Scots Way-Hay #12 - The Scottish Enlightenment

I can be a right nosey bugger sometimes, more often than not when I am trying to find out more about bands I need to do a bit of 'cyber-stalking'. Sometimes the best way to 'discover' something new is through other bands that you like, the majority of the time you can trust other artists to be pretty spot on with their recommendations. I first came across the Scottish Enlightenment when I spotted that their name kept cropping up in a lot of the bands that I like top Myspace friends (yes, I am one of the few folk out there that prefer it over Facebook, but then again that's mainly because the majority of folk from school that I have no inclination to speak to don't loiter on there). Yep, I've gone and done it again, I've started to write an introduction to a band that I think are great and ended up talking about myself. Sorry. Aye, so where was I? That's right, the Scottish Enlightenment kept cropping up in loads of great bands Myspace pages, which made me pretty curious. This must have been about a year ago, the band replied saying that they didn't have any new music due out for a while, and that they'd be back in touch when they had recorded something new. In October they posted three new tunes on their Bandcamp page for free download, and corkers they were too.
In just a few weeks time their new EP 'Pascal' is coming out on Armellodie Records, it's one of the best releases that I have heard all year. 'All Homemade Things' could possibly be my favourite song to come out this year, I can't get enough of it.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings, onwards and upwards, here's David from Fife's finest, ladies and gentlemen show some love for the Scottish Enlightenment..........

Would you care to introduce yourself?
I'm David - I play guitar and stuff and sing in The Scottish Enlightenment.

How would you describe the music you make?
Smoo Cave Rock. Or Ecclesiastic Rock, although after this EP/album hoopla is done that'll change. Actually, lets try Sessionette Rock, because the Sessionette amps we use have been pretty inspirational in terms of the way we sound.

How did you start out making music?
Playing the black keys on the piano at home. Then playing the guitars that were lying around - my Dad and sister played. I made up tunes before i learned any, and I've carried on being rubbish at learning compositions. At some point i started playing the white keys too.

What process goes into the way you write songs?
I mess around on my piano or my guitar. Meanwhile i get upset and/or bothered by things. At some point the messing around produces a particular tune, and one of the things I'm bothered about gets attached to it. Once that is nearly a fully formed song the band gets involved. From that point on anything can happen, and it's the best bit of the whole thing.

Who are your big musical influences?
I'm not entirely sure. I think growing up in church must have been an influence, because there is music everywhere there. Right now the hymnal feeling has got right inside me. Low have been a really important band for me for quite a while, and i would say they have been the most persistent influence on the way we currently sound. But every band i like influences me, so lets just leave it at Low. Actually, when i was younger i was massive into the Pumpkins, and i think Radiohead are the greatest British band of recent decades. Have that. And The Clouds Taste Metallic by Flaming Lips is their best work. And Six by Mansun is the most underrated British album ever. I'm done.

Do you find that you have been able to develop more as a band as you are out of the spotlight that bands based in places like Edinburgh or Glasgow might feel?
No, I don't feel that but it might be true. We've developed a lot just because we've been together for years and years, but particularly since my daughter was born and i realised that music was going to be a hard thing to do, so we were going to need to just do exactly what we wanted, and that really it was fun not important. At that point I think we prised the fingers of any scenie-ness off our shoulders. So i feel very free to do whatever we want to.

The Scottish Enlightenment - All Homemade Things (stream)


Your new EP ‘Pascal’ is coming out on Armellodie Records, how did that come about? Can we expect to see you releasing an album with them at some point?
We were involved with a label called Moojuice Records based in Dunfermline, and that was a really ace part of our beginning stages. We released an album and a single on Moojuice Records. It was run by some very canny, creative people and enabled us to punch above our weight - we got our promo vid on MTV2 and VH1. But the key folk moved abroad or started businesses, and the energy had gone out of it. So when Al Nero got in touch and proposed releasing our new stuff on Armellodie it seemed like a good step forward. The initial plan was to release the album, but then we talked about two singles, and those developed into EPs and Pascal is the first one. The EPs are kind of like fat singles. So yes, the album will be out in the autumn i think - on Armellodie.

What made you decide to name the band after such an important period in Scottish history?
I had a lot to do with all that stuff at uni, but really i just thought it made a good name.

What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2010?
Pascal EP in May (10th i think), gigs at the Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh on April 23rd and May 8th (the latter is Kays Lavelle's album launch), as many more gigs as we can manage, another EP in the summer, and an album in the autumn. And by the way, the EPs and the Album are all part of the same thing. At the very end of the year we're hoping to put out a Christmas Single.


The Scottish Enlightenment - Little Sleep (MP3)


The Scottish Enlightenment new 'Pascal EP' is out on the 10th of May through Armellodie Records, note it in your diaries as it's an absolute corker of a record.
They also have three tracks available now for free over on their Bandcamp page.


The Scottish Enlightenment
Myspace