Malcolm Middleton - Long Dark Night/Live in Zurich!

(Around7Corners)

Evoking Simple Minds’ Live in the City of Light and Mogwai’s Special Moves, Malcolm Middleton has affirmed his status as a bona fide local alt-rock deity with this live double album that straddles all-out rawk in Europe (Live in Zurich!, featuring ‘Hot 100’ high-ranker The Pictish Trail on guitar and vocals) and acoustic Glasgow psalms (Long Dark Night).

Pay no heed to his pleas not to buy this record (‘You’re doing this just to piss me off. Stop it.’) – for this is a must-have Middleton artefact. Having elected to post each copy bought before 16 December with a personalised Christmas card, however, he only has himself to blame for countless, snow-ridden treks to the postbox.