Aaron McMullan - 75mg

Now I don’t want to be a propagating fucker here, it is true that Aaron McMullan (aka The Duke) is a good friend of mine, but I am being all-to-Jandek honest when I say his new album, entitled 75mg, is great.

It shames me to admit that it was a good two days before I had a listen to the record (in abstract Internet-form), due to being busy with that whole life thing, pain in the ass that it is, and it was not until last night that my aural senses got to experience it.

And now today, on the lovely Maggie Gyllenhaal’s 28^th birthday (although we won’t make too much of that due to The Duke’s distain for her brother), I feel compelled by it to note a few thoughts. This ain’t a review though, don’t be going and getting those sort of preconceived notions.

First thing, and this all sounds very review-like, as if I were sitting in the offices of NME or some other music magazine I don’t buy, but the first thing is to note that this musical outing demonstrates a great increment in maturity, both musically and lyrically. I’m a very music-orientated music fan (as opposed to lyrical), so I can really appreciate a good chord change, or guitar lick. Track eight, City Country City, has one such endearing guitar lick, catchy as a tropical disease, but not nearly as skin-meltingly nefarious.

It’s a shame that I’m not more lyrical minded because the man has produced a wealth of wonderful poetry here, a close listen or a glance at the lyrics evidences this.

Highlights for me include the aforementioned City Country City, and the melancholic couplet of Sad Song Sung and Sinead in Savage Purple (both “bathed in melancholic dew”). But the major standout is second track Go Fuck Yourself, truly destined to be the first McMullan single. Again another number with catchiness in the abundance, best song since I Do Believe You Are The Devil would be a fair thing to contend I’d say.

So there you go, I’m not trying to publicise my friend here, but why not when it’s so good?

So go on, have a listen indeed, no puppies will be shot were you to not do so, but at the same time you might as well, just think about telling your friends about a great, fresh singer-songwriter you found who has yet to be whored on MTV and in the mainstream music press, why I’d assume you to be the coolest cunt that ever entered my vision.