Sedulous Cranes Depositing Kine,

It’s easy to forget about Mull Historical Society and its good steward, Colin MacIntyre. He’s originally from far away in Mull. He hasn’t released an album for a while. His records are played on the radio only very rarely. However, upon remembering Mull Historical Society and digging out Loss, Us or This is Hope, the mystery over why anyone should forget this pop genius begins to puzzle.

The Mull Historical Society tag has been dropped and Colin MacIntyre is now appearing as “Colin MacIntyre”. He’s currently playing a run of shows ahead of the promised release of his next album, The Water. I went to see him with his band at Cabaret Voltaire in Embra. Cabaret Voltaire is in the cellars and caves of Blair Street. Blair Street is lovely. The advantage of Blair Street is that it’s not the only street in Embra and that there are others nearby. The venue is small and it has a really attractive schedule. It could be used as a model for the Rothes Halls, it would be under my regime.

The set was made up of a lot of new songs, but many of the classics were included too. As soon as Colin started with Peculiar, the mystery re-surfaced. I didn’t know what to expect of this gig but I knew immediately that it was going to be a treat. He sings with such clarity that it’s easy to follow the tales of characters – real or fictional – who feature in his songs. The songs offer an accurate comment on society and real-life situations, the lyrics aren’t vague metaphors that blur the meaning, obscure incidents and send songs veering to the middle of the road. For me, it’s perfect pop.

Be My Saviour was the first new song played, it’s not ground-breaking, but the lyric, “Have you always been afraid of what the world can do?”, is typical of Mull Historical Society. It unites people who are like me, people who care enough to think about things and aren’t completely selfish. It has a touch of Arcade Fire’s Wake Up about it, it’s created by the use of “Oooooohhhh-oooooohhhh-ooooohhh-ooooohhh”.

Barcode Bypass is a classic, an epic. I’ve yet to be in the situation where I have to work in the supermarket or grocers full-time in order to survive. It’s a sad indictment of capitalism and I’m sure that there are people just like the man in the song who turns to drugs. Yet again, it’s the kind of pop song that should be on the airwaves to make people think. The same could apply to its sequel, Supermarket Strikes Back; they’re both quality pop songs with great instrumentation.

Stalker is the forthcoming single, it’s a pointed song with another of these characters in it, who definitely exist, who become obsessed and won’t go away. Famous for Being Famous is another new song, it’s fast and angry – it’s about attention-starved nonentity celebrities, obviously.

They played the singles Watching Xanadu, Animal Cannabus and Final Arrears; these all went down well. There were a few diehards at the front, I never imagined Mull Historical Society would have a hardcore following. They did “reach out their hands”.

One of the final songs was the new album’s title track, The Water. It’s much mellower, almost folk song and importantly, it has that special Scottish quality. I don’t know how to describe “that special Scottish quality” but it exists and those with a keen ear will know it.

The encore consisted of a new song that is apparently a duet with “a female vocalist”, the crowd had to act as the absent partner. It’s a typical idiosyncratic gem. The band finished with I Tried, a classic from Loss. This was an excellent performance from a man/band that is often overlooked yet still remains a national treasure.

On a more serious note, I have lost the full capability of my ears. There were moments during the gig when the volume was painful. Two days later, they are still in agony and ringing. Hearing loud noises makes my ears hurt. At the same time, I can’t hear some quieter sounds. Am I a duffer? When should I seek medical assistance?