The Red Thread

The Red Thread is their fourth album. The musical aspirations of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton have not changed; they have simply become better at realising them.

The opener, 'Amor Veneris', is a perfect example. Lyrically, it explores the familiar territory of troubled domestic relationships, but Moffat's low, rumbling vocals are offset by a crystalline guitar figure from Middleton. Splashes of piano, courtesy of Barry Burns, help leaven the mix even more.

At the core of The Red Thread is the triptych of 'The Long Sea', 'Love Detective' and 'Infrared'. The first is eerie and relentless, the story of a man teetering on the edge of betrayal ("All the best times were with you/But sometimes I see a world of opportunity"); 'Love Detective' is a grim-but-gripping spoken word piece possessing all the edginess of Costello's 'I Want You'; 'Infrared' is claustrophobic yet dryly humorous - if the lyrics are to believed Moffat's idea of sweet pillow talk is "So, are you up for a hat-trick?/Or are you down for a rest?"

Arab Strap can touch on greatness. But they can also misfire badly. 'Screaming In The Trees' is almost static and devoid of charm, while the poetic yearning of 'The Devil-Tips' is sabotaged by the absence of anything resembling a melody.

Overall, though, The Red Thread is more appealing than it has any right to be. Sometimes disturbing, often brave and always intense, this is a record for dark nights and the even darker mornings-after.