Pitchfork

[Posted Friday, November 7th, 2003 06:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

Out of all the mothers I have known (well, most anyway), they never fail to love one or both of these types of music: Hawaiian and/or Celtic/Scottish. The mother of an ex-girlfriend of mine once asked me: "Well Micah, do you like Scottish music?" And I said: "Oh yes. I love this band called Arab Strap." She said: "Oh how nice. I'll have to try them sometime." Needless to say, she thought they were hideous and informed me that this wasn't real Scottish music (like her "check-out-line" synthesized bagpipe party CDs). "They're just so... depressing!"

It's true. Scottish post-folk duo Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton have created some of the saddest music of all time (well, maybe not of all time, but Monday at the Hug & Pint shouldn't be sold to self-obsessed Prozac junkies or Sylvia Plath impersonates, by any means). The haunting blend of cello and drum machine could potentially push any borderline personality over the edge. And with recent touring in Europe and a slew of new releases (previous story linked below) the kids in the good old U.S. of A. feel left behind and are dying for an outlet to purge them of their anguish. Now, finally, their prayers are answered. Arab Strap's official website has finally announced the dates for their much anticipated North American tour. The dates:

11-15 Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub
11-16 Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar
11-18 Denver, CO - Climax Lounge
11-21 Portland, OR - Dante's
11-22 Seattle, WA - Graceland
11-23 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richards On Richards
11-25 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
11-26 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
11-29 Austin, TX - Emo's
12-02 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
12-03 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge
12-04 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
12-06 Boston, MA - Middle East
12-07 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
12-09 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace

For the majority of these dates, Middleton is scheduled to open. His debut solo album, 5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine, was just recently released in the U.S. This version includes four bonus tracks: "Speed on the M9 (acoustic)," "Crappo the Clown (acoustic)," "Rotten Heart (acoustic)," and "Party Eyes"; plus, the "Crappo the Clown" video can be viewed on the computer via the enhanced CD.