Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells - Everything's Getting Older

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5...according to our Mike on Thu 05 May, 2011.

A fascinating collaboration here between ex-Arab Strap mumbler Aidan Moffat and Glaswegian experimental jazz composer and pianist Bill Wells. This really works. It's beautifully recorded and as would be expected the vocals and piano are to the fore, but it never slips into a rut. The album's centrepiece seems to be the shimmering, achingly beautiful 'The Copper Top', with Aidan resignedly reciting a story about going to the pub after a funeral over a mournful piano line, but no sooner is that over that Moffat is on some jaunty, mucky little rap about infidelity. As can be expected from Moffat, the lyrics here are very fine indeed, and less relentlessly grubby as a lot of his previous work. A lot of the time the album has a very loungey coffee table feel but there's enough edge to the vocal delivery to keep it from falling into easy listening territory, with sleazy grooves and spooky free jazz rubbing up against the smoother pieces. All in all this is a mature and engrossing effort, and leaves me hoping that this isn't the last we'll be hearing of this particular collaboration.

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· Aidan Moffat’s first full length album in over two years is a
collaboration with Glasgow’s experimental jazz composer Bill Wells.

· Heavily anticipated new material on the back of a handful of special
shows, notably Chemikal Underground’s 15th Anniversary show in
January last year and Aidan’s Valentine Review show at London’s
Bush Hall earlier this year.

· Aidan’s lyric writing continues to stand head and shoulders above his
peers; with this album, against Wells’ subtly nuanced backdrops,
Moffat’s lyrics truly shine. A modern laureate part-Bukowsi, part-
Cutler, Aidan’s observations on ageing and reminiscences of youth
are funny, melancholy, filthy and at times profoundly moving.

· With his extraordinary capacity with lyrics, Aidan Moffat could and
should be regarded alongside Nick Cave, Elvis Costello and Tom
Waits. The album will particularly appeal to the 30+ age group and
discerning music fan coming to Aidan’s work for the first time.

· The cover art / portraits were produced by Frank Quitely, the world
renowned comic book artist famous for his work with Grant Morrison
on ‘New X-Men’, ‘We3’ and ‘Batman & Robin’.

· The CD comes in a gatefold digipak with a 10 page roll fold insert.

· The limited edition vinyl (1300 copies) comes in a wide-spined
singlefold sleeve with the album on heavy vinyl, two bonus 12” with
fourteen exclusive bonus tracks, a 12x12 booklet with lyrics and
sheet music and a data disc featuring all the vinyl tracks in high
quality audio in addition to a recording of Wells and Moffat’s first
ever show at Glasgow’s Triptych in 2008.