Arab Strap - Elephant Shoe

Made up mainly of simple and repetitive guitar and a drum machine, Aidan Moffat and David Gow's Elephant Shoe is a beautifully stark and intimate masterpiece. Very few musicians can come across as being completely honest and personal in their music. However, like Smog, Songs: Ohia (whose last album Moffat and Gow played on), and very few others, Arab Strap make you feel like you can see their most personal thoughts, fears, and weaknesses. They let you see their biggest mistakes, darkest secrets, weakest moments, and insecurities.

"One Four Seven One" (I assume the equivalent to *69 in the US) expresses, to the backdrop of a minimally picked guitar and a drum machine, insecurities about a lover's faithfulness (or unfaithfulness). "You said it yourself, you can't help but flirt...I know it was just once, but isn't once enough?" You can actually hear the pain in his voice, and it is completely heart wrenching.

For those music fans who worry that an album with only guitar and drum machine might not be enough for them, don't worry. Not all of the music on Elephant Shoe is as basic as it sounds, the duo also use cello, keyboards, real drums, and a mix of electric and acoustic guitars to round out the sound of the album. Moffat and Gow have made an unforgettable album full of engaging and poignant stories and beautifully simplistic music that is so real and honest that you can't help but be emotionally effected.