Monday at the Hug & Pint is the fifth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap. It was released in Europe on 21 April 2003 by Chemikal Underground and in the United States a day later by Matador Records. The album features appearances from Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes and Barry Burns of Mogwai, among others.
| Monday at the Hug & Pint | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 April 2003 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 45:00 | |||
| Label | Chemikal Underground | |||
| Producer | Malcolm Middleton, Aidan Moffat, Geoff Allan | |||
| Arab Strap chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Monday at the Hug & Pint | ||||
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The title of the album refers to The Hug & Pint Bar and Club, formerly located in Falkirk, Scotland.[1] An independent live music venue, "The Hug and Pint", on the Great Western Road in Glasgow, was later named after the album.[2]
Reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Boston Phoenix | [5] |
| Drowned in Sound | 10/10[6] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| Mojo | [8] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10[9] |
| Q | [10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
| Uncut | [12] |
In December 2009, Monday at the Hug & Pint placed at number 7 on The Skinny's "Scottish Albums of the Decade". Upon receiving the accolade, Malcolm Middleton stated:[13]
It’s not our best record, but it does have a couple of good songs on it. I don’t really think about this album much, maybe I should go back and listen to it again.
The Twilight Sad vocalist James Graham lists the album amongst his favourite releases of the 2000s, noting that it was the first Arab Strap album he had listened to and the first album to make him realise that "it was OK to sing in your own accent", while praising Aidan Moffat as "one of the best lyricists of the past two decades".[14]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Malcolm Middleton and Aidan Moffat
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Shy Retirer" | 4:21 |
| 2. | "Meanwhile, at the Bar, a Drunkard Muses" | 2:25 |
| 3. | "Fucking Little Bastards" | 6:15 |
| 4. | "Peep Peep" | 3:10 |
| 5. | "Flirt" | 3:22 |
| 6. | "Who Named the Days?" | 4:22 |
| 7. | "{Loch Leven Intro}" | 2:28 |
| 8. | "Loch Leven" | 3:17 |
| 9. | "Glue" | 3:12 |
| 10. | "Act of War" | 4:10 |
| 11. | "Serenade" | 3:50 |
| 12. | "The Week Never Starts Round Here" | 2:17 |
| 13. | "Pica Luna" | 2:56 |
Charts edit
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] | 43 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[16] | 120 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[17] | 12 |
References edit
- ^ Monday at the Hug & Pint (liner notes). Arab Strap. Chemikal Underground. 2003. CHEM065CD.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The Hug and Pint". The Skinny. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Reviews for Monday at the Hug & Pint by Arab Strap". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "Monday at the Hug and Pint – Arab Strap". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ Drozdowski, Ted (16–22 May 2003). "Arab Strap Monday at the Hug and Pint". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 11 August 2003. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- ^ ollie (20 April 2003). "Album Review: Arab Strap – Monday At the Hug & Pint". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ Peschek, David (18 April 2003). "Arab Strap: Monday at the Hug and Pint". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "Arab Strap: Monday at the Hug & Pint". Mojo (114): 95. May 2003.
- ^ Ott, Chris (8 May 2003). "Arab Strap: Monday at the Hug & Pint". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "Arab Strap: Monday at the Hug & Pint". Q (203): 92. June 2003.
- ^ Vaziri, Aidin (21 April 2003). "Arab Strap: Monday at the Hug and Pint". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 29 January 2004. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "Arab Strap: Monday at the Hug & Pint". Uncut (73): 91. June 2003.
- ^ Ferguson, Euan (1 December 2009). "Scottish Albums of the Decade #7: Arab Strap – Monday at the Hug and Pint". The Skinny. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ "James Graham's (The Twilight Sad) albums of the decade". Ragged Words. Archived from the original on 21 December 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "Chart Log UK: A – Azzido Da Bass". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2018.