Arab Strap
As Days Get Dark

Let's get one thing straight right away: "As Days Get Dark" by Arab Strap is a fantastic album, one of those that slowly but also inevitably creeps under your skin, just as only great albums know how to do.

The three singles created quite a lot of anticipation, (perhaps "The Turning of Our Bones" being the best of the trio) all expectations fulfilled. There's not a moment where the tension drops, a moment that can be considered dispensable. The atmospheres are somewhat similar across all the tracks, but this only serves to make the album extraordinarily cohesive and never repetitive.

Even the tracks that might at first seem less surprising in structure offer a twist or a choice in arrangement that enhances the overall piece. (For example "Another Clockwork Day" or "Bluebird"). Magnificent "Kebabylon" which at certain points uses sound solutions that seem almost a tribute to "Disintegration" by the Cure, but also to "Blackstar" by the late Bowie, with that unconventional use of the sax.

With "Tears On Tour" we're in National territory, while "Fable of the Urban Fox" in its initial part is the most stripped down of the bunch, but subsequently, the track grows immensely in intensity between synths and splendid strings. (They surely know how to handle dynamics..).

"Sleeper," then, with its over six-minute span, is among the peaks of the album: splendid atmospheres and inspiration at its highest, chapeau. But what perhaps stands out above all is Aidan Moffat's unique way of singing, with that mix of spoken word and singing, perfectly aligned with the meaning of the lyrics: raw, dark, carnal, never sycophantic or reassuring. It's impossible not to be captivated.

In conclusion, an album without any weak points where rock meets songwriting, and unless there are breathtaking releases in the coming months, it will forcefully enter at least the top 10 of the year. Yes, it was worth waiting sixteen years.