Colin MacIntyre – alias Mull Historical Society – seems to be just bumbling along in his own little vacuum.  After years of wilderness and four-track demos, this must all seem a bit strange for him now.  The softly spoken Scotsman, from the Isle of Mull, (you see, I really did mean that word wilderness back then), had been making music for 15 years before deciding it was taking over too much of his time for him to be able to afford to not just ‘be famous’.  This naive self-belief gives in an intriguing insight into Mull’s music.  Fairly upbeat pop/rock songs belie the cardigan-wearing and pipe-toting image the name conjures, but it does feel sometimes as if MacIntyre is a bedroom sing-songwriter suddenly given a nice studio and all these expensive instruments to mess around with.  Which probably isn't the case, yet the lack of perfection is evident.  It's in the hurried delivery and underdeveloped vocal phrasing that Mull lets itself down.  However, recent supports to the varieties of Travis, The Strokes and Elbow seem appropriate in their potential and ambition, but Mull Historical Society often seem swollen by the session musicians that provide the band framework that Colin does not necessarily need to work within.  Mull’s recognition will arrive slowly and quietly, just like Colin’s musical career to date, but he could yet fashion himself a small place in many indie hearts.  Unpredictable can sometimes mean unreliable, but a more acclimatized historical society sounds like actually a rather nice little prospect.

Collen Chandler