It seems that Jamie Lockhart, the brain behind the Mi Mye monicker has problems reading because he has dyslexia. He was only able to read fully his first book this year, and it was Hemingway’s “The Old Man and The Sea”. No wonder, he chose that one, because the lyrical craftsmanship he displays on his (actually, now it is a full-fledged band) new album, “The Sympathy Sigh” is incredible.
As far as his musical craftsmanship is concerned, it is no less impressive. He has been said to have “a wonky sense of pop melody”. By wonky, I guess they have in mind other Scottish melody craftsmen like Kid Creosote and James Yorkston (like these two members of the “Fence Collective”) Lockhart was born in a small Scottish fishing village. Try “Determan The Extent” from this album, and you’ll get that feel.
But then you also get the sense of The Go-Betweens second phase sound with that same, I guess ‘wonky’ sense of melody, additional female vocals and a touch of violin here and there (“Methadone Church”, for example).While Lockhart is not short on issuing stuff, he has mainly done it himself (in every respect) and has become some sort of a local musical hero on the Leeds, England musical scene. For this new outing, Mi Mye has become a full-fledged five piece band and it shows in the consistency and variety of the music.
It seems that has also sought the eye (and ear) of the more mainstream music media (NME).Hope the wider music audience catches on too.
