Friday Freebies

Meursault
God Don't Like it have a free Download of Meursault’s 'Crank Resolutions' up for grabs. It's taken from their 2nd album “All Creatures will Make Merry” which is due out at the end of May.

Wounded Knee
I caught Drew aka 'Wounded Knee' last week at the warm up to the Dead Parrots 3rd birthday bash, alongside the ever fabulous RM Hubbert. Both of them put on top performances, so I must admit that I was well chuffed when I stumbled across his newest release, The Ayrtime.Org EP, it's available for free download here.

The Pernice Brothers
You can download an MP3 from their upcoming record “Goodbye, Killer,” which is out in mid June, all you have to do to get the new song “Jacqueline Susann” is click here.

Glasgow Podcart
the lovely Podcart folk have put up a few more sessions up for download, including sessions from Beerjacket, Julia and the Doogans and Dead Boy Robotics, they're all available for free download on their Bandcamp.

Beneath Us The Waves
A bootleg recording of Beneath Us The Waves live at the Liquid Ship for Elba Sessions is up for free download here.

Dananananaykroyd
Those pesky kids and their fun ways, they've only gone and recorded a cover of the Friends theme tune for all their Facebook/Twitter followers. Seeing as I don't want you lot missing out you can download it here.

Sleigh Bells
This weeks hipster freebie comes from the amazing Sleigh Bells, I cannae wait for their album to come out. If the demos that are floating about are anything to go by then this could be something pretty damn special. Until then you can get an inkling of what to expect by downloading "Tell 'em" over on their homepage. Sweet as the proverbial fucking nut.

Go-Away Birds
The latest offering from the band made up of folk from Zoe Van Goey and Gold Help the Girl has just been up for grabs. Head on over to their homepage to download their latest EP 'Those Bombs' which is available completely gratis.

Ash
Those wacky Irish men are still banging away at their A-Z compilation, what larks they are. They have 3 tracks up for free download, including a remix by Mogwai, just over to their homepage and you'll find the links on the right hand side of the page.

Throwing Muses
A new Throwing Muses demo, "Freesia" is up for free download here.

Hair Rocket
A free download of Pennsylvanian indie pop outfit Hari Rocket's debut EP 'Don't Leave A Light On' , is up for free on their Bandcamp (cheers to Drunk Country for the tip off).

The Monroe Transfer
The London post-rockers got a cracking review on Line of Best Fit this week, if you fancy giving them a go then head over to their Bandcamp where you can download their song 'Waltz' for free.

Muscle Club
Their song 'We Don't Watch We Stare' is up for free download, and as you probably already guessed it's up on their Bandcamp. Don't you just love Bandcamp, so simple yet so fucking brilliant.

Casino Queen
The Lo-fi Edinburgh outfit have an EP up for free download, and yep you guessed it, it's Bandcamp time. Fuck I am starting to feel like one of the American Pie movies going by the number of times I've mentioned the 'B' word this week.


Interpol
In a first for Friday Freebies, I have embedded a download link so you don't have to bugger off anywhere else. As I know how much you all love it here, all that beautiful green-ness. Aye, anyway, NYC hipster folks Interpol have a new song up for grabs. Download it below.

Kowalskiys Komplimentary Korner

Arran Arctic
Sign up to his mailing list and you get an acoustic version of one of his album tracks!
Just click here.

Frightened Rabbit - WERS Session (29/04/10)

Track Listing
1. Footshooter (missing intro)
2. Living in Colour
3. The Wrestle

Download
New version of Footshooter (with the intro included)

Admiral Fallow - Vic Galloway Session (28/04/09)

Track Listing
1. Squealing Pigs
2. Subbuteo
3. Four Bulbs
4. Old Balloons

Download

Community Service #8 - The Pop Cop

When I first started reading blogs it was mainly American sites like 'I Guess I'm Floating' and 'You Aint' No Picasso' that I regularly. If I'm honest I wasn't too clued up as to what blogs were all about, I just recognised that these guys knew their stuff and consistently managed to introduce me to new up and coming artists from the USA and Canada. I had long since grown disillusioned by the NME and it really did feel as if there were was much out there that I could relate to. Reading blogs helped me to fall in love with music all over again, and played an instrumental role in my passion for Scottish music. It was actually the the Pop Cop blog that helped to play a major part in inspiring me to start my own blog. It still feels pretty odd to me to find myself in a position to be able to call him a contemporary, as I discovered lots of great bands through his site well before Peenko was even a twinkle in my proverbial eye. Although sometimes I must admit that I don't always agree with all of his tastes (seriously Amy MacDonald?!). He's also had the balls to stand up and voice his opinions on the state of Scottish music, in a world where there is a danger of over hyping up and coming bands, he's been able to stand up and point out that not every bands that's being tipped is the best thing since slice bread. We've also had glimpses into his dark twisted sense of humour, check out his 'Are we human or are we Panda?' if you don't believe me.
He was also the innovator in starting up the 'Music Alliance Pact' (more on that later), which was even featured in an article in the Guardian. I think that's enough sooking up for one day, I'm even making myself nauseous, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to present to you, the legendary Pop Cop.......

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hello! I run a music website called The Pop Cop. The name came from a pub conversation several years ago with a good friend of mine who later joined the band De Rosa. Who would have thought my music career would have lasted longer than his! We were brainstorming ideas of what to call a music column I had been asked to write and he suggested “The Pop Cop”. My boss was having none of it, though, so I ended up going with something else much more banal.

What inspired you to start blogging?

When I began back in 2007, I think my main motivation was to highlight what was happening in the Scottish music scene. Now, though, I just do it for the money.

For me personally, you were the first blog that I came across that promoted Scottish music. How do you feel about the number of new bloggers (myself included so be gentle!) that have started popping up over the past few years?

I’m all for it. The increasing number of music blogs in Scotland (and those who read them) shows that people are passionate about the Scottish music scene, particularly at an underground level, so that can only be a good thing. I certainly don’t see other bloggers as competition - we’re all trying to do our bit to support the music scene in our own unique ways.

In October, 2008 you established the ‘Music Alliance Pact’, would you care to explain what it is? What was your reasoning for starting it up?

The Music Alliance Pact is a very simple concept. I pick my favourite song by a Scottish artist each month. Bloggers from more than 35 other countries also pick their favourite song by an artist from their own country. We pool all those songs together and simultaneously post the whole lot on the 15th of the month on each of our blogs (see April’s edition here). Each song is made available as free mp3 download (with the permission of the artist) so it’s a crafty way to get people all over the world listening to tremendous Scottish bands such as Galleries, Admiral Fallow and Washington Irving. Individual songs typically get downloaded 10,000 times. I came up with the idea of MAP as I was trying to think of a way of getting the best up-and-coming Scottish music into the homes of as many people as possible. Little did I know I would have to get the whole planet involved!

Being the busy wee bee that you are, you also have your annual ‘Best Scottish Music Photo’, again what was your inspiration there? Also, how did you manage to get ‘world renowned photographer’ Harry Benson to judge it for you?

I’m actually a really big fan of photography and take pretty much all of the photos you’ll see on any live reviews I do. I’m very much at the novice end of the talent scale but I know there are some fantastic gig photographers in Scotland, so I wanted to give them a platform to showcase their work, which is where the competition idea came from. This year I thought it would be great if I could get an expert to judge it, so I made up a fantasy wishlist which genuinely had just one name on it - Harry Benson. So I tracked down an email address for him, made a polite request and, incredibly, he said yes.

What have been your personal highlights that have happened because of Pop Cop?

There have been lots of highlights but I would have to say that what I'm most proud of is how the blog has developed. It certainly wasn't planned this way, but the content is very much feature and ideas-driven and I really like that as it challenges me to keep thinking in new ways as opposed to just churning out EP reviews.

Is there any truth in the rumours that there used to be a Mrs Pop Cop? And is it true that she is now buried under your patio?

Ha-ha, yes, that’s a little-known fact (the first part, not the patio bit). She used to take a more active role in posting but that ended due to "musical differences" when David Gray found his way into The Pop Cop's Best Songs of 2007 list. In saying that, she still writes the odd post here and there, so if you think the writing is a bit girly, or if you ever see Michael Buble mentioned in the blog, then you'll know why...

Tomorrow night sees you having to unveil your identity, do you plan to disguise yourself for the evening?

Do you remember reading about that stripper from Aberdeen who kept getting arrested for impersonating a police officer? Yeah, that’s not me. There will be no disguise at The Flying Duck. People who know me personally know that I have a music blog so it's really no great mystery. I'm probably more interested in finding out who my readers are than vice-versa. I have to say, I'm very excited about making my DJing debut - I've spent the past week trying to select what songs to play. I've narrowed it down to 150...

Lastly, what can expect to see on The Pop Cop in the rest of 2010?

I'd love to say plenty of great new Scottish music but to be brutally honest, while the local scene is healthy in terms of the number of people who are involved in it in any capacity, the amount of average bands this country produces is stupidly high. I genuinely feel I would be doing a massive disservice to everyone if I was to write about a Scottish act for the sake of it - I need my readers to trust that when I say a new band is worth hearing or going to see live then that really is the case. At the moment, MAP is my main vehicle for doing that simply because Scotland only produces a dozen acts that make me excited in any given year. Anyone who claims there are far more than that number is much less fussy about what music they choose to listen to than I am. Apologies if you were hoping for a happy ending to this interview!

The Pop Cop


If you are out and about in Glasgow tomorrow night (after our gig mind), then you catch the Pop Cop stepping out from behind the mask and DJ-ing at the Flying Duck. He'll be playing alongside my good self, Ed from 17 Seconds, Nick from The Radar and Halina Podcart. Come up and say hi if you get the chance, we don't bite. Actually I don't bite, I can't vouch for the rest of them.

Meursault - Maida Vale Session for Andrew Collins, 6Music (28/04/10)

Track Listing
1. What You Don't Have
2. One Day This'll All Be Fields

Download

Scots Way-Hay #13 - Super Adventure Club

And now for something completely different.....

For those of a nervous disposition, this might well be the time to look away, as you are about to enter the weird and wonderful world of the Super Aventure Club a scuzzed up head fuck of a band. Yes they're on the same label as last weeks Scot Way-Hay'ers The Scottish Enlightenment, the similarities end there. Based in Glasgow, the trio have created a unique sound which is clearly differentiates them from pretty anything else that is coming out of Scotland at the moment. It is at this point that I feel that I should apologise to Jim 'Ayetunes' and Phil 'Elba Sessions', you were right, I was wrong. The pair of them have been on at me about these guys for ages, how could I be so stupid as to ignore a band that has come up with song titles like 'Hip Hop Hot Pot Pot Noodle'.......

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Neil: We are SAC, i'm Waz, the funny looking one. We are three friends exploring the the sonic realms and leaving no stone unturned in our adventure to find the future sound.

Bruce: I’m Bruce, the one with the big gay following.

Mandy: Hello, I am Mandy, I play the lowest and sing the highest.


How would you describe the music you make?

Neil: Fun, playful, extreme, relentless and above all good. We strive to make our own music, music that you could say 'it sounds like SAC'. there is of course influence from other artists in our style (we're all massive music 'fans') but we're three quite different people and that should make something unique, if we play together and end up sounding like another band then we'd be very disappointed.

Mandy: It's like the musical equivalent of Screwball Scramble. Or maybe like a really intense game of Hungry Hippo's, like it's pretty fun but it's quite erratic, ye have to totally go nuts on that Hippo's head otherwise you'll never get the ball. No-one ever gets the ball though.

Bruce: Yeah it’s pop with an attention disorder.

How did you come together as a band?

Mandy: Bruce and I met in Argos years ago, moved to Edinburgh, went to college together and started a band called Stepdads, we split up after a few years and decided to start a new band, after one gig with SAC the original drummer left and Bruce wanted to call it quits unless I could convince Waz to play with us. So we hunted down Waz, kidnapped him, locked him in a chamber and fed him only Haribo, luckily for us Waz is well into that shit, so he agreed.

Neil: I thought the music was mad, it wasn't really up my street at the time, I was playing in more straight ahead stoner rock and punk bands, it took months to get my head round some of the music but I’ve managed to keep my head above the water since then.

How did you start out making music?

Neil: I was one of those youngsters who played the piano and loved it as much as i hated it, i remember wanting to quit a lot my parents would say, "give it an extra couple of weeks, then you can decide" by which time I'd be enjoying it again, crafty bastards. I eventually found my way onto a drum kit and that got me the exercise I lacked being a non-football enthusiast.

Bruce: I got a guitar aged 16, learned ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries, and it all spiraled from there. Mandy: I used to rock my keyboard all day in primary school.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

Bruce: Usually I have a few idea fragments that the other guys put parts to, then we structure it. The more song-ey ones are usually structured before I take it to the guys, but it's very much a democracy - if I have an idea that gets overruled then fair do's, it'll be for the better once my ego calms down.

Neil: I think a lot of thought goes into writing; whilst we're away from our instruments we talk about how stuff could be done differently how things could be changed or developed, these conversations usually happen on buses or in vans. We continue writing the music after the "ahh, that's another one in the bag" moment. We get the bare bones, the structure and the lyrics down, and then that's when the writing really starts. We never look at a song and say, "well that's perfect", things are always evolving. It's a virtue to know when you've had enough, unfortunately Super Adventure Club lack that virtue...

Tell us a little about what influences you. Are there any artists in particular you would consider to be major influences on your music?

Neil: People tend to mention Zappa when talking about influences, and although we'd like to think our music is more pop the truth is prog rock artists have a huge influence on us. Zappa is an influence not only with the music he created but the way he created it, his willingness to experiment freely without giving a monkeys about his popularity levels, making good music was all he cared about. His extreme work ethic is also something we hugely admire even if we do somewhat lack it.

Mandy: I'm mainly influenced by unicorns and rainbows. I like music too, I really like music, loads.

You released your new record ‘Avoid Zombies’ through Armellodie Records, how did that come about?

Mandy: Al (Armellodie Records) and Bruce have been participating in anal fun for years, I guess now Bruce just put a price on it. Haha joke (or is it!?) right, no, Waz done a jobby on Al's head and Al was like SACre bleu! Right no, sorry, sorry. Waz knew Al from Aberdeen, they reunited at bar bloc one night, Al liked us so basically he just asked us if we wanted to sign up with Armellodie, naturally, we said yes. How could you say no to a man with a smile like that, those teeth, they're so great.

Neil: Al (Armellodie Records) owes me favours for keeping my mouth shut about the whole Maple vs Nero gay orgy accident (it was supposed to be a good night in like any other but it turned into a blood bath that resulted in the loss of teeth, life and the eventual collapse of two good Aberdeen bands) so he arranged to help SAC in all ways! But seriously, if you've got braces don’t give head to a guy with a pierced cock.

What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2010?

Mandy: More touring for sure, the album going platinum probably, new single in June, we've started writing new stuff too, supporting Cypress Hill, but definitely not supporting Kanye West. No way he can forget it.



Super Adventure Club - Nosferatu (MP3)



Super Adventure Clubs new album ‘Avoid Zombies’ is out now on Armellodie Records. New single ‘Hip Hop Hot Pot Pot Noodle’ is released on Monday 21st June.

Myspace
Bandcamp
Armellodie Records

Copy Haho - Vic Galloway Session (26/04/10)

photo by Martin Traynor

Track Listing
1. Dying Breed
2. A Winter On The Run
3. Your Accent Changed

Download

Fresh Meat Monday - David Hughes & The Renegade folk punk band

Would you care to introduce yourself?

I'm Dave Hughes, from the west coast of Scotland (but now living in Dundee). I play folk music, mostly solo, but when in and around Glasgow it's with my backing band, the Renegade Folk Punk Band.

How would you describe the music you make?

I describe my music as punk rock political folk music. It's basically born out of playing in punk rock bands, before switching to an acoustic guitar and performing solo. My biggest influences are Springsteen, The Clash and Mischief Brew. I try to make sure that all the songs have good choruses that folk can sing a long to, and that they tell stories to make them interesting. It's a bit political, but not in an in your face "FIGHT THE SYSTEM" type way that a lot of folk-punk can be.

How did you start out making music?

I started out playing electric guitar when I was about 15, and about three weeks after picking it up I formed my first band. We were pretty rubbish, even as a school band! AFter that I played in a punk rock band for around 3 years, it then ended when we all went to different universities and so I started playing songs solo.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

A lot of times a verse or stanza comes in to my head, which I then push as far as I can and see if I can get something out of it. Then the music comes, which is usually pretty simple since I'm not a great musician (and have next to no musical theory knowledge). I then record a simple acoustic demo which I send to the band who come up with their parts. We then meet up to play a gig and at soundcheck we see what parts work together, then the song gets played. This isn't the case all the time, perhaps 80-90% though, and it seems to work.

What can people expect from your live shows?

It all depends on the type of shows. Sometimes it's a full on party mode show, high energy songs, sing a longs and smiles all around. Other times it's more subdued, with quieter songs that I have. It's different each time, which means that the band or I don't get bored. In fact, a couple weeks ago we played a gig at Sleazys where our setlist was picked through a lucky dip. It was a lot of fun, and meant that we didn't know what was coming next, and people walked away with tat from my house!

What are you all listening to at the moment?

I'm just back from an amazingly fun and exhausting UK tour with Adam Boucher and The Dead Set, so I've been mainly listening to his music. As well as this, Gaslight Anthem, Christy Moore and Mischief Brew have been getting a lot of play.

What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2010?

We're hoping to play bigger and better shows throughout the year, and hopefully get a bit of airplay from radio. We're also supposed to be having a split cassette coming out on a downsouth label with a fantastic artist called Don't Let Paris Fool You, so I'm trying to get stuff ready for that.I'm also keen to do another UK tour this September, hopefully with the band in tow this time.

David Hughes & The Renegade folk punk band - Outnumbered (MP3)


Home
Myspace

Weekly Round Up - (25/04/2010)

Monday - Vegas Nights were my Fresh Meat and Steve Mason's session for Lauren Laverne. Which reminds I had to planned to buy his album. Anyone got it yet? Any good?
Tuesday - Call To Mind's session with Vic Galloway, this my first time hearing these guys. They really impressed, I duly bought their EP and was even more impressed. Check it kids!
Wednesday - The Scottish Enlightenment were the latest addition to the Scots Way-Hay club.
Their new EP is ridiculously good, make sure you get yourself a copy when it comes out on the 10th of May.
Thursday - I got a nice surprise as the lovely Fiona from Leith FM put the Last Battle session up to stream, which i duly recorded. Cracking it is too!
Friday - Freebies!!! We had a ridiculous number of freebies up for grabs.
The Phantom Band live recording from King Tuts got pulled because of the volcano. Not sure how that works as I could have sworn it happened. Thankfully though Mr Galloway pulled a wee belter out of the bag and got Adam Stafford in for a session.


News, gigs and any other gubbins......

With less than a week to go, it's time for yet another shameless for our gig at the Captains Rest. In the unlikely event that you missed it (how could you?!), this coming Friday myself and fellow blogger Jim 'Ayetunes' are taking our first tentative steps into gig promoting. For our first gig we have roped in friends and family and have a line up that the pair of us are still pinching ourselves over. Kid Canaveral, Mitchell Museum and Campfires in Winter, three of my favourite bands out there are doing a gig for this pair of muppets. God knows how we'll be ever manage to conjure up a line up that good ever again. Ticket sales have gone a shit load better than expected, so if you are planning to come along make sure you don't leave it too late. Tickets are only a fiver (four quid if you buy one off the pair of us in advance), hopefully we'll see you there as it'd be great to put names to faces.

We also have an 'unofficial' after party at the Flying Duck, as part of the monthly Pin Up Nights event, 'Blogger's Delight!' Alongside myself, there will be a whole host of top Scottish music bloggers spinning some tunes, including Ed from 17 Seconds , Jason The Pop Cop (who has threatened to dress up as the policeman from the Village People just to predict his real identity*, Nick from The Radar (formerly Under the Radar) and the legendary Halina from the Glasgow Podcart team all guest dj-ing! Actually, Halina is DJ-ing?! That could be interesting after her threatening to get "totally fucked" at our gig before, then again people in glass houses, etc.
On top of all of that, there will be live music from Louise Against the Elements, Carmine and Kung Fu! Plus there will also be all of the usual Pin Up DJs showing us how's it supposed to be done! It's only a fiver to get in, although ticket holders from our gig will get £1 off! Lastly, if you're one of the 1st 100 folk through the door you can claim yourself a free fanzine & badge!
* Jason might not have actually agreed to this, I live in hope though.


If you are about in Edinburgh next Saturday, then you might want to check out the first ever "Machar Granite presents..." showcase at the Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh. As well as Machar Granite, you can also catch the Lorraine McCauley Band and Tam's Railway.
Tickets are £5/4 (non-students / students), the evning kicks off at 7pm. Further details can be found here.

Alternatively, for all you West Coasters out there who fancy a Saturday night on the tiles, then you can check out Ace City Racers at The Vicky Bar (I think that's upstairs in The Clutha) in Glasgow. It's being touted as a May Day Tea Party, with the added bonus of lots of cakes and a Classic Indie DJ set from DJ Tam Coyle to boot. Further information can be found here.

Adam Stafford - Vic Galloway Session (22/04/10)

Track Listing
1. Shot You Down You Summer Wannabes
2. Expert Jump
3. Add Mask
4. Frederick Wiseman

Download

apologies if the track names are ballsed up, my sound recorder went a bit nuts

Friday Freebies

The Kays Lavelle
The second single ‘Ten Times’ from the Kays forthcoming debut album ‘Be Still This Gentle Morning’ is available for free digital download through the good folk over at Wiseblood Industries.

Blur
I guess that most of you will already be aware of this, but in case it passed you by Blur's new song 'Fools Day' that was released as part of Record Store Day has been made available for free download in exchange for your email address.

Kid Carpet
If you've never heard of KC then now's the time to get yourself acquainted, I first came across him in one of the wee tents at Belladrum a few years back. Seeing a grown man play toy instruments and making some of the most fun dance music known to man was my highlight of the weekend. My second biggest highlight was stumbling across him playing the same tent a few hours later, due to the fact that some of the bands had been forced to pull out. The man is a legend on his pink toy guitar. Anyway, enough shite about me, he has put a new collection of songs entitled 'The Advert Break' up for free download, here.

Bob Hillary and the Massive Mellow
If you are heading up north to this years Insider Festival then you might have spotted this lot on the bill. If you fancy hearing what they sound like, then you'd be advised to subscribe to their mailing list, as they'll send you a free MP3 of their song 'It's All Good'. Ain't that kind of them.

HEALTH
City Slang have posted a free download of the LA band's song 'USA Boys', just right click save and hey presto you've got yourself some new tunes for nowt.

Caribou
Also up on City Slang is Odessa (David Wrenchs Drumapella) by Caribou, once again, right click save. Easy peasy.

Pulled Apart by Horses
Give Transgressive Records your email address and they'll give you 4 free tracks from their 'Live at Leeds', 12" which came out as part of the Record Store Day celebrations.

65daysofstatic
The Sheffield post-rock band have a couple of free downloads up for grabs, 'Tiger Girl' is up on the NME's site and 'Crash Tactics' is free over on Indie Shuffle.

Unkle
I'll admit that I have only really heard one tune from Unkle, that one with Ian Brown, yes I know shame on me, etc, blah blah. Apprently they have a new album out, I think it's supposed to be a bit pants, but then I'll never know. If you would like to get an idea of what it's like then you download yourself a couple fo free tracks here.

.Scores
The Glasgow indie pop-rockers ahve free download of their song 'intro' up on lastfm for free.

Elliot Smith
A couple of tracks by the late Elliote Smith are up on RCRD LBL for free,'Last Call' from his Roman Candle album and 'Twilight', from the From Basement On A Hill album.

Stolen Recordings
The indie label has put a free sampler up for download on their Bandcamp, it features tracks from Pete & the Pirates, My Sad Captains and TAP TAP.

Pixies
Give them your email address and they'll let you download a free MP3 and video of 'La La Love You'.

Mystery Jets
Their third album is due out soon, to promote it's release they're giving away a free download a new track called 'Flash a Hungry Smile', just click here.

The Dandy Warhols
Mind these guys, they were on advert, everyone LOVED them. Then everyone forgot, I liked that song they sang about heroine, or somehting like that. Do I care what they're doing nowadays, not really no. Some of you lot might though, so here you go it's a free download of 'Little Drummer Boy'. Is it just me or are there far too many freebies out there these days....

Ólafur Arnalds
Icelandic fella, has a new album, it's not about volcanoes, actually I have no idea wtf his songs are about. He does have a free download up of one of a new song up for grabs, taken from the album ''Þú Ert Sólin', which translates as 'pure minging by the way'...or perhaps not, is up for grabs here.

Iron & Wine
yep that folky guy with the huge beard, aye him, he's got a free song up fro grabs over RCRD LBL. It's called 'The Trapeze Swinger' and it's rather nice, download it here.

The Mountain Parade
Another last minute edition from Ian 'too pretty to blog' Bawjaws from Have Fun At Dinner, as I just got this I can't tell you much. Apparently they're a folk pop band from Oxford, we'll just have to trust my little dragon loving acorn. You can download their EP 'Living Room Songs' for free on their Bandcamp.

Stornoway
Although Kowalskiy keeps banging on about this lot I must admit that I haven't given them much of a listen. Saw them on Jools Holland once, they didn't impress me much, might need to get them another chance. There is a free download of their song 'On The Rocks' up for grabs here. Talking of Kowalskiy it's time for his we Korner (please note the KKK idea was mine, he's not a big racist or so he says.....)


Kowalskiy's Komplimentary Korner

The Northwestern
From the ashes of one of one of my favourite bands, Hope Of The States comes The Northwestern. There are two free downloads of their songs "Rot and Gin" and "The Number" available here, all that they ask for is an email address in return.

Go Go Bordello
Personally I don't know too much about these guys, I liked that Start Wearing Purple song, that was class. David, sorry Kowalskiy swears by them, hence the reason why he's given us two freebies this week. What a wee star he is! Anyway, if you head over to Rolling Stone, then you can download new track Pala Tute.

The Last Battle - Leith FM Session (30/03/10)

Track Listing
1. Ruins
2. Black Waterfall
3. Life Jackets

Download

A massive thanks goes out to Fiona for posting a stream for this,
you can listen to the full interview and session here.

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

Call To Mind - Vic Galloway Session (19/04/10)

photo by Steven Gallagher

Track Listing
1. Lost and Found
2. Running With Scissors
3. Cherry Coloured Funk (Cocteau Twins Cover)

Download

Fresh Meat Monday - Vegas Nights

Would you care to introduce yourself?

We are Vegas Nights. Tommy, Chris, John, Harry and Neil. The original and best no nonsense merchants. We are currently promoting the release of our second single Shock which is available now on iTunes.

How would you describe the music you make?

We've got a lot of different influences and we try to combine a lot of them rather than using one artist as a main inspiration. Joy Division and New Order are hugely influential on our sound but we try not to make this too obvious, mainly because everyone in the band brings their own style and inspirations to the music. We still want to keep some level of originality.

How did you start out making music?

We formed in late 2008. We had all played in bands before for a few years and finally decided to take it seriously. A few members have come and gone and the style of the songs have changed since we started.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

Mainly just messing around in rehearsal rooms or sometimes someone brings an idea in and we work around that. There's no set process really, we just do whatever seems right. We don't think about it too much.

What can people expect from your live shows?

Intensity and hideous onstage patter from John. We're working on stamping that out at the moment though.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

Tommy: The Smiths, Morrissey, The Durutti Column, 10cc, MSTRKRFT

Chris:The Chantelles, Fleetwood Mac, Beach Boys, Camera Obscura

Harry: Animal Collective, Tortoise, Beck, Pavement

John: Oasis, Kasabian, The Beatles

Neil: Joy Division, Pet Shop Boys

What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2010?

We are currently working on our debut album, which will surface later this year. We've taken a bit of time off from constant gigging to work on things but we'll still be playing the odd live date. If anyone wants to stay updated, they can check our sites.

Vegas Nights - Shock (MP3)


Myspace
Home

Steve Mason - 6Music Session (19/04/10)

Track Listing
1. Am I Just A Man
2. All Come Down

Download

Weekly Round Up (18/04/2010)

Monday - Ross Drummond aka Electro-pop outfit 'Lies' were my Fresh Meat

Tuesday - Vic Galloway's return from the other side pond meant that I could get back onto recording some sessions. It was North Atlantic Oscillation, again (?!), thankfully this time round the session went well. The less said about the first two songs from the Radio One session, the better.
Wednesday - The Hubmeister General (RM Hubbert) became the 11th 'member' of the Scots Way-Hay club, giving one of the most interesting set of answers to date. In addition to this, Peter Parkers recorded a wee session for Marc Riley's 6Music show. Rather good it was too.
Thursday - Peenko favourites Mitchell Museum were in session on Huw Stephens Radio One show, it was a belter of a session. Plus we even got a wee plug for our gig. Although Mr Stephens did make Kid Canaveral sound more like a venereal disease and said it was part of the Campfires in Winters festival. I know I shouldn't complain, but us bloggers can be a right bunch of bitches sometimes.
I also posted King Creosote's session for the Marc Riley show. Seriously how gorgeous was that?! Also, I really don't know how I/this blog would cope without the legend that is Mr Riley. I also posted a wee interview with Walter Micklethwait (try saying that after a few beers, it's almost as difficult as Little Yellow Ukuleles), one of the organisers of the amazing Insider Festival . He was number seven in my 'Community Care' feature, I'm sure you'll agree that it was worth the wait, now all I need to do is think who my next victim might be...
Friday - is always about the freebies, my personal favourites were from Antlers, Cults and the Evening Chorus. It really does that I am finding more and more stuff each week, is this the way forward for bands these days......



News, gigs and gubbins............

Zoey Van Goey announced they'll be playing a couple of matinee shows in May, under the banner of Practice Makes Perfect. The gigs take play on Sunday the 2nd and 9th of May, at the Captains Rest. The gigs will see the trio road testing new material for that difficult second album. Both events kick off at 2pm, further details can be found here.

On Wednesday the Glasgow Podcart have another corking gig lined up the 13th Note, featuring Peenko favourite Miaoux Miaoux and Dead Boy Robotics. It promises to be spaff-tastic night of electro goodness plus it's free. The Podcart kids done good again.

On Wednesday, White Heath and Jesus H Foxx are playing the I Fly Spitfires night at Maggie's Chamber in Edinburgh, doors are at eight and tickets are a bargain £2. Should be a cracking night.

If you happen to live in St Andrews or the surrounding area and you have no plans for this afternoon, then you should check out the On The Rocks Festival which launches today.
Otters Sing Lullabies are putting a gig on at the beautiful hidden St John's Garden, featuring a whole host of talented Scottish folk artsists, including Edinburgh band The Last Battle.

Details of this years West End Festival haven't been officially announced yet, but some of the gigs have been posted. Taking place in June, Oran Mor has Ian McCulloch - Tuesday 15th, King Creosote - Wednesday 16th, Zoey Van Goey/Peter Parker/Endor (Silence Can Break Your Heart) - Thursday 17th, Beerjacket - Friday 18th, Mr Kil/Three Blind Wolves - Saturday 19th. Tickets are on sale here.

The Lava Experiments play the Captains Rest, this coming Thursday (22nd). Also on the bill are The Hardy Souls and Psycho Candy. Tickets are £4 on the door or £2.50 in advance from the band.