We've Got It Covered #60

Although I have been posting reasonably regularly on the blog, I still kind of feel as if I have been neglecting it a little bit. I guess that's more to do with withdrawal symptoms form not posting every day, which had become a bit of an obsession of mine. If you're ever considering starting your own we blog you should be warned that it really does take over you life, mostly for the better. I might have taken a break from posting, but I have still been pretty busy, behind the scenes there's been a lot going on with my label Olive Grove, lots of spamming and even more plotting, in fact the next few days are pretty fucking exciting for us. Tomorrow night the Pensioner boys are in session on Ally McCrae's Radio One show, then on Monday we are announcing the next addition to the Olive Grove family.
On top of all of that I am actually getting to spend some time away from sitting in front of my laptop as next weekend I am heading up to Inverness for the Belladrum Festival which I am pretty excited about. The standards were set at last weeks Wickerman Festival, so Bella has a lot to live up to, although with Kid Canaveral, Admiral Fallow, The Phantom Band, We Were Promised Jetpacks, PAWS and Bronto on the bill, I am sure it's going to be a cracking weekend. This weekend though I am having a very quiet one, my liver/body took one hell of a battering in Dumfries, so some time chilling with my girls and nae booze is the order for today.

Anyway, that's enough of my ramblings for one morning on with this weeks cover version which comes from my favourite indie pop duo, Over the Wall and their take on a Peter Gabriel's 'I Go Swimming'. The song was originally recorded as part of a session that they did for Vic Galloway back in May last year, you can download all three songs here (notice how I fucked up originally fucked up the track name). If you fancy seeing the boys live in the very near future then you're in luck as Over The Wall are supporting Admiral Fallow, along with Kid Canaveral at the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh on Sunday the 14th of August. Tickets for the gig are available here.


Over the Wall-I Go Swimming (Peter Garbiel cover)

Friday Freebies

Right I know I said I wasn't going to do one of these for a few weeks, but seeing as my favourite bookmarks is getting out of control I thought I'd post up some links to some of the best stuff that I've found recently.

We Were Promised Jetpacks
One of the main reason for me wanting to post a Freebies was the new Jetpacks song, I fully appreciate that most of you will have already downloaded their new song 'Act On Impulse', but if you haven't then you really should as it's fucking ace, a welcome return and then some.

Letters
When Letters first burst onto the scene at the start of the year I must admit that I was a bit taken aback by the amount of hype they got from many of my fellow blogger friends. After hearing their new single, 'Flash! Lights', I have to put my hands up and admit that I was wrong, as this song is a wee belter and best of all it's free. You can download yourself a copy for free using the following link.

Bear Bones
I'll warn you now, I am going to mention Wickerman a few times in this post. Last weekend Bear Bones were the biggest surprise for me, I have heard songs in the past and enjoyed them, but I rally hadn't listened to them enough to fully appreciate just how good they were. They really impressed me with how good they were live, tight as fuck, with tunes to boot. You can download yourself one of these said tunes by signing up to their mailing list and they'll send you their track 'I Scare Easily'. Dae it!

Spaghetti Anywhere
It's almost a year and half since Jim Ayetunes sent me over an email about Spaghetti Anywhere, at the time we got ourselves just a little over excited about their self titled debut EP. Since then they've kind of disappeared of my radar a little, mainly because they're based in London and they haven't ventured north of the border for a gig yet. Hopefully they'll make it up one day, until then we can content ourselves with a free download of their new EP 'Doolally' which you can find on their Bandcamp page.

Amber Wilson
Hailing from Aberdeen, Amber Wilson was fucking great when I saw her play with Endor and Randolph's Leap a few months back. She's about to release her new double a-side single on Monday 15th August, again it's fucking great. You don't have to take my word for it as to how talented she is, you can find out for yourself, as by signing up to her mailing list you'll get a free MP3 of her song 'Things Will Be Better'.

Citizens
I might well have mentioned that I was at the Wickerman Festival last weekend, if not, I was and I had a fucking great time. I have promised myself that I will try and write a review when I get the chance. Although I have to admit that my memories are somewhat hazy, so a 2,000 word article on how I was drunk and can't remember anything might not be the most interesting post. One thing that I do recall is drunkenly debating (arguing) with one of Citizens about god only knows what. I think we must have talked all the way through Rachel Sermanni's set, but then again fuck it she was about 2 hours late for her headline slot. The following day I went to see Citizens play and they kicked the fucking arse out of the Solus Tent they were playing in. I also bonded with the same guy that I'd been arguing with. Fun fun times were had.
You can enjoy some fun too by downloading their EP Try Harder for free on their Bandcamp, those of a nervous disposition might want to avoid this one.

Kobi Onyame
Another act that I caught at Wickerman who surprised me a lot, was Kobi Onyame. I'll admit that I know fuck all about hip-hop, but I really enjoyed his set, so when I got back I did some hunting and found out that he has a free download up for grabs on his Bandcamp.

The Phantom Band
Having done Wickerman, I am now getting pretty excited about next weeks Belladrum Festival near Inverness. I know I am going to lose what little credibility I have built up already, but I must admit that I am pretty excited about seeing Deacon Blue. There I have said it, mock me all you want, but when I was very young they were one of the first Scottish bands that I really got into. Since then it's safe to say that my tastes have changed a tad, which leads me to the band that I am most looking forward to seeing, Glasgow's finest, The Phantom Band. It's only been a few months since I last saw them playing live, but it feels like it's been fecking ages.
Having messed about on their new Bandcamp page a week or so back, I came across this free download of their live cover version of Moondog's Fujiyama which was originally recorded as part of a Moondog tribute album that the band missed the submission deadline too. You can download it for free on their Bandcamp.

Kowalskiy
Hopefully you've been keeping up with Kowalskiy's blog so you'll already know that he posted his 13th Free Monthly EP a few weeks back. If you missed it, then you missed getting your hands on free tracks from Verse Metrics, Letters and Campfires in Winter amongst others. Getting downloading it here.

Dolfinz
Credit for this find goes out Matthew from Song By Toad, after he posted about them a couple of weeks back, I checked them out and was mightily impressed by what I heard. You can find out what all the fuss is about by downloading some free tune-age from their Soundcloud page.

The Strokes
Stereogum have posted up a tribute album of folk covering songs from The Strokes (only good album) 'Is This It', featuring contributions from folk such as Peter, Bjorn and John, The Morning Benders and Owen Pallett. Download it for free here.

M83
My partner in crime, Halina has spent the past week 'spaffing' about how amazing the new M83 song is. I actually still haven't heard this song, so I can't comment, all I know is that their new song 'Midnight City' is free to download in exchange for your email address.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
The come back I never thought would happen is about to happen, yes the worlds most stupidly named band are going to release a new album. As I have said before I am really looking forward to hearing some new material from them, their new single Maniac is free to download and I think it sounds ace.

Bobby Womb
Jon McCall, ex-Y’all is Fantasy Island drummer has issued his 2nd EP on Wise Blood entitled Dwarf Management, you can download it for free here.

No Rest For The Wicked.... A News Roundup

I know I said I was going to take a break from blogging for a few weeks, however, as my inbox almost feels like it's about to burst with emails here's some news and gubbins for you all...

I must admit that I am a wee bit jealous of Gerry Loves Records, in the past 12 months or so they have released some of the most exciting new music that Scotland has to offer. Now with their fifth release they've made me doubly jealous as they're just about to release a split 7” on the 8th of August, featuring PAWS and Lady North. Arguably two of the hottest bands in Scotland at the moment, the boys certainly know their stuff, you can stream two of the singles below.

Lady North - It's All About Gettin' That Claude Monet by gerrylovesrecords

To celebrate the split release PAWS and Lady North are heading out on tour, they're in Aberdeen's Dirty Hearts Club, Snafu, on Thursday 28 July with support from Devils Disco, followed by an appearance at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh on Monday 1st August, before finishing up at the Captain’s Rest in Glasgow on the 3rd of August, with support from Hairy AREA ( Side project featuring members of We Were Promised Jetpacks, Lady North, Endor & Sebastian Dangerfield).

If you can't make it along to any of these shows, then you can pre-order the split release via Gerry Loves Bandcamp page, it's only £4 and it would be money well spent.

Paws - Lekker by gerrylovesrecords

Edinburgh DIY promoters, Tracer Trails are putting on their fourth Retreat Festival over the weekend of August 27th-28th 2011 at Pilrig St Paul's in Leith. So far they've confirmed Broken Records, Jesus h Foxx, Meursault, The Scottish Enlightenment, Skeleton Bob, The Leg, Rob St John, The Pineapple Chunks, Two Wings, eagleowl, ballboy and FOUND, with more to be announced over the coming weeks. Tickets for the gig are on sale now, day tickets are £7 and weekend tickets are £12, you can buy them here.

I quite like this new trend of bloggers putting on gigs, not just because it makes me and Jim look trend setters (we're not Song By Toad has been doing them for ages), but more because it's interesting to see others stepping out of their comfort zones and putting on some excellent bills. The most recent of the blogging community to take this bold step are my friends Stuart and Chris, who run The Tidal Wave of Indifference and Favourite Son respectively.

I have already had one of them asking me for advice, which in all honesty felt pretty odd as I hardly feel like an expert in putting on gigs, I have been winging it since day one. Then again I guess that everyone's blags these kind of things, most folk just aren't stupid enough to admit it.

The Tidal Wave of Indifference gig is of particular interest to me as he's got Star Wheel Press, a band who I have heard a lot of good things about, but still haven't listened to. Apparently they've got the best selling album this year in Avalanche Records, seeing as last year Kid Canaveral were their biggest seller, I have a feeling they might well be up my street. On top of that he has Peenko favourites, French Wives, who were on top form at this years Wickerman Festival, plus there's also the excellent Douglas Firs and Lost Telegrams. Personally it's the kind of gig that might well persuade me to travel through to Edinburgh for the night. Tickets for the gig are on sale in advance here, if you buy one then I am sure you will be making a certain young gentleman that little bit less stressed.


Our other blogging companion Chris who runs Favourite Son is also stepping up to the plate with his first ever gig which takes place next month at Pivo Pivo in Glasgow. Featuring Tape Records very own Dead Boy Robotics, Any Color Black and Blank Canvas. If you're quick off the mark then you can win yourself a pair of tickets to the gig, details and the like can be found here.

Right, that's emptied out some of the important stuff in my inbox, now I just have to work out what to do with all of these free download links... oh and there's a Wickerman review to be written (if I can remember any of it that is).

Laki Mera - Ally McCrae Session (25/07/11)

Track Listing
1. More Than You
2. Untitled
3. Fool
4. Pollok Park

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Fresh Meat Monday - Be Like Pablo

Would you care to introduce yourself?

My name is Ewen Watson and I write songs, sing, play guitar and press buttons on synthesizers in Be Like Pablo. We are from a quiet town in the north east of Scotland but we like to make quite a bit of noise!


How would you describe the music you make?

We make catchy bubblegum pop music with loud guitars, fuzzy Moogs and girl/boy vocal harmonies. We're influeced by classic '60s pop (The Beach Boys), '70s powerpop (The Cars), '80s new wave (The Buggles), '90s alternative (Weezer) and '00s indie (Ben Kweller).


How did you start out making music?

I really wanted to play in a band in my late teens so I taught myself bass guitar and formed one. Nobody else in the band wanted to write songs so I decided to take a stab at it and I've been writing ever since. Its a fun hobby and its good to be able to play music with my friends.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

I'm a real enthusiast for writing songs in strange ways. Once I tried to write a summer song in winter by turning the heating right up in the house and wearing shorts and a t-shirt. But it varies. Sometimes I just sit down with a guitar or at the piano and see what happens, sometimes I just write a melody in my head. Ross, our guitar player also deserves credit as he tells me if any of the parts don't sound very good and I take the song away and work harder on it. I think you need an objective voice to keep you on target. When each song is done, the other band members add their own personal touches with ideas on instrumentation. Its a very inclusive process, really!


What can people expect from your live shows?

A lot of fun, hopefully! We like to jump around and encourage people to join in by singing, clapping and dancing. We aim to be close to Andrew W.K. in terms of positivity but that's impossible to do. So we just make lots of noise and enjoy the performance. We like to make friends at our shows too and I think we are all quite approachable.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

I can't speak for the others but I like to listen to a lot of unsigned bands as its important for me to hear what other artists at our level are doing. For example, right now I'm into The Deportees, The Spook School, Capitals, Bearsuit, Kid Canaveral and Mitchell Museum. All great unsigned bands that are really keeping things fresh. I'm also listening to the new Death Cab for Cutie record and I'm going through a bit of a '90s phase right now too. Its a mixed bag.

What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2011?

We're releasing our new double A side single (Spirit of Adventure/Oh, Emily!) on the 23rd of July which will be available on our website and Bandcamp. We've got a lot of exciting shows coming up including a launch show for the single at Nice N' Sleazy's in Glasgow on the 23rd July and the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival on Saturday 6th August. We've also finished the rough cut of our debut album which we are hoping to pitch to labels and this is our major goal at the moment.


Be Like Pablo - Julianne

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Spirit of Adventure / Oh Emily! Double A-side from Tom Duncan on Vimeo.

We've Got It Covered #59

As this post goes up I will most probably be standing in the middle of a field in deepest darkest Dumfries at this years Wickerman Festival. This is the first time in years that I will have been to a UK festival and almost ten years since I last went to one were I camped. My last festival was a couple of years back in Madrid which started at 7pm through until the wee hours of the morning, after which we went back to our hotel and spent the next day lazing next to the pool.
I guess it's pretty safe to say that this will be slightly different, although this time round I will be in the artists section as I have balgged my way in with Randolph's Leap. Not that I am expecting 'backstage' to be too different from what everyone else gets. I just pray to fuck that the toilets are a wee bit nicer. Hopefully if I have time next week I will knock together a wee review of my weekend or at least the bits that I can remember.
Anyway, onwards and upwards here's this weeks cover which comes from Edinburgh outfit Seafieldroad and their cover of Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun. The song was recently released as the b-side to their new single 'Cramond Island Causeway' which is available to download for free on their SoundCloud. The single is take from their new album which is due out in Novemeber, if you haven't already checked out their debut album, There Are No Maps For This Part Of The City, then I would suggest you do as it's a cracking wee album which might have passed a few of you by as it was released pretty late last year. It's an album that I've found myself going back to a fair wee bit, so I am really looking forward to hearing the follow up.
Anyway, that's enough of rambling for one weekend here's the cover, enjoy...


Seafieldroad - Walking On A Dream (Empire of the Sun cover)

I Build Collapsible Mountains reveals debut album details

I Build Collapsible Mountains, the solo project of Scottish musician Luke G Joyce is set to release his debut album, 'The Spectator & The Act' on the 11th of October on Burning Building Records. For those of you with a good memory, I Build Collapsible Mountains was the first and only release on Peenko Records. Since the release of his debut EP, 'A Month Of Lost Memories', Luke has moved on to much bigger things, having been snapped up by a much bigger label, (who re-released his EP), he's also playing at numerous festivals, including this weekends Wickerman Festival in Dumfrieshire, with a US tour to follow.

You can listen to an exclusive stream of the lead track from the album 'Face Of Thunder Grin below...

i build collapsible mountains - face of thunder grin by peenko

Track Listing
1. Face Of Thunder Grin
2. Quickest Exit
3. Jump The Blue
4. Instrumental #1
5. Trail Song
6. Spectator & The Act
7. Instrumental #2
8. Burn
9. History Making
10. Maps & Destinations
11. The Wrong Way

Artwork for the album comes form the photographer Nick Mason, 'The Spectator & The Act' comes out on the 11th of October. Further details on the album will be announced nearer to the release date.

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Capitals - Vic Galloway Session (18/07/11)

Track Listing
1. A Spectre Is Haunting Europe
2. Moon
3. Meds (Placebo cover)

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Fresh Meat Monday - The Short Waves

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hello I'm Keith Scott a.k.a The Short Waves.

How would you describe the music you make?

Catchy songs recorded in flats and houses using guitars, keyboards, bass, glockenspiel and a drumkit. I'm quite fond of self-deprecating lyrics as well.

How did you start out making music?

I started out writing and recording myself over the last six or seven years at home. I spent a lot of time playing guitar and bass in other bands and started recording my own stuff to contribute to the bands I was playing with. It became apparent that the songs I was writing often didn't fit in well with what was being written by the people I was playing with though.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

I have a horrible short term memory for songs. A lot of songs start with me listening back to sound files on my phone of things I've recorded after a shandy or two and trying to remember what I was on about. Most of my ideas begin with a good melody whether it's a vocal line or a guitar part. I really like the way lyrics are delivered so I tend to mess around with the rhythm and phrasing of the words after the song is nearly done.

What can people expect from your live shows?

I don't really intend to play live shows at the moment to be honest. I really love playing live but up until now it's just been myself and a good friend of mine named Kenny Miller who is an incredible drummer and played all the parts on the EP. I would definitely ask him if it were to ever happen. Playing along to backing from a laptop in front of a crowd doesn't really do it for me at all so I would need to ask some pals nicely and get some rehearsals booked if a good gig came along.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

Albums played this week: FOUND, Chad VanGaalen, Bruce Springsteen, The Jim Jones Revue, Errors, Low, Wilco.

What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2011?

I'm going to record more songs for an album and hopefully get some more friends to play with....



The Short Waves - Alarm Bells

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We've Got It Covered #58

Some of you might have noticed that there was a distinct lack of a cover version last Saturday, that was because it was my birthday and I was away visiting my folks. That and I felt that you guys had kind of earned a day off from having to read my ramblings. In case you were wondering I turned 33, which when I type it out it sounds fucking ancient, possibly because it is. When I was younger I always thought I'd act much more mature by the time I was in my thirties, in fact the opposite seems to have happened. The older I get, the more immature I seem to act, that could be down to me trying to rebel against old age, yes I am grasping at straws.
I always remember when I was younger, that my parents would sometimes forget exactly how old they actually were. I have now found myself doing the same thing, which is probably down to the fact that I no longer place such an emphasis on the importance of being a year older. No you might be starting to wonder where I am going with this ramble, to be honest with you I don't know. It's early on a Saturday morning and I am writing this up whilst trying to ensure that Erin doesn't trash the house (no easy feat). Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say is that age is just a state of mind, but then again someone who's as old as I am would say something like that as I try and grasp onto what's let of my fading youth. Still though last week I got a Star Wars birthday cake, so I can't be that old, can I?!
Anyway, that's of me, here's this weeks cover version which sees one King covering another. A while back I had emailed my friend Charlie, aka King Post Kitsch, to see if he had ever recorded a cover version that he might be up for sharing with you all. He reckoned that he had a wee cover of a Leonard Coen song kicking abut somewhere, but in the end he couldn't find it anywhere. So he duly recorded a version for me, but seeing as he wasn't too happy with it, he suggested that he tried something else and here it is, King Post Kitsch covering Elvis Presley. On first listen I must admit that I really wasn't too sure about this one, but trust me it's a grower.


King Post Kitsch - Don't (Elvis Presley cover)

Wrongnote - Live at T in the Park 2011

Track Listing

1. Snake. Snake? Snake!
2. Heart of a Rat
3. A Machine Rotation

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Bronto Skylift - Live at T in the Park 2011

Track Listing

1. Italo Calvino
2. Tiger
3. Danny Clover Isn't Dead

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Kid Canaveral - Live at T in the Park 2011

Track Listing
1. And Another Thing!!
2. You Only Went Out to Get Drunk Last Night
3. Couldn't Dance

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Laki Mera - BBC Radio 2 Session (09/07/11)

Track Listing

1. More Than You
2. Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush cover)

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Fresh Meat Monday - Pet

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Pet are a band of boys and girl.

How would you describe the music you make?

We like making droning noises and sweet harmonies.

How did you start out making music?

At first, I wrote hundreds of songs with just lyrics. I was pretty obsessed with The Smiths and The Cure and would write my lyrics to exactly the same rhythm of their existing lyrics. Strangely, the next batch of work I did was completely instrumental, using only crappy midi sounds on a computer sequencer. I make music in waves, each wave has a new character.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

Sometimes a lyric comes with a melody attached to it already, so the song comes stupidly quick. But a method I generally use if starting completely from scratch, is to find inspiration from a drum sample. I'll mess about on guitar, bass or piano to a beat I've sampled, until I have something I like. Sometimes I'll fit pretty meaningless words or sounds to a melody, ending up with vague but painterly stories.

What can people expect from your live shows?

A harmony driven, tight mess.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

I'm going for Elliott Smith's Roman Candle Album. It's almost whispered. Completely beautiful. Totally intense. Matt's been listening to Robbie Basho's Salangadou tune on repeat and is still hypnotised by it... . Lexa's all over the girls of Warpaint, loving the Cure-ishness, all greys and blue. No blues! Dylan's in to Autolux. Shoegazey, dreamy shit. Tasty, heafty drum sounds. Casey says Ben Butler and Mousepad, sort of electro funk or something like that... probably something else too, but something like that.

What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2011?

Pet are going for the release when ready approach. We had our debut single launch on Friday 1st July in the gallery space SuperClub 11a Gayfield Square in Edinburgh (sorry this is a bit late - Peenko). Single number 2 is set for November time with a vague idea of a new release every few months. Expect a live EP and videos galore. We all have a very strong visual approach to the band - so we'll be all over that side of things too. For all Pet releases go to http://petpetmusic.bandcamp.com/ And for all Pet info, new songs, videos etc visit http://petpetmusic.tumblr.com/

Pet - Magnetic

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Withered Hand - Vic Galloway Session (04/07/11)

Track Listing
1. No Cigarettes
2. I Still Don't Know How To Say Goodbye

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Dananananaykroyd - Ally McCrae Session (04/07/11)

Track Listing

1. E Numbers
2. Think and Feel
3. Reboot
4. Muscle Memory

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Scots Way-Hay #66 - Discopolis

In case you missed my rambling post on Saturday, I am going to be taking a wee break from my Scots Way-Hay posts for a few weeks in order to recharge my batteries a little. But before I break off for the summer I wanted to sign off in style with arguably the hottest band in Scotland. Up until a few months ago I had never even heard of Discopolis, in fact I doubt very many people had. This years T Break panel changed all of that, as their submission became one of the most talked about entries by this years panellists. Since being announced to play at T in the Park, the band have been snapped up for several more festivals, they've supported FOUND as part of Detour's 'Wee Jaunt' in Edinburgh and next month they're releasing a single through the innovative Eli & Oz label. Not bad going for a band that nobody had really head of a few months back, what happens from here on in is anybodies guess. I caught up with the band ahead of their appearance at next weeks 'big gig' to ask them a little about how they feel about being Scotland's hottest new band, their influences and what we can expect to see and hear from them before the end of this year...

Would you care to introduce yourself?

We are Discopolis- a mild mannered trio from the tiny hamlet of Stockbridge consisting of: Fergus Cook on vocals and Keyboards, Dave Lloyd on MIDI keyboard and Laurie Corlett-Donald on guitar and synth.

How would you describe the music you make?

Like a pleasantly treacherous stroll in the Swiss Alps.

Where did the name Discopolis come from?

We were sold when we set our eyes on the ‘Tidy’ in the video for the Lifelike and Kris Menace song of the same name.

How did you get to know each other and come together as a band?

We all went to school together and hated each other at one time or another but it all worked out in the end.

How do you feel about being a so called ‘buzz band’?

We’re genuinely shocked and humbled. It’s not what we expected, but we’re going to do our darnedest to live up to it.

What process goes into the way you create songs?

We don’t have a set formula, our best songs either take two months to finish or have been written in one day.

Who would you say are your big musical influences?

M83, The Whitest Boy Alive and Deadmau5. We are also hugely proud to hail from the same city as Boards of Canada.

Your due to release your new single next month through Jen Anderson's label, Eli & Oz, how did that come about?

She’s a T break judge and she got in touch with us shortly after the announcement, but the fact that Scotland is such a small place doesn’t hurt.

What can people expect to see/hear from your live shows?

It’s early days yet, we’re working on visuals to make everything more aesthetically pleasing, for now you’ll just have to settle four our ugly mugs. The lead singer has been attending zumba classes in order to keep fit and keep up to date with all the coolest dance moves.

How are the nerves holding up ahead of your appearance at this years T in the Park?

In a way it hasn’t completely hit home that we’re playing T. We’ve gradually reached the point that we don’t feel nervous before our gigs, but somehow we expect T will be pretty daunting.

What are your plans for the rest of the year and beyond? Are you still working on new material?

We are playing a few festivals during the summer as well as a few dates in Glasgow and Edinburgh. We don’t have any major long term plans yet but things may change after T. We try to write as much as we can. We like the idea of having a lot of tracks, allowing us the freedom to cherry-pick our favourites for an album. We ‘re taking a leaf out of Justin Vernon’s book and taking a week in September to isolate ourselves in Laurie’s cabin.


Discopolis - Cold Summers Turn To Scottish Winters


If you're heading along to T in the Park this weekend and fancy checking Discopolis out, they're going to be closing the T break stage on Sunday night. Discopolis new single 'Lofty Ambitions' is due out on Eli and Oz in early August, you can watch the video for the single below.

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Meursault - TWR Session (25/06/11)

Track Listing

1. Flittin'
2. A Mother's Arms
3. Settling
4. Dearly Distracted
5. William Henry Miller
6. Hole

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If you're free on a Saturday afternoon then I highly recommend that you check out The Waitingroom Radio show, as they play some pretty fucking awesome tunes. You can find out more about the show on their Facebook page.

Fresh Meat Monday - Plastic Animals

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hello! We are Mario, James and Dave, collectively known as Plastic Animals, Edinburgh's favourite Peruvian/Scottish/Northern Irish trio.

How would you describe the music you make?

Badly, but we'll try our best. We used to play very simple, noisy punk songs and we still have a bit of that in us, but now try to write more interesting and layered songs, with a bit more atmosphere. And a bit more melody. One of our fave bands, Deerhunter, describe themselves as "ambient punk", and we'd like to appropriate that for us, although feel very unworthy in doing so.

How did you start out making music?

Mario picked up a guitar to help avoid the lure of the street-gangs of Lima. James found the drums to be a healthy outlet for his insatiable and previously undirected rage. Dave learned bass in order to complete the line-up of a Blink-182 cover band. We first played together in 2006 through a combination of personal connections and want-ads, and the shared influence of bands like Pavement, Pixies and Grandaddy.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

Mario is the creative engine. He usually brings some song ideas to practice; we play around with them, settle on a structure and then add bits until we're happy. They usually change lots until we finally record them. Lyrical inspiration just comes from cheery things like loss and separation, or everyday experiences and current affairs. For example, we have a song called "Gold Medallists" which is either about heartache, or frustration at the recent ticketing process for the London 2012 Olympics. We're still not sure.

What can people expect from your live shows?

Awkward banter, stilted movement and technical difficulties. Also hopefully a few good tunes.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

Mario: A healthy dose of Ozzy Osbourne’s first album “Blizzard of Ozz”. Killing riffs and The Scottish Enlightenment and Guided by Voices, The Lonely Island, particularly “Jack Sparrow” and a little bit of Beyoncé on the side.

Dave: Yo La Tengo, after their incredible show at Queens Hall last month. The new album from Something Beginning With L, who we played with recently. And also indulging my folkier side with some Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver.

James: Low, King Creosote, The Magnetic Fields and a little bit of Deerhoof.

What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2011?

Our new EP "A Dark Spring" will be available from 1st July! Very excited about that, and over the following months we're planning to gig until you're all as sick of our songs as we are. There are lots of new songs in the pipeline, some of which will hopefully be recorded before the year is out. We'd like to play a wee tour, but we seem to be under a curse whereby any time we play outside Edinburgh it goes really badly. Hoping to break that soon!


Plastic Animals - It Fell Apart

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Summer Break

I have been promising myself a beak for ages now, but there's always been something that's sprung up that's made me keep going. However, seeing as it's the summer time and things are a wee bit quieter I have decided to cut back on my posts for a few weeks. I will still be posting the odd session here and there, plus I will have a few Fresh Monday posts and perhaps a sporadic ramble or two. However, there will be no Friday Freebies posts for the a few weeks and I'll also be taking a break from my Scots Way-Hay posts so I can recharge my batteries a wee bit.


But before I bugger off here's some news for y'all...




Peenko favourites, Mitchell Museum return with a new single which comes out on Monday, it's called 'What They Built' and it's the bands first new track in the lead up to their second album release which is due out in early 2012. The single will be out digitally, plus there is also going to be a super exclusive run of children's keyboards with the single download code hidden somewhere inside. Apparently you have two options to reclaim the code: A: Systematically remove the screws from the underside of the keyboard to gain access or B: Smash it to pieces.

What They Built - Single by mitchellmuseum

The band celebrate the singles release with a show tonight with a gig at Stereo in Glasgow, support comes from their friends Fur Hood and Andrea Marini (last I head one of these two had pulled out, not sure which one though), it all kicks off. If any of you kind souls have extra pennies to spare and you're going to this gig I'd love you forever if you could pick me up up one of them pretty keyboards. Yeah I know the chances of anyone doing this are pretty fucking slim, but I can only ask...

Mitchell Museum - What They Built (Marc Riley Session)


If you're out about in Edinburgh tonight then you might want to get yourself along to a fundraising event for The SSC (A Club for the Youth of Scotland) at the Cabaret Voltaire.
Doing their bit for charity are none other than Washington Irving (who I caught for the first time last Sunday and were ace), Bwani Juntion, Matt Norris & the Moon, and recent Scots Way-Hay starlet, Mike Nisbet. The gig kicks off at 7pm, you can pre-order tickets in advance here. Further information on the gig can be found on Facebook.

Washington Irving - Babble (MFR Session)

If Mitchell Museum aren't your thing, but you're still looking for something to do in Glasgow tonight, then Nice N Sleazy's might be for you, as Aberdeen's finest sons Indian Red Lopez are in town to promote their cracking debut album 'Empty Your Lungs and Breathe'. The boys were on top form when they played the bloggers showcase night at goNorth, so I can vouch that they're great to see live. Support tonight comes from local starlets Blue Sky Archives and The Brazen Cars, it's only £5 to get in and it all kicks off at 8pm. Further details can be found here.

IndianRedLopez - My Eyes


On Tuesday night BBC Scotland will be airing their documentary on the Scottish bands that played at this years SXSW Festival. This will include Peenko favourites such as Kid Canaveral, Admiral Fallow, The Twilight Sad, Bronto Skylift, Withered Hand and King Creosote among other. The show will be on at 9pm on BBC2, however, you can watch a wee taster video below:

The Electric Frog Summer Weekender returns on the 30th-31st of July. The festival which is held at SWG3 (street & warehouse) in Glasgow, this years feature performances from bands such as The Fall, Nitzer Ebb, Chrome Hoof, Errors and a lot more. Early bird tickets are available now, with day tickets setting you back £22.50 (+ booking fees) and weekend tickets at £40 (+ booking fees). Further details can be found on the festivals website.

Errors - A Rumour in Africa


On Thursday Born To Be Wide are hosting a seminar explaining how to get music synched in ads, TV, film and computer games. The event takes place from 1930-2130 at Edinburgh’s Electric Circus and will be followed by Buy What You Hear DJ sets in partnership with the Oxfam Record Shop. Confirmed speakers include Gerry Farrell, creative director of the Leith Agency and David Harron, Executive producer at BBC Scotland. They will be joined by one of Scotland’s leading music supervisors, Caroline Gorman from Rage Music and David McGinnis, A&R and head of licensing at Mute Song. An additional guest is expected to be confirmed in the coming days. “Getting music synced can be a valuable source of extra income for musicians, and can also generate useful exposure,” says Born To Be Wide co-organiser, Olaf Furniss. “Each of the panellists is an invaluable source of information and will be able to shed light on this aspect of the business.” The seminar will cover how the music choices are made, how much money is paid and will provide tips on the best way of getting music used. Following the panel, the participants will DJ with tunes they have selected from the Oxfam Record Shop and everything played will be available to buy. Further details on how to book tickets and the like can be found here.



Right I guess that's enough from me for one post, I'm going to finish up with this cracking wee video this years Homegame Festival. The video is sound tracked by Kid Canaveral and their cover of King Creosote's 'Missionary' which they originally covered as part of a session that they did for Vic Galloway last year. This studio recording even features King C on backing vocals and accordion and it sounds ace if I do say so myself. If you pre-order their album 'Shouting At Wildlife' on vinyl, they'll send you on old school cassette tape which features my favourite song on the album ʻAnd Another Thing!!ʼ and the studio recording of 'Missionary' (the tape also includes a download code). You can pre-order the album on vinyl through Fence Records, the band will also be playing on the BBC Introducing Stage next Saturday at T in the Park.

We've Got It Covered #57

So it's been a pretty good start to the weekened, Josie Long has played Kid Canaveral and Cancel the Astronauts on 6Music this morning, I am off to a BBQ this afternoon and that in addition this I had a great time at last nights Ayetunes gig . It was the first time in ages that I've been out to a gig on a Friday night and not indulged in a beer or two (not unless of course you count Ginger Beers). It was the first time that I had seen Loch Awe and The Last Battle, both of whom impressed me a lot. The Second Hand Marching Band were on top form, but then again they never really fail to put a smile on my face. It was also good to catch up with Adam Stafford to do some more plotting about next months Ayetunes vs Peenko gig.
This weeks cover version comes from a side project from Alistair from the Second Hand Marching Band, who has also been recording some solo material as de Selby. His debut EP is well worth hunting out, I think it's a free download so there's no excuses for not hunting it down. A while back he posted up his cover of Prince's 'If I Was Your Girlfriend', which I think I meant to post in Friday Freebies but forgot. So now to make up for it, here it is in all of its glory, it reminds me a wee bit of a more ramshackle Flight of the Conchords. Although when I mentioned this to him at last weeks RM Hubbert show I don't think he took that as much of a compliment. Fuck it, I like it, even if it does sound a bit like our favourite antipodean duo...

de Selby - If I Was Your Girlfriend (Prince cover)

Friday Freebies

The Short Waves
This weeks freebies might be a bit short of bands that you might have heard of, that's not to say that the quality has dipped, far from it in fact. The Short Waves would be a good example of something that you've not heard of, but it's definitely worthy of your attention. Their Stutter EP was apparently recorded on a laptop in a house in Falkirk over the space of two weeks and it sounds fucking ace to me. Check it out for yourself on their Bandcamp where you can find it as one of those pay what you like type scenarios, so you can download it for free if you like.

Warp Records
Amazon have a free Warp Records Label Sampler featuring band like Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke and Jamie Lidell up for grabs. Download it for zero pennies here.

Fireproof Match
A few weeks after coming back from goNorth I fond myself messing about with the notes on my phone, where I came across a number of band names that folk must have suggested I check out. I guess in my drunken state I must have realised that I would never have remembered any of the bands names, which kind of proves that I am not as much of a drunken idiot as I was once thought. One of the first names that I came across in my phone was Fireproof Match, a three piece rock/pop band, now I have no idea who to credit for this tip, if it was you and you're reading this, ta! All you need to know is that they have a number of songs up for grabs on their homepage.

Seas, Starry
Another band who I got tipped off about were Seas, Starry, an Aberdonian shoegaze outfit. They have a mini album up for free download, it's called 'I woke up near the sea, sailing in my dreams', you can find it here.
Rollor
Glaswegian outfit Rollor have a new EP due out later in the summer, it features two songs which are both 8 minutes long. Unusually for me they managed to hold my attention for the full 16 minutes, so I guess they must be doing something right. The EP that I am talking about isn't actually out yet, so instead you can download their Cod Philosophy EP for nowt here.

Knitting Factory Records
Amazon have another free download up for grabs this week, this time it's Knitting Factory Records 2011 Spring Sampler featuring tracks from Femi Kuti, Patrolled By Radar and AgesandAges (hopefully that means something to some of you). You can download it here.

The Black Hand Gang
For quite a few months now I have been spotting posters for The Black Hand Gang all over Glasgow City Centre, until this week I had no idea who the band were. I now know that they're 4 piece alt country/americana band who hail from Glasgow and more importantly that they have some free tunes up for grabs. On their Soundcloud page you can grab yourself a free download of their songs Bricks & Mortar and Bloody Hands.

Adam Balbo
Haling from San Francisco, Adam Balbo has just release his new album, Refried Nostalgia, which he describes as being janky, garage rock. If you want to give him a listen then you can find some rather catchy wee tunes for download on his Bandcamp.

The Jinxes
Sugary indie folk pop outfit, The Jinxes, who hail from Monterey have made their debut single 'Migration' available for free download here. Imagine a non ramshackle Moldy Peaches and you're half way there.

Death Trap City
Damn my shitty memory, I have not got a clue where I came across Death Trap City. They might even have emailed me this link, but I'll be damned if I can remember. They're an alt-rock-pop band from Edinburgh, they have an EP called The Enemy up for free download on Bandcamp.