Mull Historical Society returns with their brand new album, In My Mind There’s A Room. Released by the Xtra Mile Recordings label, the first new material from Colin MacIntyre in five years features contributions from an all-star cohort of thirteen guest authors: Ian Rankin, Nick Hornby, Jacqueline Wilson, Val McDermid, Jennifer Clement (‘Widow Basquiat’), Booker-winning Sebastian Barry, Alan Warner, 2021 US National Book Award-winner Jason Mott, Scottish poet laureates’ Jackie Kay and Liz Lochhead, and booker-shortlisted Stephen Kelman (‘Pigeon English’)...

Earlier this year (2023) Mull Historical Society released a compilation album of their output between 2000 - 2004 (Archaeology: Complete Recordings 2000 - 2004). It was a release I really enjoyed, so I was very much looking forward to hearing the fruits of their labour on this new album. Sadly, whilst In my Mind There's a Room is a pretty solid indie album, it doesn't really ever live up to expectations.

Across its fourteen songs (1hr, 14 min, 41 sec), MacIntyre has enlisted an all-star cast of award-winning literary giants to contribute their own words about a special room that plays or has played a significant part in their lives. Using these words as the lyrics, Colin has then written the musical arrangements to create a 14 track album of personal and thoughtful songs.

It's a project that's interesting in its own right, however it's not instantly accessible as their earlier work was. In fact, after several weeks of listening to it I still found I was no further to getting to know it than I had been on the first playthrough. I did, however, find it to be a strong and enjoyable album. It's just I was hoping for something a little more memorable and catchy.

6

Nick Smithson