Mull Historical Society is the grandly-titled vehicle for the talents of Colin McIntyre, a Scot who has spent 15 years writing songs on his bedroom 4-track recorder. His early singles created a storm of critical excitement, and you can see why - McIntyre has a distinctive, sharp-edged voice and a real gift for quirky storytelling. Unfortunately, his debut album Loss all but collapses under the weight of its own ambition. There are some impressive songs here, but most of them go on for far too long and are often bogged down by a rather cluttered production. It's an interesting and occasionally inspired effort, but for the moment it looks as if this particular society will have to settle for cult status.
