Malcolm Middleton

Second album syndrome must be nothing to overcome when your debut was named '5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine'. You will be relieved to hear that his upcoming record requires neither excellent short-term memory to remember the title, nor happy pills to appreciate. Into The Woods is, in short, a slightly cynical yet never discouraging tour-de-force of pop; an undeniably strong record brought into being with a rare eye for detail and Malcolm's careful arrangement.

Yet this is not quite the album you might be anticipating so far. 'I tried to do something more positive' explains Malcolm. Try - and succeed - he did. Opener Break My Heart laments and soothes with a single stroke ('I wanted the record to sound like Pacific Ocean Blue by Dennis Wilson. I failed. I think you can hear the influence here though') whilst double a-side single Loneliness Shines and No Modest Bear rock and skip together hand in hand. A Happy Medium must be the first cheesy-grin floor-filler to feature the refrain 'Woke up again today / Realised I hate myself'. That the album comes full circle into bluegrass-stomp A New Heart offers a kind of resolution and chipper note to leave you on your way.

With one eye on the future and an album as strong as this under his belt, Malcolm feels he's turned a corner in more ways than one. 'Life is great right now. I'll soon be complaining that I've nothing to complain about.' As long as this turn of happiness doesn't clog his creative cogs, we're more than pleased for the guy.

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