew me away--still does. The music sounds a bit like mid-60's Beach Boys, a bit like Radiohead, a bit like Super Furry Animals. It is great, witty, idiosyncratic, melodic pop, with lots of xylophones and bells. Check out the semi-hits "Barcode Bypass", "Animal Cannabus", or my favorite, "Paper Houses", and see what you thik."

Total Genius

alexander laurence | Los Angeles, CA | 04/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The whole thing about Scottish people being depressed is a myth. Mull Historical Society is a one man show starring Colin MacIntyre. It is a very fresh and truly interesting approach. Colin has played gigs with such acts like The Strokes and Travis. This is his debut album. It has a balance of songs from ridiculous to the sublime. It starts out with "Public Service Announcer" that is a "wake up" call out to anyone listening. Apparently Colin worked at BT which is the UK telephone company. "Watching Xanadu" is like a Beach Boys uptempo song about not being able to love. The next open-ended song "Instead" is where MacIntyre pulls out all the punches and even has a children's choir singing "Maybe I wasn't meant to be..." When I first saw this record it looked like some bad indie crap. Looking at the booklet it is like an old scrapbook which means to me that the songs need time to take in. It's the name "Mull Historical Society" that creates distance. As you peel through the layers of Loss you realize that this is an emotionally deep and complex album. There's a fight against consumerism and corporations. There is sort of a Brian Wilson obsession on songs like "Watching Xanadu" and "This Is Not Who We Were." There is a loss and a sadness in the songs but it is more positive in the sense of the melancholy. Time passing and getting old is the loss. MacIntyre is like the Scottish Proust. These are big ideas recorded in a lo-fi way. "Only I" is similar to the stuff Ed Harcourt is doing. In "Animal Cannabus" he claims to be "hiding from the world." Later in the song "Mull Historical Society" MacIntyre sings "We need a new hall/To fill our membership of 2." Therefore this recording is a special relationship between him and you, the listener. At least we're not alone. This record is precious and it's like looking at one of those boxes by Joseph Cornell. Loss is an impressive debut."

Loss is my gain

Peter Smith | Fresno, CA United States | 12/12/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album truly is a pretty great find. Not quite sure if janglepop is the correct term for what Colin MacIntyre is playing for us. "Plinkpop" seems better. However he seems to do everything in this album 'his way' for better or for worse. If I had to describe it with only one word, none would be better than 'earnest'. Heck, one of his songs even has a boys choir in it.The tracks that work the best are the ones that sweep you along into the melody. This includes "Watching Xanadu", "This Is Not Who We Were", and "Mull Historical Society". When the tempo slows down though, some problems pop up. A few songs can be tedious and slightly grating. It's like he's trying a little too hard to make his point. Case in point "Instead" and "Only I" are too plaintive. And I hate to say this but Colin's voice gets quite nasal when not controlled enough.BUT the album is a very pleasant experience and the good songs hint at greatness. "This Is Not Who We Were" could be played nonstop and not get tiresome. It really touches an interesting theme that should be covered more, about how much we're judged by what we do for a living. I'd recommend it. Three and a half stars sounds fair.sidenote: Indeed the artwork could have been better. It's a bit too, how do you say....Radiohead-ian."