''Waxing Gibbous'' is the fifth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter

Malcolm Middleton Malcolm Bruce Middleton (born 31 December 1973) is a Scottish musician and member of indie band Arab Strap. He has also released seven solo studio albums and three albums performing under the pseudonym Human Don't Be Angry. Early life Middleto ...

, released on 1 June 2009 on

Full Time Hobby Full Time Hobby is an independent record label formed in London in January 2004. Since its inception it has released records by artists such as Dana Gavanski, Timber Timbre, Tunng, Micah P. Hinson, Michael Nau, Katie Von Schleicher and Whit ...

. Middleton has stated that following the release of this album, and its subsequent tour, he will put his career as a solo artist on hold: "I want to try something new and then come back to this later on." "Red Travellin' Socks" was released as a single on 18 May, on 7" vinyl. Middleton describes the track as his "own "

Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth album, '' A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack ...

" and "

(Don't Fear) The Reaper "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is a song by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult from the band's 1976 album ''Agents of Fortune.'' The song, written and sung by lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, deals with eternal love and the inevitabili ...

"."

Release

In April 2009, Middleton revealed on his MySpace that he planned to release a new album:

My new record is ok, but I've just listened to ''
Hysteria Hysteria is a term used colloquially to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that ...
'' by
Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitar, backing vocals), a ...
and that's much better. I used to hate that album when I was sixteen but now I love it. I wonder when they changed it? Hold on, am I really trying to sell my album by saying it's not as good as Def Leppard? I should work for Saatchi & Saatchi. Anyway. Yes, my new album is called ''Waxing Gibbous'' and it'll be released on the 1st June. ..Not much to say about it really, the proof of the pudding is in the eating etc. So buy it then eat it. And remember, illegal downloading of my music will further cripple my income, leading to an impaired lifestyle, resulting in fewer situations to be gotten into which encourage the writing of downbeat/miserablist songs. Meaning you'll have to do without me. Good luck! ..Actually, ''Waxing Gibbous'' is much better than ''Hysteria.''

A free

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

launch party took place on the eve of the album's release.

Background and Recording

According to Middleton, "

he album He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

was recorded with Geoff Allan who did ''

Into The Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story ...

'' with me, as well as most of the

Arab Strap Arab Strap are a Scottish indie rock band whose core members are Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, split in 2006 and reformed in 2016. The band signed to Rock Action Reco ...

records. There's the usual appearances by

Barry Burns Barry Burns is a Scottish musician best known for his work with post-rock band Mogwai. Early life Burns went to Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill before enrolling with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, taking ...

and Jenny Reeve, as well as

King Creosote Kenny Anderson (born January 1967), known primarily by his stage name King Creosote, is an independent singer-songwriter from Fife, Scotland. To date, Anderson has released over forty albums, with his latest full length, '' Astronaut Meets Apple ...

and

The Pictish Trail Johnny Lynch (born 28 September 1981) is a Scottish musician who performs under the pseudonym The Pictish Trail. After graduation from the University of St Andrews, Lynch ran Fence Records from 2003 until 2013 and has since been running Lost M ...

from

Fence Records Fence Records is a Scottish independent record label based in Anstruther and Crail, Fife, Scotland, founded by musician King Creosote. Fence Records released records by James Yorkston, Rozi Plain, Lone Pigeon, U.N.P.O.C., Kid Canaveral, eagleow ...

, and also Stevie Jones, Michael Scanlin, and Scott Simpson from my live band. All together making a good racket."

Track listing

#"Red Travellin' Socks" – 5:20 #"Kiss at the Station" – 4:59 #"Carry Me" – 4:49 #"Zero" – 6:03 #"Stop Doing Be Good" – 5:04 #"Don't Want to Sleep Tonight" – 5:56 #"Shadows" – 5:00 #"Ballad of Fuck All" – 5:43 #"Box & Knife" – 5:51 #"Made Up Your Mind" – 3:53 #"Subset of the World" – 3:17 #"Love on the Run" – 6:27

Personnel

– vocals, guitar, various instruments, production *

–

hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

("Zero"), piano (tracks 3, 5, 7, 10 & 12) *Stevie Jones – piano ("Red Travellin' Socks") *

– vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8) *

– vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8) *Jenny Reeve – violin ("Stop Doing Be Good"), vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12) *Michael Scanlin – bass (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 12) *Scott Simpson – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12) *Geoff Allan – recording, mixing *Noel Summerville – mastering *Keira Rathbone – cover image

References

External links

Interview with Malcolm discussing each track
{{Authority control 2009 albums Full Time Hobby albums Malcolm Middleton albums