In my life time there have been a lot of things that I have been very proud of, the birth of my daughter Erin and marrying Nic being the main two. Today, marks another day that will stay with me for many years to come as this is the day when a boyhood dream was finally realised. Having release a mini album with I Build Collapsible Mountains (on Peenko Records), an EP with Randolph's Leap and a single with Esperi, it's now time to move on to the 'big one'.
I think it's a bit a Scottish trait that we don't like to low our own trumpets, but for once I am going to go against the grain and say that The Son(s) album is an awesome album. I still can't quite believe that we're getting to release it, it's a phenomenal piece of work. How the fuck we're going to manage to keep this standard up I don't know, but we'll give it a good go.
Seeing as it's not the done thing to review something your releasing, I asked The Son(s) to write a wee track by track for me Not ones to do things by the book, here's what they had to say about the album...
1. Dogs, Boys & Men
A list of animals in our home in descending order of popularity.
2. Sonny, You'll Never Get That Ride
As overheard on the #22 bus from Leith to the Gyle; Old gent leans over the back of the seat in front, where a younger man is sat gawping at the girls in the back of the bus in front. Whispers something along these lines in younger man's ear. Sit's back, sage. This as an introduction to the song might be misleading.
3. You Belong to No One
According to Mystic Lisa down the road this is Captain Beefhearts' least favourite song on the album. If you like angular then I guess that's fair enough. I like this one.
4. Radar
I can't paint, I can't even decorate. And I've never tried to wallpaper anything, I may yet though I'm colour blind... Anyway when I see one, I always want to have a ride on those airport carousels. I've never done it, have you done it? That's what this song is about.
5. Sold Down The River
I can't remember writing this one. Have you heard Child Is the Father Of The Man? That's a great song that. This started off as simple acoustic song but gained a whole bunch of stuff by surprise while it was recorded. That's ok isn't it? Not all songs have to work when reduced to someone scraping away at an acoustic guitar. Who made that rule up? That's a bunch of shite. We were so chuffed when Ally McCrae played it on the radio. It very nearly didn't make it on the album.
6. There Is A Hole In The Middle Of The Sea...
There is a hole in the middle of the sea! There's a Eastern Pacific gyre and a North Atlantic gyre. Floating debris accumulates in these bits of the ocean. If you sailed through one it wouldn't look any different to any other part of the sea, bar that you'd be completely surrounded by large numbers of spinning bath toys, tyres and empty milk containers.
7. Count Your Feet
When I was a kid I wanted to be an astronaut. And, unlike my other childhood dreams, for this one it might not be too late. For the other dreams, fallen by the wayside - ach well. Make do and mend.
8. George & Harm
Someone, somewhere is having all the fun that you're missing. It's like a universal law, good times must be conserved. In my head it all gets channelled to this one old couple, they get yours, they get mine. So while you're sat in front of a computer, somewhere they're kicking their heels. Bastards eh?
9. Soheyho
I think most songs should be around 3 minutes, there's hardly ever a need to go over 4 minutes. It's not a hard and fast rule. Basically I like songs that haven't been unnecessarily elongated. This one should have been 1 minute but I couldn't get it below 1.22. I've not helped either side of the argument there...
10. Pinholes
A song about flotsam and jetsam, about slowly, quietly failing and wanting someone to notice and say it's all ok. Oh and about a dream once had about having to jump through tiny holes in the bedroom wall.
11. Mars Just Pied Her With Gin...
Written after a long night of drinking, slowly wending down from the Pleasance to the Cowgate one summer. You wanted to carry on, invincible, down the Cowgate, the Grassmarket and on and out of town. It was the last thing we recorded. I particularly like the click at the end of it - that was the last sound we recorded. Stop tape.
The Son(s) self titled album is out now, there are 100 limited edition CDs available directly from the band via their Bandcamp, which comes with a special Olive Grove cigarette card. If you like to buy your albums from your local record store then you can also pick copies up at the following stores:
Fence Records, Anstruther
Avalanche Records, Edinburgh
Love Music, Glasgow
Monorail Records, Glasgow
One Up Records, Aberdeen
Pure Groove, London
Rough Trade, London - recommended album of the week
Norman Records, Leeds
Action Records, Preston
Rise Records, Bristol
If downloads are your game then you can download the album directly from The Son(s) Bandcamp page, you can also find it on eMusic, iTunes, Napster, Ovi Music, Play.com, Spotify, Tesco Digital, Tunetribe, We7 and Zune.
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