Mull Historical Society
This Is Hope

With the release of last year’s excellent ‘Us’, Mull Historical Society aka Colin MacIntyre, morphed from Hebridean indie weirdo into fully-fledged pop whizz-kid. ‘This Is Hope’ picks up exactly where ‘Us’ left off, also bringing with it the trademark MHS quirks that make the band distinctive, but also slightly embarassing to like. But these songs are wrapped up in the such wonderful melodies that it’s hard to be cynical for long.

Clearly not wishing to be left out of the all-enveloping ’80s revival, MacIntyre has reinvented The Cure’s ‘Love Cats’ for the 21st Century (‘Tobermory Zoo’). Meanwhile, the excellently-titled ‘Treescavengers’ explores the heartbreaking side of life up north: “They say I’m part of the problem/They say I shouldn’t falter”, he sings wearily.

If it’s slightly weaker than its immediate predecessor, that’s only because it’s following the same furrow. Still, it’s refreshing to see an artist in these times releasing albums in such quick succession. Most of all, we can rest assured that this music is for us alone. Americans will never understand Mull Historical Society and we wouldn’t want it any other way.