ARAB STRAP
Philophobia LP/CD
ARAB STRAP were formed by longtime pals Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton in the summer of '95 in Falkirk, Scotland. They are true troubadours, telling the tale as they live it. They have been arrested together, fought together, and together have created some of the most stark, poignant and relevant music of the 90s. Their debut single "The First Big Weekend" was released to an unparalleled response from Radio One's Evening Session and led presenter Steve Lamacq to call it the best record of the decade. The song received much airplay in Britain and became an anthem for part-time "E" casualties. It has recently become the backing music for the current British Guinness commercial.
From this platform the album The Week Never Starts Round Here was released at the close of '96, garnering more radio play for the band, and enthusiastic press response. The magazine Blah Blah Blah said that "this is the first British album to successfully capture that thrilling sense of disenfranchised privacy that has previously been the province of mystical Americans like Smog and Slint." The Independent said that "ARAB STRAP prove to be the most incendiary live band in the country, interspersing caustic vignettes of romantic disillusionment with bursts of energy the likes of which no British band has achieved since Joy Division." ARAB STRAP went on to release the Girls Of Summer EP in fall '97, and recently broke the UK charts with their re-working of David Holmes' "Don't Die Just Yet," entitled "Holiday Girl."
Philophobia is ARAB STRAP's second album, and their first US release. Recorded in Scotland and bearing that legend L.O.V.E./H.A.T.E., Philophobia comes on strong like Bukowski on Buckfast. ARAB STRAP have created perfect music to accompany the post-rave comedown.
Philophobia sidesteps the mainstream, gives short shrift to the high-brow, and "celebrates" the everyday. Truly beautiful and truly sad. Thirteen songs that recount tales of love gone wrong, narratives of spite and vengeance--fear not, there are moments of humor--all set to the most unadorned and breathtaking of arrangements.
Samples from Philophobia
"Soap" RealAudio 3 version | .au version
"Cabooseman Blues" RealAudio 3 version | .au version
Arab Strap Discography
"The First Big Weekend"/"Gilded" 7" (Chemikal Underground, 1996)The Week Never Starts Round Here LP (Chemikal Underground, 1996)
"The Clearing" + remixes 12"/CD (Chemikal Underground, 1997)
"Franticsemantics" 4-song 7" (split w/Screech Owls, Machismos, Amp) (Hummy & Joey, 1997)
The Girls Of Summer EP (Chemikal Underground, 1997)
"The Smell Of Outdoor Cooking"/"Theme Tune" (Lissy's Records, 1997)
Philophobia (Matador US, Chemikal Underground UK)
