Following the critical success of 2007’s A Brighter Beat and an improbable bid for the Christmas number one slot with We’re All Going To Die, Malcolm is back to business with a new, stripped-back record. Comprising tracks written during the Brighter Beat sessions and a handful of cover versions, Sleight Of Heart bookends what Malcolm describes as his “boo-hoo/way-hey! period”, using up all the leftovers and tying up the loose ends. “I'd like to do something different next so this kind of forces my hand. For once I've nothing prepared or ready to fall back on,” he says.

Initially conceived as an acoustic LP – and largely remaining so – the album was recorded at Chem 19 Studios in Glasgow. Malcolm’s recording band (featuring Mogwai’s Barry Burns on piano, ex-Delgados man Paul Savage on drums, Stevie Jones on double bass and Jenny Reeve on violin and backing vocals) joined in when he “got carried away”. “I suppose this album is a reaction to the production of A Brighter Beat, which I love, but I felt it was time for something quieter,” says Malcolm. “My songs are usually written on a guitar so this way they are closer to the original form.”

The covers on the album are fairly unpredictable. Here, a tortured version of Madonna’s "Stay" rubs shoulders with a lively take on King Creosote’s "Marguerita Red", and also Jackson C. Frank’s "Just Like Anything". "Stay" is an old favourite of Middleton’s, while "Just Like Anything" is beloved by his girlfriend, “So I thought I’d ruin it for her.” he says.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Week Off
2. Blue Plastic Bags
3. Total Belief
4. Just Like Anything
5. Follow Robin Down
6. Stay
7. Marguerita Red
8. Love Comes In Waves
9. Hey You