Album Review: 1948- by L. Pierre

Y'know, I stared writing a conceit to match this conceit. A record to eulogize both Aidan Moffat's L Pierre project and vinyl itself in one fell swoop? Well, why not also eulogize a fictional dead uncle who kept ten copies of the same naked record, and whose niece finds them each labeled by the year of their 'death'? Even now I'm savouring the final scene in my mind, where she sticks one on the turntable and lingers for an indeterminable time on the record's final locked groove, lost in the all-consuming drone and the inescapable rumination of her own mortality… But nahhhhhhh. All that would just obscure the real dialogue that Moffat - self-depreciating front man of Arab Strap, prolific collage composer - wants us to engage in here.

Full Review >>

It's safe to say that Aidan Moffatt is a fan of the grand gesture. For his final album as L Pierre, the Arab Strap man has mined the first 12" LP - violinist Nathan Milstein and the New York Philharmonic's 1948 recording of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto - for samples (ripped from YouTube, for art's sake) and used them to make an entirely new piece. Oh, and it's a limited (500 only), vinyl-only release that comes with no sleeve, thus encouraging wear'n'tear and customisation.

Full Review >>

From Arab Strap to collaborations with Bill Wells to the reimagined bothy ballads of Where You're Meant To Be, Aidan Moffat's lyrical genius, and indeed its delivery, have been pivotal to his persona. But over the past decade and a half, the creative outlet of L. Pierre has enabled Moffat to say so much without words, creating emotion and stories through soundscapes alone.

Full Review >>