When work has been a long, hard slog, it’s always nice to shut the world outside, dim the lights, and curl up on the sofa with one of those records that makes your shoulders relax with a contented “aaaaaahhhhh“. (It also helps to have a mug of cocoa, a toasted teacake, a crackling fire, and a friend to snuggle up to*.)
Middle East – from Australia via Bon Iver’s cabin and the Fleet Foxes’ local whimsy shop – have made a record that’s perfect for this sort of self-indulgent musical therapy.
* But no scented candles, do you hear? And no fucking joss sticks. You’ll only end up smelling like an old carpet that’s been thrown out of a branch of Lush and left to go soggy with cat’s piss in a skip, and nobody wants that.
Temporary Fix 