Peenko

Snow Patrol - World Cafe Session (20/01/12)

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000Z

Track Listing

1. Called Out In The Dark

2. Lifening

3. New York

4. Chocolate

Download

Fresh Meat Monday - No Island

2012-01-30T18:30:00.000Z

Would you care to introduce yourself?

We are No Island, a hardcore band from Glasgow. Or, if you want names - Chris McGlynn/MC (vox), Mark McGregor (drums), Stu Kennedy (guitar), and myself, Ryan Drever on bass.

How would you describe the music you make?

Fast as fuck, slow-as-fuck, fast-as-fuck.

How did you start out making music?

We all kind of loosely knew each other having played in bands around Glasgow for a while. I used to be in a band with MC called Hey Vampires, who played with McGregor’s old band Corpses a couple times and me and Stu used to be in a band called Drive-by Argument. MC was starting a new band, had McGregor in mind on drums, drafted me in on bass and asked if I knew any guitarists. After a chance conversation with Stu which involved him telling me how much he wanted to play in a hardcore band, we booked a practice and thus, the band was born. That was about six/seven months ago.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

There’s not much of a process as such. MC wrote the first batch of songs in his room and we just worked them out in practise. It’s sort of stuck that way. If he’s got a riff or maybe a rough version of a full song, we’ll flesh it out live and go over and over it till we’re happy.

What can people expect from your live shows?

As much speed, anger and noise as we can possibly fit into 15 minutes.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

Far too much to mention. But if you want recommendations check out Night Music by our Glasgow brothers-in-arms, Hush.

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

We’re working on doing as many shows as we can physically fit into the next few months and hopefully tour properly towards the tail end of the summer. There will no doubt be more writing and recording along the way, but our first few songs are up at http://nofuckingisland.bandcamp.com/.

It’s free so feel free to share as you see fit!

No Island - End It

Bandcamp
Facebook

Brew At The Bog

2012-01-29T13:00:00.000Z

In my opinion one of the best things that came from the demise of DFs Connect Festival, would be the number of small boutique festivals that have sprung up to fill the void. Festivals like the Insider, Big Tent and I guess Home/Away Game offer something quite different to the norm, where you see the same old faces cropping up on cyclical periods. Yes, I am bitter towards Connect, as I still hold it responsible for the loss of Indian Summer, a boutique festival that ran for a couple of years in Victoria Park in Glasgow. Anyway, enough of me and my gripes, the point of this was to try and introduce you to a new festival which is going to be taking place on Saturday 5 May at Bogbain Farm on the outskirts of Inverness.

Boasting a line up which includes some of the most exciting up and coming acts that Scotland has to offer. To date they've announced the likes of Washington Irving, Endor, The Seventeenth Century, Over The Wall, Beerjacket, Three Blind Wolves and Kitty The Lion, Open Swimmer, Fatherson, Mike Nisbet, The Little Kicks, Lost City Soul and young Highland singer-songwriter Megan Blyth to this year’s line up.

“We are delighted with the additions to this year’s line up”, said Festival Director, Yvonne Murray. “Brew at the Bog is a great opportunity to catch some of the best new bands in the country in a unique environment, and we are working hard to make sure it’s one of the coolest festivals on this year’s calendar”.

Tickets for the one day event are priced at just £45 and are available here. There are also a limited number of camping tickets available at £10 a pop which gets you in from Friday until Sunday.

If that sounds like your cup of tea or you just want to find out more then just head on over to the Brew At The Bog Homepage (designed by none other than our very clever little pumpkin, Vicki from Randolph's Leap).

We've Got It Covered #85

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000Z

There was a time when if I was still up at half six in the morning on a Saturday it would be because I was still up from the night before. Nowadays though, you're more likely to find me battling with my daughter as I try to get her to her breakfast, followed by several hours of CBeebies. It might not be very rock n roll and yes it is pretty tiring, but hey unless you've been up at that time you'll never know quite how funny it is to hear cartoon trains talking about have a 'chug wash'. As you can probably tell by ramblings, I am still very tired so it's probably a good idea to get on with this weeks cover version which comes from Errors and their take on New Order's 'The Village' which featured on Mojo magazines recent Power, Corruption & Lies Covered covermount CD. With their third album, ‘Have Some Faith In Magic,’ coming out on Rock Action Records this coming Monday, I couldn't think of a better time to post this up. The band head out on a UK tour in February, you can find all of the dates here, plus the band have also just announced that they'll be playing a hometown show at the Arches on Friday the 11th of May.

Errors - The Village (New Order cover)

goNorth Submissions now open

2012-01-27T19:30:00.000Z

I don't think it's much of a secret that I really enjoy my annual trips up to Inverness for Scotland's largest music industry event, goNorth. Not only has it given me the opportunity to meet a lot of people and make contacts that I wouldn't normally have had the chance meet, but it's also been one of the most fun things I have been involved with since I started this blog. I am pretty sure that my liver is only just starting to get over the battering that it took after last years debauchery. Having originally been invited up to write a review about the event, last year I was lucky enough to appear on two panels. One about blogging and another about starting up your own record label (I really was blagging it on that panel), plus in the evening myself and my blogger cronies, The Pop Cop and Song, By Toad also got to curate our own night featuring Kid Canaveral, PAWS, LightGuides and IndianRedLopez.
Man, that was a fun night, highlights included dancing on a table to Kid Canaveral (whilst singing the wrong words and nearly putting the band off), watching Phil from PAWS invading the crowd and causing mayhem, followed by inadvertently calling the head of FatCat a 'c*nt', proceed by spending the next hour asking questions about Frightened Rabbit (at a point where they'd just left the label), followed by me babbling on about how they should sign PAWS. Yes folks, I am that drunken arse.

Anyway, the whole point of this post was really just to let you all know that the submission window to showcase at this years goNorth opened today. Now obviously I am a wee bit biased about the importance of goNorth, but as I said before it's been great for me in allowing me to develop both the blog and the label(s). In case you don't already know, basically goNorth is an industry get together which runs seminars during the day then in the evening they have live music showcases taking place around Inverness city centre. Imagine it is being like SXSW on a much much smaller scale. Even though the venues are so close together, with over 70 bands showcasing it is pretty tough to take in everything you want to see, but if you plan your route out in advance, it is possible to check out a lot of good (and not so good) stuff.

This years event is a wee bit different in that it's taking place during the middle of the week on Wednesday the 6th and Thursday the 7th of June this year, plus they're also going to give bands that play at the event the opportunity to feature on their goNORTH Festival Tour, which means that bands will be given the chance to play at festivals such as Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, The Wickerman Festival, Summer In The City 2012, B-Fest and Loopallu.The one big announcement that they made was that four of the bands that are selected to play at goNorth, will also be given the opportunity to go out and play at the Summerfest Festival in Milwaukee. Yes, fucking Milwaukee in the US of fucking A!

If that sounds like something that you might be interested in, then you can submit your application now or you could even just find out more details by heading here. Hopefully I'll catch a few of you up in Inverness in June for a couple of days of schmoozing, boozing and plenty of great music.

IndianRedLopez - My Eyes

Kid Canaveral - Teenage Fanclub Song

Friday Freebies

2012-01-27T15:30:00.000Z

Admiral Fallow
If you're headed off to the ABC tonight to see Admiral Fallow then you're in for a treat, I only know this as I saw them play a last minute intimate show in Glasgow last night. As a wee teaser, the band have me their new song 'Beetle In The Box' free to download, a corking wee tune it is too. You can download yourself a copy for free in exchange for your email address here.

Ajimal
I had fully intended to include this link in last weeks Freebies, but for one reason or another it go overlooked. My bad, I know. Having heard of Ajimal plenty of times but not actually witnessed him live, I was genuinely taken aback by how good he was at Tuts last week. If you like your Jeff Buckley then you really need to check this guy out, his SoundCloud is full of free goodies that come highly recommended.

New Town Triptych
Glasgow folk pop outfit, New Town Triptych have just made their new single Never Again / Simple, available on Bandcamp on a pay what you want basis. If you're looking for some chilled out tunes for this weekend, then this might just be the thing for you.

Shambles Miller
Seeing as he ha just sold the last physical copy of his EP "Shambles Sails the Clockwork Sea", Glasgow troubadour, Shambles Miller has decided to make both of his EPs available on a name-your-own-price basis on his Bandcamp. Whether or not your willing to spend some pennies is your call!

Bellow Below
Innovative new Glasgow label, Overlook Records continue to build upon an already impressive roster, in the past week they've announced that they'll be releasing As In Bear's debut EP this summer. Plus they've also just welcomed Ayrshire rock outfit, Bellow Below to the family. You can get yourself acquainted with the band by downloading a whole load of free tunes from SoundCloud.

Queen Jane
Cumbernauld four piece, Queen Jane have made their Confetti EP available as a free download on Bandcamp. If you like what you hear then you can catch them at the 13th Note on the 12th of February with Campfires in Winter and Kith & Kin.

Always Read The Label
Glasgow three piece, Always Read The Label are giving away their new single 'Forsaking All Others / Promises' for nowt on their Bandcamp page.I must admit it's not really my cup of tea, but i you like your metal/post-hardcore mixed with a touch of melodic rock then this might just be for you.

Tanera Heights
Another three piece from Glasgow who are giving away some free tunes are indie pop starlets, Tanera Heights, who have posted their second E.P, The Arrow's in Flight up on Mediafire.

Running late...

2012-01-27T15:12:00.000Z

As I was out and about last night I am running a wee bit behind with this weeks Friday Freebies (I'm currently getting it all drafted up). In the mean time here's a couple of ace new videos from Withered Hand and the Twilight Sad for you to enjoy...

French Wives Album Preview/Acoustic Gig

2012-01-24T18:30:00.000Z

In case you didn't already know, Glasgow five piece, French Wives are going to be releasing their debut album, Dream of the Inbetween’, later this year on Electric Honey Records. As if that wasn't exciting enough for them, they're also going to be heading across the pond to play some shows in the States at this years SXSW Festival. As I am sure you already know, making such a trip isn't exactly cheap, so the band are putting on a few different fundraising nights to help fund their adventures. So if you're free this coming Thursday and you want to help the band out then you should get yourself along to Duke’s Bar in Glasgow where they're going to be hosting a night where they'll be having a playback of their recently finished album which isn't actually until sometime in the Spring. As if that wasn't enough the band are also going to be playing an acoustic set then spinning some tunes (or in their case pressing playing play on a laptop - that's my kind of DJ-ing!). If you fancy going then you might want to pre-order your tickets as the capacity of Duke’s is only around 80 people. Further information on the night can be found over on the bands website.

Numbers by French Wives

Miaoux Miaoux - Ally McCrae Session (23/01/12)

2012-01-24T17:30:00.000Z

Track Listing

1. Knitted

2. Better For Now

3. Cloud Computer

4. Hey Sound!

Download

The return of Peenko Records

2012-01-23T20:30:00.000Z

Some of you might recall that back on the second anniversary of this blog I decided to launch a record label, no not Olive Grove, those of you with good memories might recall that I put out an EP with I Build Collapsible Mountains. Then the whole Olive Grove thing kicked off and Peenko Records was put on hiatus. That was of course until now, as I am pretty chuffed to be able to announce that on the 20th February I am going to be releasing an album with my favourite folk-pop outfit, Randolph's Leap. The album was recorded predominantly in lead singer Adam’s bedroom, and it will be available on limited edition cassette (30 copies) and download. To give you a wee taster of what to expect, you can stream my favourite track from the album, 'The Nonsense In My Soul' below...

Randolph's Leap - The Nonsense In My Soul by Randolph's Leap

One of the sexy wee cassettes

Now you may be asking yourself why are they going with cassettes, who on earth owns a cassette player these days? Well I know that I certainly do, in fact in the past year or two I seem to have built up a bit of a collection and I know for sure that Adam the lead singer of Randolph's Leap does too. That and they're a bit quirky, plus I am sick of being told that everything needs to be released on CD these days.

Anyway, to celebrate the albums release I am putting on a wee shindig at the Captain's Rest on Saturday the 18th of Februrary. Alongside Randolph's Leap, we also have Donna Maciocia and Kith & Kin. As always it would be great to see some of your pretty faces coming along for the evening. If you need that extra incentive to come along, the band will be using all of the money raised to fund a new EP which will be included in the Fence Records EP series.

Fresh Meat Monday - Mickey 9s

2012-01-23T13:00:00.005Z

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Mickey 9s. Superheroes by day, funksters by night.

How would you describe the music you make?

It's like funk, only funkier.

How did you start out making music?

It all started just after the war years, my brother Jimi was just back from the front and the family had little to share round the table; many folk forget that the rationing continued long after the armistice. To provide for my family I decided to become a deep-sea marine biologist. I planned to rake in the riches of the briny deep. While out in my submarine I found a mask at the bottom of a sharp oceanic ravine. When I put on this mask, I formed the band that has been known ever since as Mickey 9s. The rest is ahistorical.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

We have two books. One, The Giant Book of Bass, t'other, Tupper's Book of Proverbial Philosophy. These are not e-books, nay, but pulpus veritas. While watching an episode of Planet Earth we each rip a page out of the respective books and eat it. Once this has been watered down with some buckfast, we begin to write songs.

What can people expect from your live shows?

Visions of a prehistoric future.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

The Orcadian Sea. (Not a band, but a body of water.) Far out.

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

More music videos, a comic book strip of the band's superheroic exploits, a few new singles, and we should be playing some festivals this summer but we can't tell you which yet because that would be illegal. You can find out more from our Facebook or our website.

Mickey 9s - Find A Thing

Home
Facebook
Blog
Twitter

Gigs Gigs Gigs

2012-01-21T13:00:00.000Z

It's been a while since I last did a news round up, but as per usual I wait until my inbox is close to bursting until I finally get my finger out and cram everything into one 'handy' post. Seeing as every man and his dog seems to be out playing gigs at the moment, I just wanted to share with you some excititng things that are happening that you might want to check out...

First off next Monday sees the releases of the second album from RM Hubbert's new album Thirteen Lost & Found, which comes out on Chemikal Underground. Featuring collaborations with an array of talented folk including Emma Pollock, Aidan Moffat and Alex Kapranos, it's sure to be an early contender for the end of year album polls. To celebrate the albums release Hubby is heading off on tour, kicking the whole thing off with a show at Stereo in Glasgow next Friday, which is very very close to selling out. So if you fancy heading along you'd be advised to get your tickets asap.

27th Jan - Stereo, Glasgow
1st Feb - Bishop's Castle Town Hall, Bishop's Castle
2nd Feb - Cube, Bristol
3rd Feb - King's Place, London
7th Feb - Butterfly Cabinet, Newcastle

RM Hubbert - Nursery Recital (Vic Galloway Session)

It's not much of a secret that I am a big fan of Adam Stafford's last album, so it should come as no surprise that I am looking forward to catching him when he heads off on tour next month with Radio Trees (aka MJ of Zoey Van Goey/Aidan Moffat's Best Ofs fame). The short tour at the end of February/beginning of March sees the pair taking in an array of Scottish dates and a wee venture just south of the border down into Newcastle. Here are the dates in full:

Feb/March Tour 2012:
25th Feb: Stafford’s 30th Birthday Bash w/Radio Trees & O’ Messy Life (Newcastle) 13th Note Cafe (downstairs), Glasgow
1st March: w/Radio Trees, The Tunnels, Aberdeen
2nd March: w/Radio Trees, new Portsound @Manna Cafe, Dundee (Newport-on-Tay)
3rd March: w/Radio Trees, Head of Steam, Newcastle
4th March: w/Radio Trees, The Third Door, Edinburgh

Adam Stafford - Shot Down You Summer Wannabes (Vic Galloway Session)

Radio Trees - Old Folks

If you missed out on tickets for Admiral Fallow's gig at the ABC next Friday, then you could always console yourself by picking up some tickets for Louis Abbot's solo shows at Brel on the 25th of January and the 1st of February. The gigs which will see Louis playing with some 'very, very special guests' are only £5 and you can purchase them here.

Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow) -Burn Me Now (The Pop Cop Session)

My friend up in Inverness, Jamie at Netsounds Unsigned has announced his first showcase gig of the year at Mad Hatters next Friday (27th). To kick things off he's lined up none other than Dead Boy Robotics, Team Kapowski and Lady North and is if that wasn't enough the whole thing is free. So if you're up in that neck of the woods get yourself along at 9pm to check out some of Scotland's finest up and coming bands.

Lady North - Ali, the Pig Opera and the Helicopter

In case you haven't already heard, the club/gig promoters Pin Up Nights are going to be calling time it day at the end of March. Having made the The Flying Duck their home for just over three years now, the gang only have 3 more nights left and they have promised to send things off on a high. Their last night night takes place this coming Friday and this time round they've gone for a space/sci-fi-themed event billed as an Intergalactic night. Featuring live music from Den Haan, Nevada Base and Fiction Faction, further information on the night can be found here.

As if a bill featuring Sebastian Dangerfield, Edinburgh School for the Deaf and PAWS wasn't enough, my pal friend Stu over at the Tidal Wave of Indifference has just announced that he's added Broken Records frontman Jamie Sutherland to the line-up for his second gig. Taking place on Saturday the 25th of February at the Wee Red Bar, tickets for the gig are available for £6 (plus booking fee) at Avalanche Records and through Brown Paper Tickets.

PAWS - Miss American Bookworm (6Music Session)

We've Got It Covered #84

2012-01-21T10:00:00.000Z

Does anyone know if Aberfeldy are still going? It's been age since we heard anything from them so I was just starting to wonder if they'd called it a day, their Facebook page seems to suggest they might be going, but it is a bit bereft of information about what they've been up to. Even my fountain of knowledge of all things related to the Scottish music scene, Jim AyeTunes, couldn't help, so if you you know what the band are up to these days please feel free to share. The last time I saw them was way back in 2007, when they did a tour of more obscure Scottish venues, including a quite surreal appearance at Eastwood Park Theatre in Giffnock. Anyway, that's of me and my adventures, here's Aberfeldy and their cover of the Bobby Fuller song 'Let Her Dance', which was recorded as part of a Vic Galloway session back in 2010.

Aberfeldy - Let Her Dance (Bobby Fuller cover)

Friday Freebies

2012-01-20T13:00:00.000Z

King Post Kitsch
In his quest to continue to give away great music for free, King Post Kitsch really does rule the roost. This week he decided to share a new EP with the world and rather ace it is too, coming in at just under 6 minutes it's a short but sweet trip, but one well worth taking. I am particularly taken with the lead instrumental track, 'Nocturnal Wandering', but as always with these things you don't need to take my word for it, find out for yourself by downloading the EP for free here.

Blue Sky Archives
On Wednesday I spent my evening back and forth between Bloc and King Tuts as I had tickets for Beerjacket and Micahel Cassidy, but I also wanted to catch my new favourite band, Behold, The Old Bear play their first ever gig. What does that have to do with Blue Sky Archives you might ask, well kids they were the headline band at Bloc. Sadly I didn't get to catch their set as I was up at Tuts catching Beerjacket, but I did hear their soundcheck which sounded pretty good, as is their new single ,Cosplay The Hard Way, which is available as a free download here. The track is the first taster from their forthcoming Triple A Side, which is scheduled for release at the end of February.

Kowalskiy
With his 19th (yes 19th) Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP, my fellow music blogger Kowalskiy has pulled out another fine collection of the Scottish music scene. This month he's got free tracks from My Tiny Robots, PET, The Machine Room, Wolves Of Winter and a wee cover from French Wives. You can find out more details on the EP and how you can download it over on his blog.

Schwervon!
This freebie comes courtesy of my friend through in the East, the fabulous podcaster and new dad, Edinburgh Man (if you get the chance check out his shows!). He pointed me in the direction of this track from the New York duo, Schwervon! Not only is it a great wee pop tune, but it also features backing vocals from none other than Frances McKee from the Vaselines. You can download the tune for nowt on their Bandcamp page.

Errors
Momentum is really starting to build for the forthcoming album, Have Some Faith In Magic, which is due out at the end of this month on Rock Action Records. As a wee teaser of what you can expect Drowned in Sound have posted up a free download of an album track, 'Pleasure Palaces', remixed by Brassic, which you can find here.

Delta Spirit
I had totally forgotten about Delta Spirit until I got one of those NoiseTrade emails in my inbox telling me that I could download two of their EPs for nowt. I originally came across them a goof while back when I ordered the first ever Cold War Kids EP. Anyway enough of me and my pish, what you need to know is that you can download the EPs for free here. Fans of My Morning Jacket and Dr. Dog should enjoy this.

Errors - Vic Galloway Session (16/01/12)

2012-01-18T18:00:00.000Z

Track Listing

1. Blank Media

2. Pleasure Palaces

3. Earthscore

Download

Happy Particles - Ally McCrae Session (16/01/12)

2012-01-17T13:00:00.000Z

Track Listing

1. Empty Circle

2. Offline Contact

3. Aerials

4. Infinite Jet

Download

Aaron Wright - Radio Scotland Session (14/01/12)

2012-01-16T20:30:00.000Z

Track Listing

1. Go On Yerself

2. I’ll Be Fine

Download

Fresh Meat Monday - The Machine Room

2012-01-16T13:00:00.004Z

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hi I’m John, I’m 27, brown hair, brown eyes, 5, 11’. I’m one of five people in ‘The Machine Room’. There also is Adie, Ryan, Scott and Tom. They are all taller than me.

How would you describe the music you make?

Melodic, melancholic, uplifting, nearly pop with a few mistakes thrown in.

How did you start out making music?

A friend of mine was recording some super songs of his own in his bedroom-studio so I thought I’d give it a try with a couple of instruments, a microphone and garage band. The music I made was worse than rubbish to begin with, but then I started to surprise myself and my friends seemed to like what I was coming up with so I kept making more songs. When hearing my early demos the first thing they would normally say was ‘Who’s the girl singing on that?’

What process goes into the way you write songs?

I record demos initially. I just record one thing at a time and see where the song goes. Once I’ve taken it as far as I can on my own we then work it out in the rehearsal room and it grows from there. When a song starts to come together for the first time in rehearsal its a good time. Our songs keep evolving until we record them as a band, then its time to move onto the next.

What can people expect from your live shows?

I thought about this question a lot, having been asked it before. Its always hard describing what we do and I can’t really speak on behalf of the audience but, personally speaking, I get caught up in the music we make, it feels good, weird, raw, all at the same time with lots of other feelings in the mix that go deep deep down. Hopefully some of that connects with the audience when we do our darndest to put the songs across.

I suppose playing live requires giving little pieces of ourselves away, which we’re happy to do if there’s a bit of give and take. I can’t help but feel responsible for giving everyone a good time and I probably take it a bit too personally if I look up and see someone playing on their phone or picking their nose….but I have to remind myself that it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I’d say listen to our tunes online and if you like them come see us live and make your own mind up - it will be much appreciated. We’ve been really enjoying playing live recently so we’ll get the ball rolling on the give and take front.

N.B At our last gig we played on a bed of feathers so I suggest avoiding us if you have a feather allergy.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

Adie is listening to Onra, Koreless, Tokimonsta, Wild Nothing, Erykah Badu

Ryan is listening to Alunageorge, Warpaint, Sbtrkt, Rustie. Real Estate, Alpines, Bonjay, Lianne La Havas.

Scott is listening to Federico Garcia Lorca, The Limiñanas, Glass Candy, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Still Corners, Cashier No.9, Prince- Sign of the Times (just that one prince song)

Tom is listening to Lower Dens, Cocteau Twins and Prince I am listening to Cocteau Twins, Fleetwood Mac, Lykke Li, Twin Sister, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, PET…

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

We have a four track EP called ‘Love from a distance’ set for release in late February/early March so we’ll book some shows for around then. After that we plan to release a couple of singles close together. The idea is just to keep putting music out til the cows come home.

Camino de Soda - Out Dec 5th! by the machine room

Twitter
Facebook
SoundCloud

We've Got It Covered #83

2012-01-14T09:00:00.000Z

This weeks cover comes from the post-hardcore quartet,United Fruit and their take on the Damned classic New Rose. The song wasrecorded as part of a session that they did for the Vic Galloway's RadioScotland show back in October of last year. He liked them so much that he'sinvited them along to play at one of his 'Vic Galloway presents...' gigs at theThe Electric Circus in Edinburgh on the 26th of this month alongside PAWS andVasquez. Ahead of that gig, the boys are also playing a home town show at KingTut's this coming Monday (16th) alongside Lady North.If you fancy blowing a few of those January cobwebs away then get yourself along to one of these shows.

United Fruit-New Rose (Damned cover)

Artists To Watch Out For In 2012: #5 - Holy Mountain

2012-01-13T20:30:00.000Z

The main thing that I love about Chemikal Underground is the fact they aren't ones for doing things conventionally. Alongsode the recent addition of electro-pop wonder kid Miaoux Miaoux, they've also added Glasgow's riff-tastic, Holy Mountain to their rather eclectic family. With a mini-album already in the bag, the noisy three piece look set to tear a new one out of the Scottish music scene in 2012. Anyway, that's enough of my pish, here's Pete from the band to tell us all a bit more...

Hello, I'm Lloyd. Who on earth are you?

Mustang, Flextacy and Load-Out (a.k.a. Standby). Wherever there is injustice, you will find us. Wherever there is suffering, we'll be there. Wherever liberty is threatened, you will find ... Holy Mountain.

Seeing as your one of my ‘Ones to Watch’, what exactly should everyone be watching out for from you in 2012?

We'll be releasing our first album through Chemikal at the start of the year, and will be recording the follow up shortly thereafter. We have some big plans for shows, tours, merch and videos, but we don't want to give too much away just yet.

Remember, if in doubt, wearing a wife-beater will always win over taps aff.

Great Monkey by HolyMountain

SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter
Chemikal Underground

Friday Freebies

2012-01-13T13:00:00.000Z

Butcher Boy

If you sign up to Damaged Goods mailing list then they'll send you 11 free tracks, which includes a song from Glasgow outfit Butcher Boy's recent album Helping Hands.

Field Music
Arguably the most under-rated band in the UK at the moment, Field Music are a abnd who continue to just get better and better. They're soon going to release their new album Plumb, as a wee teaser they've posted up the track “A New Town” for free download on Stereogum.

Evil Hand
Derek Bates, one half of Bottle of Evil, has just made his new mini album 'Rain Check' free to download on Bandcamp, rather ace it is too.

Holy Esque
The most exciting new material that popped into my inbox this week came from Glasgow outfit, Holy Esque, who's tune 'Rose' was one of the most exciting new things I have heard in a while. You don't need to take my word for it, just head on over to their SoundCloud page where you can download the song for free.

Kill The Waves
Electronic dream-pop outfit, Kill The Waves apparently blew everyone away with their appearance at King Tut's earlier in the week. If you fancy finding out what all the fuss is about then just head on over to their SoundCloud page where you will find a whole host of free tunes up for grabs.

FOUND
If you head on over to the FOUND Bandcamp page you can find yourself a free download of the ComputerScheisse remix of Anti Climb Paint.

Eugene McGuinness
It's been fecking ages since we last heard anything from Eugene McGuinness, it's been that long that I simply presumed that he'd decided to call it a day. Thankfully he hasn't given up the ghost and even more excitingly if you head over to Facebook and 'like' his page he'll give you a free download of his new song 'Thunderbolt'.

DJ Shadow
You can download yourself another free track from the DJ Shadow's most recent album, The Less You Know, The Better. Download 'Give Me Back The Nights' for free here.

Bones & Money
Aberdonian label, Tuff Wax Records continue to impress, their most recent release comes from Bones & Money who have posted up their new single Close/Anxious for free download on Bandcamp.

Nerina Pallot
A free MP3 download of Long Tall Grass Of Summer by Nerina Pallot is available here.

Khol
Experimental Glasgow outfit, Khol have made their EP 'Medicine Songs' free to download on Bandcamp.

Tim Chaplin
One half of the Factory Kids, Tim Chaplin has just released a new a mini album, Due Style, which you can download for free on his Bandcamp page.

Artists To Watch Out For In 2012 - #4 Django Django

2012-01-12T20:30:00.000Z

Good things come to those who wait apparently, in Django Django's case they really did make us wait. It was way back in May of 2009 that I ran a tiny wee introduction post on the band, since then the band have been taking pretty slowly with the odd single here and there, they've spent the past few years doing the odd tour here and there. You'd hardly call them prolific, but then again they have just spent the past three years holed up in the East Londonbedroom of their drummer, producer and de facto leader David Maclean, crafting their debut album.

The psychedelic art-pop four-piece who originally formed in Edinburgh, but now reside in East London, are all set to release their self-titled debut album on Because Music (home to Justice, Jarvis Cocker and Metronomy) at the end of this month. Sadly I didn't manage to grab a word with the band (not through a lack of trying I should add), so I am afraid you're stuck with my ramblings this time round, or you could always just check them out for yourself, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Django Django - Default by Django Django

Django Django play Stereo in Glasgow on the 19th of February, tickets for the gig are available here. Their self titled debut album comes out on the 30th of January, you can stream some of the album on Because Music's site.

Home
Twitter
SoundCloud
Facebook

Sparrow and the Workshop - You Don't Trust Anyone (video)

2012-01-12T13:30:00.000Z

It's not really much of a secret that I am a big fan of Sparrow and the Workshop, so when they got in touch to let me know that they had just released a new video for the song You Don't Trust Anyone, I was always going to post it up. Not only is it a cracking wee video, but it also has a wee back story to go with it, here's Jill from the band to tell you a bit more about it...

"Last year we had the opportunity to propose a video project to some students of the Vis Com course at Glasgow School of Art. In the end we came away with two awesome videos for tracks from our album 'Spitting Daggers', the first of which was made by Jules Gay for the track 'Against the Grain'. This video you see here, for the track 'You Don't Trust Anyone', was put together by two students - Sally Sibbet and Danny Pattison. We were blown away by the effort and skill they put into this video and by the magical results. All we had to do was twirl around on seats in front of a green screen and they did all the hard work and voila, here's the video. We hope you like it!"

The Mirror Trap - Ally McCrae session (09/01/12)

2012-01-12T13:00:00.004Z

Track Listing

1. My Alabama

2. St Petersberg

3. Broken Crown

4. Statues

Download

Artists To Watch Out For In 2012: #3 - Behold... The Old Bear

2012-01-11T20:30:00.000Z

I don't know about you, but I was genuinely gutted last year when Mitchell Museum decided to take an indefinite hiatus. Being the talented bunch that they are, I guess it was always inevitable that they'd resurface with other musical projects sooner than later. It was only recently that Kev from the Moth & The Mirror started raving about how great, former Mitchell Museum drummer, Raindeer's new project, Behold... The Old Bear was. At first I was a bit hesitant as it turned out that Kev was actually also in the band, however, after asking Raindeer to send me a few tunes, it's safe to say that Kev wasn't lying. Having heard the demos that they've been recording I am really looking forward to seeing what 2012 has in store for Behold... The Old Bear. If you're looking for some kind of pointers as to what they sound like, I'd go with The Dodos crossed with a darker version of Mitchell Museum, or at least that's the best that I can come up with. Anyway, here's Raindeer for some more sensible words about Behold... The Old Bear

Hello, I'm Lloyd. Who on earth are you?

Hello, I am Behold, The Old Bear.

Seeing as your one of my ‘Ones to Watch’, what exactly should everyone be watching out for from you in 2012?

People should be looking out for some gigs, which I will be involved in, in a musical capacity. It will be the first time that this has happened as I have recently assembled a combination of people I can now call a band. Also, I will be looking to doing a semi to full re-record of my album that I recorded in my bedroom this year. This is an exciting thought for me because I love the writing and recording process. It will give me the opportunity to further expand the sounds and ideas which I have created so far.

2nd start by Behold, the Old Bear

Behold... The Old Bear play their first ever gig supporting Blue Sky Archives at Bloc in Glasgow on the 18th of January.

SoundCloud
Facebook

Artists To Watch Out For In 2012: #2 - Olympic Swimmers

2012-01-10T17:30:00.000Z

My second choice for a band to watch out for in 2012 are Glasgow five piece, Olympic Swimmers, a band who have been simmering away quite nicely for a few years now. Featuring members of Strike The Colours, The Unwinding Hours and the soon to be defunct Take A Worm For A Walk Week, they are all set to step step into the lime light with the release of their debut album which is due out later this year.

Hello, I'm Lloyd. Who on earth are you?

I'm Graeme and I play bass in Olympic Swimmers, a band made up of my favourite people: Susie Smillie, Simon Liddell, Jonny Scott and Jamie Savage. We formed in Glasgow in 2009, have self-released two EPs, and had the pleasure of playing with lots of great bands in that time.

Seeing as your one of my ‘Ones to Watch’, what exactly should everyone be watching out for from you in 2012?

We will be releasing our first full length album which we've spent the second half of 2011 recording and mixing, between all the various other jobs and musical projects that everybody in the band is involved in. We have recorded it with Iain Cook, who Jonny and I play for in The Unwinding Hours. Iain is a bit of a genius and has taken on many roles in the recording of this album, ranging from producer, engineer, therapist and friend. He is also mixing it and mastering it. In essence he is judge, jury and executioner, and really has went above and beyond the call of duty on many an occasion. We are getting together some visual delights to accompany the actual music, and should hopefully just be popping some up online as and when they are finished, in the lead up to getting the album out in its entirety. We're pretty excited about letting people hear it, and think it's a big step forward from the previously recorded EPs, although the album will include a couple of older songs from them. We're really looking forward to playing a lot more live shows, hopefully in places we have never played. Also, looking to start getting new songs together as soon as possible in preparation for number two, should we ever have enough money to record it. Which would be amazing.

A Curse Or A Blessing by olympicswimmers

Home
Bandcamp
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter

OLYMPIC SWIMMERS - Where it Snows from hollywood academical on Vimeo.

PAWS - Vic Galloway Session (09/01/12)

2012-01-10T17:00:00.000Z

Track Listing

1. Catherine 1956

2. Sore Tummy

3. Chair (Big Deal cover)

Download

Artists To Watch Out For In 2012: #1 - Snowgoose

2012-01-09T19:30:00.000Z

So as the end of year polls start to peter out, it's that time of year when the blogosphere starts to make their predictions of what they expect to be big in 2012, or in some bloggers cases they choose to dismiss these kind of list. Personally I normally find that the artists that I expect to make some kind of impact aren't normally my cup of tea. So rather than try and predict who's going to 'make it big' this year, I thought I'd try and introduce you to a few names that you might not have heard much of that I am looking forward to hearing more from in the next 12 months.

To kick it all off I'd like to point you in the direction of a Glasgow based group by the name of Snowgoose, who I only first came across after they recorded a session for Marc Riley towards the end of November, although I should point out that they've been going for a few years now. The band who are made up of Jim McCulloch, Dave McGowan and Anna Sheard are all set to release their debut album Harmony Springs on the Open Hearth label later this year. If the lead track from the album is anything to go by then we're in for a right treat.

Hello, I'm Lloyd. Who on earth are you?

Hello, Lloyd. I go by the name of Jim McCulloch. I am but one member of a band called Snowgoose. I play guitar and write songs.

Seeing as your one of my ‘Ones to Watch’, what exactly should everyone be watching out for from you in 2012?

We will be releasing our first album,which is to be called "Harmony Springs". It`s going to be released on the Open Hearth record label. It`ll be on beautiful vinyl in a hand -crafted sleeve, as well as CD and download. There`s a lot more information on Snowgoose at www.reverbnation.com/snowgoose

Snowgoose - Harmony Springs by Snowgoose

Facebook
SoundCloud

Fresh Meat Monday - Imaginary Witch

2012-01-09T13:00:00.004Z

Would you care to introduce yourself?

I'm reluctant to use the 3rd person, but we’re Imaginary Witch. For the moment it’s Coralie Bougerra on drums and Sandy Bouttell on guitar/vocals. Our name is meaningless and was openly lifted from ‘90s British comedy programming. It resonated with us both due to the presence of iambic trimetre and our collected love for the cat/broom/pointy hat.

How would you describe the music you make?

Well it falls into being labelled as Lo-Fi on account of our cheap instruments and lack of proper musical ability. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. Our music is not showy, nor does it want to be ‘cool’. It strives to make the listener feel elated and is usually under 2 minutes long. This is not a gimmick to appease the bobble-hat wearing hipsters. We’re happy being a slightly awkward, unashamed pop band. Some people say they've not heard a band like us in Glasgow, but it’s probably best to listen and decide for yourself.

How did you start out making music?

Putting ads online. Writing loads and loads of songs in bedrooms they would never leave. Never having the ads answered by likeminded types. Eventually having an ad answered that led to jams in a Southside flat that in itself led to me meeting Coralie. The songs just came naturally from then on in and the trademark, loose Imaginary Witch ‘sound’ was created.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

A lot of doing nothing (Unemployment breeds songwriting). At the beginning, David (who left the band as I started writing this!) and I would meet up at his flat and play a song to each other, break it down into manageable parts and work on building it back up again. The songs and melodies that were swirling about in my head would then be taken and sat down in a variety of libraries in order to start the laborious process of writing lyrics for them. I’m a big believer that the lyrics of a song should be able to stand up to scrutiny on their own and not merely be a collection of words or phrases. This ensures a greater possibility of pretentious poetry for the listener to enjoy/bemoan.

What can people expect from your live shows?

A distinct lack of star jumps and pick slides. Well we’re pretty raw and authentic but more than anything you’ll just be seeing two people having fun playing songs.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

90's Indie, bIG fLAME, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, The Fall circa ‘81

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

A bit up in the air what with going down to a duo at present, but we’ll regroup and be playing gigs in the new year.

If I Were a Dinosaur by Imaginary Witch

SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter

Born To Be Wide: Festivals Seminar

2012-01-08T13:00:00.000Z

Those nice folk at Born To Wide, Scotland’s only regular music-business seminar night, have announced that their first seminar of the year will take place next month and it is going to be devoted to music festivals and the opportunities that they can offer to emerging acts. Taking place at their regular haunt, Edinburgh’s Electric Circus, the event will be held on Thursday 2 February, it will detail the selection procedure, fees, what artists are offered in terms of promotion and how they can make the best use of the opportunity.

To date they've confirmed that they will have folk along from DF Concerts (who put on T In The Park/The Edge Festival), Knockengorroch Festival, The Insider Festival and Go Events (who put on goNorth and also showcase at events such as Wickerman, Belladrum, Loopallu and Wizard.

“Festivals offer a great platform for emerging acts to reach new audiences,” says Born To Be Wide co-organiser, Olaf Furniss. “This event will provide a unique insight into what festivals offer, and will also give musicians the opportunity to meet the bookers. We recommend people bring their CDs!“

After the panel, the seminar guests will stay at the venue to DJ with records they have selected from Edinburgh’s Oxfam music shop. Everything played will be for sale with all proceeds going to the charity.

Buy tickets in advance and save money, click below or visit: www.borntobewide.bigcartel.com

We've Got It Covered #82

2012-01-07T10:30:00.000Z

What terrible manners I have, I blatantly forgot to wish you all a very happy new year, not that it matters one iota to you guys. I guess that most of you will have been out and about for the bells, but for me I saw the new year in up north with my family, which involved copious amounts of food and drink, a bonfire at the bells plus I also caught a bit of the BBC's Hogmanay celebrations. Which if you missed it, featured a couple of songs from none other than Admiral Fallow, who performed Squealing Pigs and a cover of The Proclaimers classic Sunshine On Leith (surprising that, what with Louis being a Hibee). You can watch videos of the two songs on my YouTube page or in the embed below, or you could just download the MP3 below.

Admiral Fallow-Sunshine on Leith (Proclaimers cover)

Friday Freebies

2012-01-06T13:00:00.016Z

The Twilight Sad
Kilsyth's finest sons are all set to release their much anticipated third album (proper), No One Can Ever Know, next month. Having heard the album I reckon it's going to take a lot of folk by surprise with the new direction they've taken. As a wee teaser of what to expect, you can download Another Bed from it for free via both the Skinny and Spin.

Aloha Tigers!
My good friend Ian, who used to run the blog Have Fun At Dinner has set up his very own wee record label, Kircudbright Tape Club, and his first release is going to be with a band he's been championing for some time now, Bloomington-based dream-pop outfit, Aloa Tigers! Their debut album is due out later this year, but as a wee teaser of what to expect they've made their single, The Kind of Girl U Like, free to download on SoundCloud.

Mike Nisbet
Thanks to his placing in last years BAMS award, a lot of folk seem to now be taking notice of Oban's singer songwriter, Mike Nisbet. If you haven't already checked him out out, then now's your chance as he's made his song, Not Long, free to download here. It comes highly recommended kids.

The Last Battle
Around this time last year, Edinburgh folksters The Last Battle recorded recorded a New Years song called '365 days', and they're now very kindly giving it away as a free download on their Bandcamp. Look out for the follow up to their excellent debut album, Heart of the Land, Soul of the Sea, later in the year.

Hey Marseilles
It's been a while since I mentioned anything about Seattle septet Hey Marseilles, a band that I first heard after my friend Luke, aka I Build Collapsible Mountains, played them on an episode of the Glasgow Podcart. I'd actually forgotten how much I liked this lot, so it came as a nice surprise to find out that the influential radio station, KEXP are giving away a free download of their song “Elegy” here. 2012 looks set to be a big year for this lot, look out for a follow up to their debut self release, To Travels & Trunks later in the year, just cross those fingers that they make it over to these shores.

Monoganon
Those who frequent these parts on a regular basis might recall that I was raving about Monoganon's last album, Songs To Swim To, so much so that I had it was my second favourite album of 2011. So you can imagine my excitement in finding out that John B McKenna & Co have just released a new mini album called Help through those nice folk at Winning Sperm Party. Although not as immediate as their last release, this might not be for everyone, but I promise you that if you stick with it, it improves with every listen.

Trapped in Kansas
Those lovely Trapped in Kansas boys have very kindly decided that it might be a nice to give away all of the music that they record prior to the release of their last EP 'How To Go'. Just head on over to their label, Overlook Records where you can find a link to a whole load of goodies.

The Give It Ups
There are a few different record labels that continue to impress me with the music that they put out, one label that continues to impress are London DIY label, Odd Box Records. Their most recent release comes from twee indie four piece, The Give It Ups, and their single 'Let's Be Frank / If Everything Ends' which is fucking ace and free to download here.

Conquering Animal Sound
Having spent much of last year touring round Europe, Conquering Animal Sound have decided that it would be a nice idea to give something back to everyone who came out to see them. As a wee treat they're giving away a free live EP, featuring a couple of album tracks and some works in progress. Download it for nowt here.

No Island
Do you love your hardcore! No seriously, do you love your hardcore? If you do, then Glasgow hardcore punks No Island might well end up being your new favourite band. Their self-titled debut EP is free to download on their Bandcamp page and I can't help but think that these guys would be fucking awesome love. I guess I'll have to find out for myself some time soon.

Niki And The Dove
Earlier this week it was announced that Niki And The Dove came 5th in this years BBC's Sound of 2012 new music list, if you fancy finding out what this fuss is about this Swedish electronic duo then you can download their song 'The Fox' for free right now by clicking on 'Free Download' under their Facebook profile photo.

As In Bear
For quite a while now, my partner in crime Halina from Glasgow Podcart has been banging on about an Ayrshire outfit by the name of As In Bear. It wasn't until they got voted in as one of the Best New Bands in the recent Ayetunes Readers' Poll that I finally took note (my bad). If you fancy finding out what all the fuss is about then head on over to their SoundCloud page where you will find a whole host of free tunes.

Matt Norris & the Moon
Having just supported Primal Scream at their Hogmanay show, Edinburgh outfit Matt Norris & the Moon are unsurprisingly on a bit of a high, so much so that they've posted up an improved version of their song First Light of Day for free download on their SoundCloud page.

Fat Janitor
I still don't know too much about this noisy lot, the only thing that I can now tell you for certain is that they've posted up a mini album called Lurk for free. If you feel like giving your ears a healthy battering then getting downloading here.

Hipster Death Squad
The best named band in the world with the tunes to back it up are back, yup those prolific young fellas have crafted yet another corking wee tunes. It's called Good Times Again, which you can download for free on their Bandcamp page.

Seafieldroad
I would argue that the solo project from Andrew Eaton-Lewis from the band Swimmer One, is one of the most under rated Scottish acts out there at the moment. You don't have to take my word for it though, if you head over to their Bandcamp where you can find two new songs which are available on a pay what you want basis. Even if you don't fancy shelling out any pennies for them, I'd urge you to get them downloaded.

The Martial Arts
Glasgow indie power pop outfit, The Martial Arts are giving away their new album Your Sinclair for nowt over here.

coma emilio
Last, but certainly not least we have one man project 'coma emilio' who's been busy working away on new material. Fans of lo-fi experimental music should find themselves right at home with his new album, Not Songs Not Sung Not Sad, which you can download for free here.

Washington Irving - Abbey Gallop (video)

2012-01-03T20:00:00.003Z

It might seem a bit odd to be releasing a video for a single which came out back in April of last year, but that's exactly what Glasgow based six piece, Washington Irving have done. Having just secured funding to record their debut album, the band are obviously in a jubilant mood, so to celebrate they made a video of a man building a shed in the middle of a forest. Makes perfect sense to me.

The Blog Sound of 2012 - Top Five

2012-01-02T21:00:00.016Z

So as the end of year album polls start to fizzle out, it's time for everyone to start making their predictions as to what they think is going to be 'big in 2012'. The BBC started announcing their Sound of 2012 tips for the year ahead, as an alternative a group of UK music bloggers were canvased to see what artists they hoped to be big this year. The winner turned out to be a girl-fronted indiefunk outfit from Brooklyn by the name of Friends. The top five artists are listed below, includes representation from Scottish outfit French Wives, who I managed to grab a few words with about their forthcoming debut album and the rest of their plans for the year ahead...

1. Friends

2. Theme Park

3. Beth Jeans Houghton

4. French Wives

5. Daughter

Having already bagged the Scotsman Radar Prize in 2010, now you've made The Blog Sound top five artists to watch in 2012. How important are polls like this to a band like yourself?

It's nice to be recognised by people whose opinions you respect, which we feel like we have been between the Radar prize and now the Blog Sound. Obviously it's not the be all and end all of being in a band and noone picks up a guitar for the first time with the view of winning awards (it's always to do with winning girls haha) but being in a band and writing songs is a very subjective exercise and it's very easy to become self conscious when putting your music out there and also take negative criticism very hard, so it's lovely to have people saying nice things about us. The fact that blog sound has been a somewhat nationwide poll is good as it's given the readers of blogs who normally wouldn't cover us in other parts of the country the opportunity to hear our music, and hopefully that can stand us in good stead over the coming year. We really didn't expect to make it into the top five as the vast majority of the bands in the longlist had much bigger profiles than us and we felt really privileged to just be included in it. I think that Theme Park are amazing as well, and they're doing so well for themselves that to be included in the same bracket as them is cool, if also surprising.

I've heard whispers that your debut album is all recorded, when might you be releasing it to the world?

Hopefully soon. As with most recording projects a lot of deadlines end up being somewhat false, but the record is finished and we're really pleased with it and looking forward to getting it out as soon as possible. Recording it was an immense learning experience and we're hoping the enjoyment and the learning curve we had in making it is apparent in the songs.

What else do you have planned for 2012?

To be perfectly honest we're not too sure at the moment. We hope to get the record out as early as possible and then play as much as possible too. We've been invited to showcase at SXSW and Canadian Music Week and are really looking forward to attending there. We just really want to boost our profile as much as possible. We don't have a manager or a booking agent or anything so it's quite hard sorting out big plans for the year, and money is always tight but we're doing our best.

Here's a quick reminder of the Bloggers who took part in this years poll: A Tidal Wave Of Indifference , Breaking More Waves, My Band Is Better Than Your Band,God Is In the TV, Sweeping The Nation, The Von Pip Musical Express, The Recommender, Faded Glamour, Drunken Werewolf, Flying With Anna, Not Many Experts, Under-classed Idle Ideas, Sonic Masala, Mudkiss, The Ring Master, Both Bars On, Music From A Green Window, Dots And Dashes, The Daily Growl, And Everyone’s A DJ, Kowalskiy! Just Music I Like, Cruel Rhythms, The Blue Walrus, Music Fans Mic, 17 Seconds, Eaten By Monsters, Seven Sevens, Unpeeled, NuRave Brain Wave, Peenko, Music Liberation, Song, By Toad.

Friday Freebies

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000Z

Pensioner
Our very own Pensioner are very kindly offering fans the chance to snap up their cracking debut album Yearlings for free on their Bandcamp page. Be quick mind as this offer is only going to be available for a few more days.

Aerials Up
Those lovely Aerials Up kids are giving away a free download of arguably their best song, All Your Mothers Daughters here.

IndianRedLopez
As a Christmas gift to us all, Aberdeenshire's finest, IndianRedLopez have posted up their cover of Twin Shadow's Castles In The Snow for free download on their SoundCloud page.

Armellodie Records
Scottish indie label, Armellodie Records are giving away a free sampler compilation, featuring tracks from the likes of Chris Devotion & The Expectations, The Scottish Enlightenment and Super Adventure Club. Download the sampler for free from their Bandcamp page.

Gargleblast Records
As a special wee Christmas present, the nice folk at Gargleblast Records have posted up a link to a folder containing all of their free downloads from their December giveaway '12 Days of Xmas' project. The compilation which features songs from likes of Life Without Buildings, Foxface, Desert Hearts, Pan, De Rosa and specially written song from Martin John Henry can be downloaded using this link.

Merge Records
Yet another label giving away a sampler are American indie label, Merge Records who are giving away a free 12-song Winter Sampler featuring tracks from the likes of Lamchop, Superchunk and one of my favourite songs of 2011 from Eleanor Friedberger.

Cancel The Astronauts
Those nice Astronaut boys were getting into the festive spirit last week as they posted up a new version of I Am The President Of Your Fanclub (And Last Night I Followed You Home) for free download. The revamped version features has more synths and banjo, but thankfully no sleighbells though, you can download it here.

Amazon
The online retailers have a whole host of free MP3's up for grabs, including songs from the much hyped Bwani Junction, the world's next Mumford & Sons - aka Dry The River and Australian outfit, The Jezabels.

The Rose Taylor Project
As a wee prelude to their new album Twin Beds which comes out on Oddbox Records in February of next year. The Rose Taylor Project are giving away a free download of the song Wedding here.

The Very Most
They might not be Scottish, but this American outfit sure do love music from our wee nation. It was my friend Mark that first brought them to my attention with their song, All The Best Bands Are From Scotland, a cracking wee pop tune that name checks nearly every great band that Scotland has ever produced. They recebtly released a special Christmas EP, and you can download sampler track Wombling Merry Christmas for nowt here.

Doris Mavis
Innovative up and coming label, Electropapknit, have posted up a free download of some tracks from Doris Mavis, an experimental lo-fi outift from Glasgow. The band who are made up of members of Copy Haho and pvh, have an EP called Moris Davis, you can grab it for free here.

Tom Robinson
You might only know him as that well-spoken and much loved 6Music presenter, but back in his heyday Mr Robinson was one of the most popular rock stars in the country. I guess you all probably know the song, 2-4-6-8 Motorway, but might not know much more. Well now you can yourself more acquainted with his past work as it's all up on his SoundCloud for free download.

Pareto
Ahead of their appearance at King Tut's next month with Dilectrics and Bear Arms , Pareto are giving away a free download of their track The Antidote on their Bandcamp page.

Kevin P. Gilday
Glasgow's post-punk poet and former frontman of electronic duo, How Garbo Died, Kevin P. Gilday ha released his debut solo album as free download on his Bandcamp page.

Dog Is Dead
The NME starlets are giving away for free their cover of The Waitresses song ‘Christmas Wrapping’.

The Bird and the Monkey
If you're quick off the mark then you can download yourself a free copy of Scottish, The Bird and the Monkey 's debut album BalloonBaboonBallroom, be quick mind as this will only be available until New Year’s Day.

Dan Mangan
If you go and 'like' Dan Mangan on Facebook he'll give you a free download of his song Post War Blues.

Gothenburg Address
Edinburgh post rock outfit, The Gothenburg Address have made the live recording of their come back show free to download here.

Frank Turner
To celebrate the end of 2011 Frank Turner is giving away new track called 'Happy New Year' as a free download here.

Scots Way-Hay - The Artists Albums of the Year 2011 (Part 4)

2011-12-28T11:30:00.000Z

With the New Year fast approaches, here's the last in my series of Artists Albums of the Year for 2011. To finish off the year we have some pretty fine choices from the likes of Aerials Up, Inspector Tapehead, Miaoux Miaoux, Woodenbox, The Seventeenth Century, Edinburgh School for the Deaf, Ghost Pants and Sojourner.

Villagers by Becoming a Jackel chosen by Debbie Kate (Aerials Up)

On a bored cold winters night I was on the hunt from some good auld irish music to soothe my soul... and that I found. Villagers, just one Conor O Brien's latest album 'Becoming a Jackal' is a masterpiece in itself.

Bored of a similar sound that seemed to be seeping out of every radio station I found comfort in this unique gem. Playful lyrics, haunting piano, random sporadic sparseness (Track 5: HOME) and a strange comforting eerieness puts this album into its own mini genre. Conors fragile vocals make you belive you really are apart of his ghost like adventure from start to finish, similar to that of 'Bright eyes' or 'Elliot Smith'. A truely unique piece of music.

Thurston Moore by Demolished Thoughts chosen by Chris (Inspector Tapehead)

There have been quite a few albums that have captured my imagination released this year, but none more so than the latest release from Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, which still blows me away each time I hear it. As an album it hangs together beautifully, with the same sparse arrangement of guitar (6-string and 12-string), double bass, violin and harp used throughout. A drum kit is heard only once, with subtlety and to great effect towards the end of album opener ‘Benediction’, which is about as perfect a ‘Side One Track One’ (to use High Fidelity parlance) as you’ll ever hear. Those familiar with Sonic Youth who haven’t heard any of his solo material to date may wonder how this stripped-backed instrumentation will suit Moore’s noisy avant-garde sensibilities. Most of the album is in fact quite serene if a little brooding, but at times he’s managed to channel that same intensity into these full-on folk-ish songs without ever having to reach for the distortion pedal(s), making it reminiscent of Sonic Youth without ever sounding much like Sonic Youth. The instrumental second half to ‘Circulation’ is a perfect example of how you can grind out that tension through writing alone – it’s a persistent cycle of well-worked discords built up on guitar and violin which occasionally but briefly resolve onto a major chord, providing some very sweet moments in the midst of a disorientating sequence. It’s a really breathtaking passage of music. Many songwriters will tell you that what they’re trying to achieve with their work is a balance of being simultaneously listenable and original, familiar and unfamiliar. It’s a tricky thing to pull off, but with ‘Demolished Thoughts’ Thurston Moore has given us nine songs that are often catchy but most assuredly far-out. It left me with the feeling that it could only be made by someone of his vast experience.

Interestingly he is helped along the way by producer Beck ‘Beck’ Hansen, who gives the album a lush, detailed and spacious sound which fits the tracks. Along with his other production job this year (‘Mirror Traffic’ by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks), Beck is proving himself to be quite a distinguished producer. Both albums sound quite glossy but still have a lot of character, which is some feat.

My other favourites from this year include the releases from the aforementioned Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Vetiver, Jonny, Jonnie Common, City Center, Ry Cooder, Mist, Julian Lynch, Los Campesinos! and Gruff Rhys.

Build a Harbour Immediately by Adam Stafford chosen by Julian (Miaoux Miaoux)

This record really knocked me out. It distills everything that was great about Adam's work in Y'all Is Fantasy Island, and splices it with his live-looping prowess to amazing effect. It's like a pop record that slowly melts and disintegrates - kicking off with awesomely catchy 'Fire and Theft', but by the time you get to 'A Vast Crystal Skull', you're seriously questioning your perceptions of reality and space-time. A huge progression for Adam, and as an album and artistic statement, it's unbeatable this year.

Florida by the Felice Brothers chosen by Ali (Woodenbox)

I was excited for this one coming since yonder is the clock is a mainstay on our stereo. Celebration Florida is a beautiful unpredictable record which keeps throwing new things at you with every listen. It has a real attitude. The standouts for me are ponzi and honda civic which mix up amazing horn parts with modern beats and amazing piano parts. This record will still be a highlight of 2012.

Ashes & Fire by Ryan Adams chosen by Ryan (The Seventeenth Century)

It is no secret among my friends just how much I love Ryan Adams, but it is also well know that records a lot of what comes in to his head, puts it on an album, and releases it. Therefore it's no surprise that since his first release with Whiskeytown, "Faithless Street" in 1996, he has released another 15 albums, along with a selection of EPs and books. So as you can imagine, with that much going on, a lot of the stuff somewhere in the middle gets a bit hazy, especially when only a couple of years ago he had started up some heavy metal project that never seemed to take off.

But to get the point, amongst a lot of crap and some fillers, Ryan Adams always delivers for me, because there's always those 4 or 5 gems per record, at least! But there have been just generally good albums like "Heartbreaker", "Gold", "Love is Hell" and so on, and I will gladly add "Ashes & Fire" to that list...

"Ashes & Fire" is already for me a classic Ryan Adams album as it reminds me of listening to "Heartbreaker" for the first time, with country songs and folk songs, stripped back arrangements for a more intimate feel, I just love it. After thinking in 2009 he had completely packed it in due to a hearing problem, he brought it on home nicely with this record.

The Other Half of Everything by Martin John Henry chosen by Mike (The Seventeenth Century)

I was always a big fan of De Rosa and was sad to see them split having put out 2 really good, strong albums. So when I heard Martin John Henry was releasing a solo record I was looking forward to hearing where he could progress his sound too without the help of his former band mates. On hearing the finished product I was both impressed and surprised. The album contains a wide range of styles from electronic to acoustic based songs. All of these are married together perfectly by Martin's familiar Scots-tinged vocal. What is apparent on this album is that Martin Henry still has an incredible ability to write catchy and interesting melodies. Songs like 'Ribbon on a Bough' and 'Span' are toe-tapping and energetic whilst 'I Love Map' and 'Seventh Song' are both atmospheric and thought-provoking. The haunting 'There's a Phantom Hiding in My Loft' is a perfect album closer that leaves the listener longing to hear more from this extremely talented and prolific songwriter.

The Whole Love by Wilco chosen by Andy (The Seventeenth Century)

Wilco are a strange band, you either don't really get them or are totally obsessed. I'm obsessed. I think they're a band where you don't know what to expect from each record they release. The new Wilco album has a bit of everything: Standout tracks include 'I Might' which is a great rock tune and uses a sample of The Stooges' song 'T.V Eye', the grass root/country tinged 'Capitol City' which echoes back to the bands original roots, the catchy ' Born Alone' and the beautiful finale 'One Sunday Morning' which is a simple, yet inspiring folk lament telling the story of a strained relationship between a father and son that clocks in at around 12 minutes. The melody is so strong though that it could easily go on for longer, a superb ending to one of Wilco's better albums. I don't think they'll ever hit the high points of albums such as Being There or Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but it's up there. It's not a perfect album, but it showcases that the bands creativity and willingness to experiment are still strong, 17 years into their career. I also saw them live at the Royal Concert Hall in October and they were incredible, probably one of the best bands I've seen live. Jeff Tweedy has that ability to draw the audiences attention and Glenn Kotche is an unbelievable drummer – very creative but doesn't overplay.

I also really enjoyed the Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat record 'Everything's Getting Older'. It's a really daring record – there's truly beautiful and thought provoking songs such as 'The Copper Top' as well as filthy, Arab Strap-esque tracks like 'Glasgow Jubilee'. Superb.

Youth Lagoon's record 'The Year of Hibernation' was also a little gem that was released this year. Only 8 tracks long, but every song is a beautifully structured lo-fi pop cracker. Beautiful, simple melodies with Trevor Powers' dream like, soft vocal makes for one hell of a record. He's only 22 years old as well. Bastard.

Constant Pageant by Trembling Bells chosen by Mark (The Seventeenth Century)

I have chosen Trembling Bells - Constant Pageant as my album of the year, I have been following them since i saw them support vetiver in stereo in February of 2009 where they out shone the main act with no space for rebuttal, from then on i have bought all there albums each one a contrast to the next. there latest LP is quite far removed from there earlier material preferring a popier sound but still being true to there alternative roots. the track "otley rock oracle" has the band delving in to a kraut rock style repetitive and extremely interesting song that melts quite naturally to goathland which has the feel of a stately waltz. the closing track on the album is called "new years eve is the loneliest night of the year" is a rousing yet melancholy look at the lonely side of the festive period which was also released on 7" single with one of my greatest influence's bonnie prince billy singing it in December of last year further more it is a great album and i would recommend it to anyone who has lost there faith in Glasgow music.

Days by Real Estate chosen by Nicholas (The Seventeenth Century)

It is easy for fresh faced bands to suffer from the dreaded 'Second Album Syndrome', symptoms include chain smoking, Ren and Stimpy blood shot eye balls, severe sweating (that turns my curly locks into a Sly Stone afro) and a stressful sprawl of lyrical flimflam that I pass off as music. However, the boys from the New Jersey band, Real Estate, are an exception from this unfortunate standard.

They released 'Days' in October this year through Domino Records, and compared to their self-titled debut album, they've flourished from the lo-fi 80s pop band feel (Felt, The Go-Betweens, The Chills and the like) into their own form of stoner surf rock, but still maintaining the roots of their influences.

Martin Courtney's chilling vocal takes a more prominent place as a distinct melody maker for the band, with a soothing Kelvin Shields touch but with a ghostly Mark Kozelek twist to muster feelings of nostalgia that makes you sit-down-and-sigh rather than get-up-and-go. The opening track 'Easy' does just that, a great opening hit, fitting for any day regardless of the weather, which is what the whole album seems to incline. The instrumental track 'Kinder Bluemen' stands out as a more wintery dream , perfect for your typical December Scottish weather or an emotional O2 advert.

My favourite track has to be the hazy 'Green Aisles', which I think should have been placed neatly in the middle of the album, because it expresses the reminiscence at its best, like the 'days' when your BMX was your best friend and being covered in muck and dog shit. It's what you want to smile and look back on. But coming from Wishaw, my fondest memory was being chased by 2 grown men called Razz and Purp, but Real Estate capture their fond memories from their hometown better than how I ever could.

Wild Flag chosen by Grant (Edinburgh School for the Deaf)

I like the Wild Flag record because you never really get enough chances to hear women of a certain age having fun in music. Women usually drop or are dropped by the wayside or are bent into a paraody of some benignly, demented witch or else sexually aggressive and more cod-sophisticated facsimile of their younger imagined self. You never seem to hear a gang of women, as apposed to girls, cracking opening some cans, having fun and making a deadly and life affirming noise. They also remind me of Slumber party and a bit of the Organ, two great touchstones.

The Eno record with the poet guy was great when it was great and when it was bad it plunged the utter depths of middle England smoking a spliff while cleaning away the dinner party dishes. How can you close your eyes and see Angels on one track and Jamie fucking Oliver on the other? However `pour it out` was my song of the year.

936 by Peaking Lights chosen by Jamie (Edinburgh School for the Deaf)

I thought long and hard about this, as there has been so much good this year - Balam Acab, Police Acadmey6, L.W.H, The Soft Moon, Lorelle meets the Obsolete, ICEAGE. Nothing very mainstream, that's not to discount it, but there's been nothing of note, it seems to be moving at glacial pace into the realm of the bland.

My album is 936 by peaking lights.

It's not an immediate album, rather one that eventually ends up worming it's way in after a lot of plays. What was an early evening listen bled through to the morning,to the afternoon, until it was almost ubiquitous.

I have also loved pretty much everything the Captured Tracks label has released this year too

$o$ by Die Antwoord chosen by Alex (Edinburgh School for the Deaf)

Album of year - real estate - days or ducktails - arcade dynamics, blood orange - coastal grooves.
MikoJohn Maus - We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
Ashley - Vivian Girls - Share The Joy. Really though, I have been listening all year to the Die Antwoord album even if it is from 2010.

Diaper Island by Chad Vangaalen chosen by Paul Carlin (Ghost Pants)

All the best things come from Canada. I swear it's true. Chad VanGaalen is one of those things. Diaper Island arrived as spring was, well, springing and completely knocked my socks off from the first listen. It's the most cohesive-sounding album CVG has ever made and owes a fair bit to 'Public Strain' by Women (which CVG produced) in that it's stark, awkward and clanging. The songs, however, are some of the sweetest this man has ever written. CVG has such an ear for melody and an incredible sense of space. It's a wonderful record and, in Peace On The Rise, he wrote what is probably one of my favourite ever songs. All of Chad VanGaalen's records are sprawling, delightful and diverse. What he brought to the table with Diaper Island, however, was an ability to control the dark and light in his music and it's barely left my stereo all year.

Snowglobe EP by Jesca Hoop chosen by Grant (Sojourner)

Much like the e.p i’ll keep this short and sweet. When i went to see the Eels earlier in the year i found myself listening to a woman who had lovely hair and a lovely voice. This woman was Jesca Hoop. Subsquently i listened to her Snowglobe release and i througholly enjoyed it. I won’t go into too much detail about every song and the like but the whole thing has been recorded very well and sounds fantastic .The first track ‘City Bird’ is a great opening track to the e.p and the rest plays through with ease and no unnecessary production. I should have been listening to her years ago. Hopefully it will be your cup of tea as well.

Happy Particles - Under Sleeping Waves :Track by track

2011-12-27T12:00:00.000Z

For those of you with good memories, you might recall that I featured Happy Particles as one of my Ones To Watch in 2011. At that time I had heard that their album was completed and I imagined that they'd be snapped up in no time. Then again things don't always turn out as you expect. In a world filled with landfill indie, I can't help but feel disappointed that their stunning debut album wasn't snapped up by an established indie label. So on Christmas Day, as you stuffed your faces and drank to excess (or was that just me), Happy Particles unleashed Under Sleeping Waves to the world. As a wee introduction to the album, I asked Steven Kane from the band to talk us through the last great album of 2011...

1. Aerials.

Aerials is a kind of hymn to latchkey children. It's a celebration of the drama you can find in the mundane, like the worlds children create for themselves when they are left to there own devices. One of my favourite films of all time is 'Ratcatcher' by Lynne Ramsay, this song definitely lives in that kind of world. There is also stuff in there about the warped nature of our memories which can lead to nostalgia about times which in fact were either pretty tedious or bleak. We have a full band version of this we are going to record but this versions' more minimal style seemed to suit the album better, also I couldn't resist opening the album with something so formless.

2. Infinite Jet.

This is our X-factor version of shoe-gaze, I say that with only a hint of irony. It's definitely the most poppy song on the record. Musically it's an attempt to cram as much melody and syncopation into a song as possible and then start blurring it all with ambience. Cheekily it has some of the bleakest lyrics, a wee trojan horse. I have no idea what it's about, haha.

3. Slowness.

This one is about the decay of people who are destroying themselves and the people around them, cyclically over and over. And the clarity, calm and guilt after the madness. Pretty claustrophobic for such a pretty sounding song!

4. Guide-dogs of the inner cities.

This one has no badness in it. It's about perceptions and about trying not to hold onto yours so firmly if you want to be able to breathe, it's a difficult thing to do in practice. It continues a loose theme of the hidden people kicking around our cities no-one is taking any notice of, who don't really belong anywhere. If you listen close you can hear James singing the lower vocals on this, lovely.

5. Offline Contact

An attempt at writing a ballad about bitterness, about mindless, manipulative people. A song about Cunts.

6. Reprise.

This is basically the melody from Infinite Jet but spruced up a bit with some new counter melodies. A nice interlude to shift the pace of the album.

7. Come Home All Dead Ones.

I wrote it one night when i was kind of losing the plot and I felt a horrible presence of dread and paranoia in the flat I was in alone. Obviously this was psychological but at the time it felt impending and quasi spiritual. It's a simple idea of ghosts being non-malevolent that I find quite comforting. It's starts off with the most sparse arrangement on the record and ends with the busiest.

8. Empty Circle.

I'd like people to make up their own minds about what this one is about. To me it's about the important things we don't allow ourselves to say or give ourselves time to think about.

9. Classes In Silence.

This song actually started out with a drone I had made which is now at the end. I gave it to Graeme and he would write arrangements for it from the melodies from the drone, i would go over and sit in his kitchen and say, 'yes this is what it should be like', 'no this bit isn't quite right', I was pretty much saying yes from the outset though. I think i did that twice and one day he sent the finished thing to me and it just reduced me to tears. It's music to listen to when you are getting farther from earth. It's our David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti song.

10. A.M. Sky.

This is the oldest song on the record. I originally wrote it before I even knew some of the people in the band. It's from an actual event that happened but it's not really my story to tell, I took some images from that and blurred it so it wasn't recognisable, like those old polaroids you find in junk shops.

11.Bleary.

This outro bit reminds me of when you fall asleep watching t.v. and wake up and it's just static, hopefully not as cranky.

Under Sleeping Waves is available now for the bargain sum of £5 from Happy Particles Bandcamp page. It might well be the best five pounds you spend this Christmas.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&gt;lt&lt;/span&gt;;a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&gt;href&lt;/span&gt;="http://happyparticles.bandcamp.com/album/under-sleeping-waves"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Under Sleeping Waves by Happy Particles&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"&gt;lt&lt;/span&gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

40 Festive Tunes For Y'all

2011-12-23T20:30:00.000Z

Normally on a Saturday I like to post a cover version or two, but seeing as it's fast approaching Christmas Eve and I am sure most of you are starting to get into the festive spirit I thought it might be a fun idea to post up a few festive tunes. A couple of songs ended up turning into many many hours of searching through my music collection to bring you a whopping forty Christmas songs from an array of Scottish artists. I guess this is as good as a time as any to wish all of the folk that frequent this site a very Merry Christmas, it genuinely means a lot to me that you choose to put up with me and my ramblings. I hope Santa's good to you all, Lloyd x

1. Monoganon - Torso In The Snow

2. Sugar Crisis - Unwrap Your Heart

3. The Second Hand Marching Band - My Gift Is Waiting

4. A Band Called Quinn - Snowblind

5. Ambulances - The True Meaning Of Christmas

6. Drunk Mule - Feels Like Christmas

7. The Stormy Seas - The Christmas Before Last

8. Neil Milton - Last Christmas

9. Snow Patrol - When I Get Home For Christmas

10. Washington Irving - Silent Night

11. De Rosa - Under The Stairs (Christmas Reverie)

12. Mitchell Museum - Stop the Cavalry

13. Camera Obscura - Little Donkey

14. Frightened Rabbit - It's Xmas So We'll Stop

15. The Last Battle - Once Upon A Boxing Day

16. Julia and the Doogans - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

17. Woodenbox - The Christmas Song

18. The Recovery Club - Silent Night

19. Frightened Rabbit - Cheap Gold

20. Arab Strap - Xmas Baby Please Come Home

21. Frightened Rabbit-Walking In The Air

22. Belle & Sebastian - O Come, All Ye Faithful

23. Campfires in Winter - Christmas Song

24. Dogs Die In Hot Cars - Christmas

25. How to Swim - Sleighbells (Christmas Makes Me Blue)

26. Teenage Fanclub - Christmas Eve

27. Mogwai - Christmas Song

28. The Plimptons - Christmas All Over This Town

29. El Dog - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

30. Esperi - Snowman

31. Miaoux Miaoux - Snow

32. Mike Nisbet - Snow Me In

33. Withered Hand - Its A Wonderful Lie

34. The Belle Hops - A Belle Hops Christmas Song

35. The Phantom Band - Silent Howling Night

36. Abagail Grey - Winter

37. Idlewild - Mistletoe and Wine

38. Malcolm Middleton - We're All Going To Die (Live at Homegame)

39. Rachel Sermanni - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

40. The Scottish Enlightenment - God Rest You Merry Gentlemen

Festive Freebies

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000Z

Frightened Rabbit
Just when I thought I had this weeks Freebies post all finished up cropped two free tunes from two of my favourite bands. First off we have the Frabbit boys with their new Christmas tune, Cheap Gold which you can download for nowt from their Soundcloud page. The band have also just announced that they'll be playing at the HMV Picture House in Edinburgh on the 10th of February. Tickets for the gig are on sale now.

The Twilight Sad
The other surprise freebie came from Kilsyth's finest sons, The Twilight Sad, who have also decided to share a wee Christmas present with us all. For reasons that are explained in the link below, they've decided to record a version of INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart". To find out more and download the track for free just head here.

Woodenbox
I'll warn you now, if you're not a fan of Christmas songs, then you might want to give this weeks freebies a very wide berth. If like me, you're a sucker for alternative festive tunes, then you're going to love this weeks post. First up we have a festive offering from Woodenbox (they've dropped the Fistful of Fivers bit), they've written a festive tune wittily entitled The Christmas Song, which is pretty fucking ace, you can download it for free from their Bandcamp page.

Zoey Van Goey
You might remember a few months back that Zoey Van Goey had a wee launch night for their remix EP launch. At that time the only way to get hold of the songs was on a limited edition CD that was only available at the gig. Now that the CD's are all gone, they've decided that as a special Christmas gift to us all they've made the tracks free to download on their bandcamp page.

Washington Irving
We really do have Christmas tunes a plenty this week, here's some more festive renditions which Washington Irving recorded on a tape deck in one of the bands room a couple of years ago.

The Stormy Seas
Another band getting well and truly into the festive spirit are Edinburgh outfit, The Stormy Seas who have just posted up their very own festive tune, The Christmas Before Last, for nowt on their Bandcamp page.

Café Disco
If you haven't check out the Pop Cop blog this week, then you really should as he's got a cracking wee feature on a band called Café Disco. He's just helped to fund the recording of a new song from band, which is now being given away exclusively on his site. I think it's a cracking wee tune, but even if you don't like it, it's worth reading just for the crazy scheming behind it all.

Kowalskiy
I appreciate that I'm a bit late with this one, but last week my fellow blogger Kowalskiy released his lastest monthly EP. Signing off the year in style, his eighteenth release features free tunes from Now Wakes The Sea, Wiredrawn, a cover of CYHSY from Reverieme, The Strangers Almanac and as if that wasn't enough there's also an exclusive track Happy Particles.

Coat Hooks!
You might remember them as Andrew Lindsay & the Coat Hooks, but since the addition of Sunshine Social multi-instrumentalist Nav Noorbakhsh their sound has changed somewhat, so they're now the Coat Hooks! They have an EP out in January, plus they're also playing at Tut's New Year's Revoloution gig, ahead of all of this they've made their new song, "Popcorn Blues", to free download here.

The Recovery Club
It feels like ages since we last heard anything from The Recovery Club, so their interpretation of the Christmas classic Silent Night came as a nice surprise. You can download this tasty wee treat for nowt on their Bandcamp page.

Fat Janitor
If you like your music to be noisy as fuck, then you're going to love Fat Janitor. I don't know too much about the band, aside from the fact they're from Glasgow and they'll make your ears bleed. You can download their self titled 7 minute song for nowt on their Bandcamp.

Bronto Skylift
While we're on the subject of noisy bands, that noisy as fuck duo the awesome Bronto Skylift have stuck up their track Cobblepot for free download on SoundCloud.

SubPop
Those lovely folk at SubPop have postted all of their free MP3s from the year that was 2011 all in one place handy place. For free tunes from band like the Head & The Heart, Dum Dum Girls, Vetiver and Fleet Foxes, just head here.

Drunk Mule
Hey you didn't think a week would go by without a freebie from the Drunk Mule kids did you?! This week offering is called 'I Built A Death Ray', if you still miss the Aliens (the band) then this might be up your street.

Lykke Li
It's been a pretty good year for Lykke Li, so as a wee treat to us all she's decided to give something back in the form of a free download for the “Lost Sessions,” which features some alternate takes for Wounded Rhymes cuts.

DOLFiNZ
Noisy two piece, DOLFiNZ have just announced that they'll be releasing a split single with PAWS some time in the new year. Sweet. Until then you can fill your boots on their Facebook page where there a whole load of free tunes up for grabs.

TheMirrorTrap
Last but not least we have a free tune from Dundee outfit The Mirror Trap who've posted up a free download of their track 'Broken Crown' for nowt on their Bandcamp page

Scots Way-Hay - The Artists Albums of the Year 2011 (Part 3)

2011-12-21T20:00:00.000Z

What with all of the excitement of yesterdays BAMS post, I forgot I hadn't scheuled this post to go up. Better late than never eh?! This weeks chosen albums of the year come from Adam Stafford, A Band Called Quinn, St. Deluxe, Mondegreen, The Son(s), Bear Bones and Sparrow & The Workshop...

Micachu & The Shapes - Chopped & Skrewed chosen by Adam Stafford

Most of the albums that I've admired in 2011 have come from female perspectives - PJ Harvey, Tune-Yards, Sleigh Bells, St Vincent - but Micachu & The Shape's Chopped & Skrewed really comes out on top because it sounds like nothing else anyone released during the year. Virtually ignored by the public and lukewarmly reviewed by the critics (isn't all great music!) on its release, the LP is a live album, of sorts, performed only once and recorded at the time with the London Sinfonietta - a very bold way of recording an album. The musical content can be described as "Wonk-Step", a hybrid of avant-garde Classical, Dub-step and Pop with most of the music played on odd home-made musical instruments such as clanging percussion which sounds like pots and pan lids being smacked off of pipes and a Cello made out of an old CD rack. If that sounds like shite, it's anything but; the innovative Harry Partch-esque approach is offset by lead-singer (and composer) Micachu's sudden burst of gravely Pop choruses which leap out unexpectedly through the woozy milieu of discordant string screeches and trippy-as-fuck hip-hop beats. Then we'll descend into bonkers free-jazz which sounds like it's improvised but is actually scored to the letter, before blooming gorgeously into some sort of backwards melody that plays like a segue from a lost Technicolor Musical. At once nightmarish and beautiful, the LP ends with the worrying refrain "We've swam too far/We've lost our way" before the music fades and the audience are heard rapturously applauding, only for them to be chopped half way through the thunderous reception suddenly, without warning. A strange end to totally bizarre record. If, like me, you prefer your music to sound like a nauseating haunted house lost at sea then please give Chopped & Skrewed a spin.

Mazes by Moon Duo chosen by Brian McEwan (St Deluxe)

My favourite album of the year is Mazes by Moon Duo, who are the other project from Ripley Johnson (the guitarist in Wooden Shjips) along with his partner Sanae Yamada on synth/keyboards. It keeps a lot of the elements of that band - drones, repeated riffs, meandering guitar solos, lots of phase and delay. The songs are a bit more hooky and accessible though - some of it is relatively ‘pop’ if Wooden Shjips is ‘rock‘ - and it’s more stripped back in terns of instrumentation: drum machine, synth, fuzz guitar and vocals mainly.
You can hear lots of influences in there - Suicide, Neu!, Spacemen3 etc are some of the obvious ones - but it has a character of its own I think - great drone/psych/space-rock in its own right. The new Wooden Shjips record is really good too, but this edges it for me.

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake chosen by Matthew Gilliland (Mondegreen)

My surprise album of the year by a mile. I don't really like or dislike anything PJ released before this, so I was caught off-guard when I saw her playing The Words That Maketh Murder on Jools Holland. The songwriting here is on another level to anything else I heard this year - the lyrics read well on their own, all Olde English hindsight, angelic and reflective, but the instrument choices and the echoey church sound give this record an ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere, and I like how that sound haunts from start to finish.

Tamer Animals by Other Lives chosen by The Son(s)

The album of 2011 is Tamer Animals by Other Lives. They were the best act at EOTR too. However I'd punch you in the face if you told me that I can't also have Aiden Moffat/Bill Wells - Everything's Getting Older. That's a beautiful set of songs, one I suspect I will continue to listen to longer than anything else this year. Oh and I'm going to kick you square in the balls if you won't let me mention that anyone who professes to like music should buy The Ship's Piano by Darren Hayman, The Party's Over by KPK and Office Doodles by The Weary Band. Oh and the single of the year was Snakes in the Grass by Sparrow & the Workshop. Don't you dare cut this before I say how good factorycraft is.... still here? You'd better not have cut this.... Or else when I meet you I'm going to...

Mine is Yours by Cold War Kids chosen by Ben (Bear Bones)

I first heard this album shortly after its release in late January. I didn't love it at first at first and only listened to it two or three times. A couple of months later I was in a hip, independent boutique when the bongo and bass intro of Royal Blue started plodding over the speakers with all the warmth and familiarity of a Mr. Matey bubble bath. Frustratingly, I couldn't remember what it was and I was far too proud to get on my tiptoes to Shazam the Topman (the illusion is shattered) speakers. I rushed home to trawl the whole of Spotify and soon realised my new favourite song was one that I'd discarded months before. I hated myself. Mine is Yours is far and away the best thing Cold War Kids have ever done and with the possible exception of Cold Toes on the Cold Floor, it is one of my favourite records ever. It is melodytastic from beginning to end and if you are patient and forgiving of it from the outset, I promise you will love it forever.

Within & Without by Washed Out chosen by Louise (A Band Called Quinn)

My album of the year is Within & Without by Washed Out. I'm sad I missed him live when they played Edinburgh but this is an absolutely gorgeous record with amazing synth sounds & production. It sounds so effortless & the lyrics are great too, although you can't really make them out (look them up!). Amor Fati is probably the stand out track for me & around half a million other people but it's just such an uplifting, euphoric sunny sounding record but still manages to be melancholic & tap into all the right dark places too. I did greatly admire PJ Harvey's Let England Shake too but from a sheer sensory enjoyment perspective Within & Without gets my vote. On the home front great music from Remember Remember, Star Wheel Press, Hektor Berzerk & a lot of the acts playing the Hear Glasgow Thursday nights at George Square (plug plug). Emile Sandee too - she is the real deal.

Miracle Fortress by Was I the Wave chosen by Gregor (Sparrow and the Workshop)

Have to say that most of the new music I am exposed to these days, certainly in album format, comes from meeting and playing with different bands on the road and trading albums with them. In Munich we shared a bill with a Canadian band called Miracle Fortess. Their new album 'Was I the Wave' was my stand out favourite of all the records we stacked up in the front of the van this year. It's a fantastic mix of dreamy melancholic electronica, well-crafted vocal melodies and intricate drum patterns. I love the way it's been put together, the layers are superbly mixed and listening to it in a different way (like headphones as opposed to a noisy van) revealed another side of complexity that made me smile as I'd enjoyed it so much already I was glad they'd gone to that effort with the detail but not let it distract from the core of the music. First class!

The Scottish BAMS Award 2011 (The Scottish Blogger And Music Sites Award)

2011-12-20T19:30:00.000Z

logo designed by Bob Rafferty

Three years ago I decided that it might be fun to run a poll amongst my fellow bloggers and folk who run music sites in Scotland, to try and find out what the definitive album of that year really was. In its inaugural year The Phantom Band pipped Animal Collective to claim top spot, then last year I did it all again with The National topping that list. This year I managed to rope in a whopping 47 folk to take part in choosing their albums of the year. The following sites all contributed their favourite albums of 2011: The Pop Cop, Jim Gellatly, The Steinberg Principle, Blueback Hotrod, Scots Whay Hae, Dauphin, The Daily Dose, Blues Bunny, Rave Child, Glasgow PodcArt, 17 Seconds, Net Sounds, The Tidal Wave of Indifference, edRock.net, Dear Scotland, Vic Galloway, Manic Pop Thrills, Edinburgh Man, Kowalskiy, Last Years Girl, Aye Tunes, Song, By Toad, Elba Sessions, Listen Before You Buy, Detour Scotland, Jock Rock, Found in Sound, Phuturelabs, The Daily Growl, Favourite Son, The 'Spill, Scottish Fiction, Nicola Meighan, Jenny Soep, Rokbun, Curious Joe, Radar Scotsman Music Blog and of course Peenko.

Initially it didn't look like there was any sort of clear leader, then as the votes started to trickle in our eventual winner(s) absolutely ran away with it. So without further ado here's The Scottish BAMS top ten albums of 2011...

8-10. The Moth & The Mirror - Honestly, This World /PJ Harvey - Let England Shake / FOUND - factorycraft

6-7. Conquering Animal Sound - Kammerspiel / The Son(s) - The Son(s)

5. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine

3-4. Mike Nisbet - Vagrant / Bon Iver - Bon Iver

2. Adam Stafford - Build A Harbour Immediately

And the winner is...

1. Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat – Everything’s Getting Older

Ahead of tonights show at the Arches in Glasgow, I caught up with Bill and Aidan to present them with their very own BAMS Buckie!

a couple of BAMS

Congratulations Bill and Aidan, you are this years' winners of the Scottish BAMS award, how do you feel? Does this rate as a career highlight then?

Aidan - I think it might be the first award I've ever been presented with, with the exception of the joint 4th Year English Prize at Falkirk High in 1989, so it's very exciting indeed. Not sure about a career highlight – that accolade is always reserved for the work itself, and Everything's Getting Older is certainly one of my favourites, yes.

Bill - Feels good - though when it dawned on me, obviously quite some time ago, that awards are only ever decided upon by other people, not by some almighty, all knowing, arbiter of taste and quality looking down from the clouds, I thought it always best to never get too excited about any of them coming my way, not that there's been much occasion to, right enough.

How did you end up collaborating together in the first place?

Aidan - Bill says we found ourselves at the same table in a pub and I immediately asked him to play on some Arab Strap songs. I have no recollection of this at all, but at the time I was very much in love with his Also In White album so I've no reason to doubt him. After he played on the Monday At The Hug And Pint album, we did one song together and then took years to book a studio to do some more. We always seemed to have other things to do, but I'm glad we waited because I can't imagine the album any other way. It would've had an entirely different theme and tone if we'd finished it in 2005, and I really don't think it would have been as good from my side.

Bill - Indeed this is what happened - I was very surprised and flattered actually because although I was a huge Arab Strap fan, and though we were all from Falkirk, or, more likely, because, it never occurred to me that we'd ever all be in a studio together, so it did, for me at least, even at the time, feel like quite an occasion, and looking back, even more so now.

I am guessing that you've spent a lot of time in each others' pockets this year; has this bonded your love for each other, or are you sick of the sight of each other?

Aidan - We haven't really spent that much time together at all, to be honest. We haven't done a lot of touring, although what we did do was quite hard work. There's more gigs being planned for next year, so hopefully we'll have more to do, but it's not as though we're a young rock band out on the road and in the NME every week, there's not a lot of fuss or constant attention to deal with; there's been a minimum of upheaval, thankfully.

Bill - Yeh, sorry, you're guessing wrong.

If the love is still there, are there any plans to work together again in the future?

Aidan - We've just started talking about our second album now, so it will happen but we're not sure when. Certainly not next year, we've both got a couple of albums each planned for 2012, so we might try and have it ready for 2013. There's no rush though, it'll be ready when it's ready; the last thing i want to do is dive into it and force it out, that's why a lot of second albums these days are a bit shit. Bands and labels are desperate to hold onto any momentum and profile a new band has, but we're lucky in that respect because we're not really a new, young band; we've both been making records for ages and there's no pressure on us at all. So 2014 at the earliest!

Bill - Just to add that I'm really looking forward to this, the musical ideas for first album were pretty much all on one cdr I gave Aidan ages ago, then the EP happened pretty quickly this year so, personally, I'm more hopeful for the 2013 result but, whatever and whenever, it'll be great to get working together in the studio again.

Seeing as we are on the subject of albums of the year, what have been your personal favourites of 2012?

Aidan - I would've said Slow Club's Paradise a couple of weeks ago (which I still love) but it's been pipped at the post by the last-minute release of Josh T. Pearson's limited live LP, The King Is Dead, which I think is far superior to his studio album. There's been a lot of very good music this year though, but my memory can never work when it's put on the spot, sorry!

Bill - I look at these end of year lists and realize I haven't heard so many of these records, so it feels like a very uninformed opinion. The last time I was asked I said the re - release of Annette Peacock's 'I'm The One' which is truly one of the greatest records ever made. However after writing that I realized that "That's Reality' by Yumbo, which is Koji Shibuya's (bass player in Maher Shalal Hash Baz) Pop masterpiece, came out in Japan in early 2011.

'Everything’s Getting Older' is out now on Chemikal Underground and it comes with the Scottish BAMS seal of approval. You can order yourself a copy on CD, download or on triple vinyl (which also includes two Bonus 12" featuring 14 exclusive tracks of new material, remixes and demos/ a 12x12 16-page booklet featuring lyrics and sheet music for Bill's compositions/ a data disc with hi-spec audio files of all vinyl tracks plus a recording of Bill & Aidan's first ever concert at Glasgow's Triptych Festival in 2008, here.

Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat - The Copper Top

The Scottish Record Stores Albums Of The Year

2011-12-19T20:30:00.001Z

Yep, it's another one of those end of year poll posts, except this time round I decided to ask the folk that work in Scotland's four most influential independent record stores. The employees of LoveMusic, Monorail Records, Avalanche Records and One Up Records, were all set the task of giving me their favourite album of 2011, plus possibly write a little bit about why it was so special to them. In the end it didn't quite turn out as well as I'd hoped, first off the guy from Monorail didn't reply to my emails, the Love Music chose their top albums (one of them even went with the dreaded 'K' band), but they didn't write anything, and Kev from Avalanche told me to just pinch something off his site. Thankfully Yogi from One Up came up with the goods, so here they are the results of The Scottish Record Stores Albums Of The Year...

Colour Trip by Ringo Deathstarr chosen by Yogi (One Up Records)

Austin Tx shoegaze trio's debut makes me feel like i'm 16 years old again, it could have been released in 1991 like lots of classic shoegaze albums, for fans of The Jesus and Marychain and My bloody Valentine

Ringo Deathstarr - Imagine Hearts by Club AC30

Life Cycle Of A Falling Bird by Star Wheel Press chosen by Kevin (Avalanche Records)

Pinched off the Avalanche website - I had dozens of media enquiries after Kid Canaveral had our best selling album last year and hopefully Star Wheel Press will benefit in the coming months but they have got there on their own merit with a great album and a fantastic sleeve. When Ryan phoned me to say Lauren Laverne had just played one of their songs on the radio and would I stock their album it was just one of hundreds of similar calls I get in a year. I had no idea it would turn out to be such a cracking album. More than ever now it is clear that who you know is more important than how good you are and I hope that at Avalanche we give people that level playing field that gives them a chance.

1 Railway Lines (1) by starwheelpress

Roundabouts by The Tango Rhums chosen by Sandy (LoveMusic Glasgow)

Telephone by The Tango Rhums

Everything's Getting Older - Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat chosen by Alex (LoveMusic Glasgow)

Cages by Chemikal Underground

Hope Street by Kassidy chosen by Michelle (LoveMusic Glasgow)

SoundCloud link not included for obvious reasons.

In Dust by Roll The Dice chosen by Rob (LoveMusic Glasgow)

Iron Bridge by Roll the Dice

Fresh Meat Monday - JJ Bull

2011-12-19T13:00:00.001Z

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is JJ Bull and I have just released my second album, 'Crocothilos'. Crocothilos is the Greek word for crocodile and that's all I really have to say about that. I'm not Greek, I'm from Scotland, incase you wondered. I currently play lots of music around Aberdeen because I live there, and I used to play lots around Glasgow because I used to live there for a while as well, but I've played all over the world in places like New York which is quite nice. I used to play in a band called 10 Easy Wishes who were a very noisy pop band but have been playing my own slightly quieter songs solo and with an accompanying band for the last three years or so.

How would you describe the music you make?

It's not going to change the world, redefine music or 'push any boundaries' so to speak, but I like to think I write pop music in the way it kind of used to be. I find it really difficult to say what my music sounds like without sounding like one of these people who tries to say "well man my stuff just sounds so different - it's like band A and band B but with a bit of band C thrown in a blender", because my songs sound like so much other stuff! I suppose a lot of it bares a more than passing resemblance to Frightened Rabbit but I absolutely love Swell Season, LCD Soundsystem, Phoenix, Jurassic 5, The Who and really early 50s and 60s chart pop.

How did you start out making music?

I used to have piano and violin lessons when I was very young but hated the stuff I used to get taught so would fanny about as much as I could. Anything to avoid practising what I was supposed to. I remember vaguely having written an instrumental piece in open C (just a C chord and a wee right hand melody) when I was still in Primary School - so I've been doing it for the majority of my life. I used to love listening to music from games like Sonic the Hedgehog and I think a lot of the melodies in my music stem from that sort of style. I found a guitar in my parents attic when I was about 13 and taught myself a few chords just so I could write a few songs myself but like everyone around my age back then (I'm 26 now) was surrounded by Oasis, Stereophonics etc so song structures are probably quite similar to how those guys did it at first.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

I usually mess about with my acoustic guitar until something sounds nice to my ears, then work from there. Since learning how to record/produce stuff I've found that the way I write is a lot different. Where as before I would write a song and practise it a million times so I don't forget it, now if I write something on the spur of the moment, I immediately record a wee take of it with improvised words. It means that all the songs sound totally new to me the next time I listen to them and I can try and construct them from the way the 'feel' of them takes me. Words tend to work around a general feeling or emotion I get from the first time I started writing the melody in my head, and I like to try and give a narrative in the way Calvin and Hobbes would do it, or Roald Dahl. I don't usually do it very well.

What can people expect from your live shows?

When I play solo I like to use my loop pedal so expect glockenspiels, plinky plonky noises and old yamaha keyboards with terrible drums but with a full band expect anything to happen. I don't mean explosions or me eating a bat or anything, I mean that every gig I've played with 'The Dinosaurs' has been severely (sometimes purposefully) under rehearsed and as a result everything sounds very raw. We kinda have to depend on what each other knows of the song so every time we play it's different, which is quite exciting for me, but how much anyone enjoys it is a mystery! Hopefully they think it's amazing. But they might not. I like music to be crafted by musicians so it's alive and can go anywhere rather than be perfected like guitar hero. That's how I justify being lazy.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

At the moment I am listening to the new Little Kicks album constantly because it's fucking ace, and apart from that I've been listening to a lot of jazz music from the 50s and Lou Reed. Also I found an old Captain Everything! record the other day. And also The Decline by NOFX. I don't think I've listened to anything else new for a while. The X-Certs album is quite new I guess.

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

I don't know really. I really like writing music and it's pretty cathartic for me, if anyone decides to buy it or listen to it that's awesome but I really do just do it anyway. I have absolutely no aspirations to become a mega star or "make it", but expect to probably see me play some pub near where you live at some point and to make lots of records that some people stumble across and quite like. And after that raving bit of self promotion I fully expect my career to set on fire. I think I've written rather a lot here so I'll just sort of stop now.

JJ Bull - Pirates (of the Aberdee-en)

Home
Bandcamp
Twitter
Facebook

We've Got It Covered #81

2011-12-17T12:30:00.000Z

What with all the excitement of heading through to Edinburgh today, I almost forgot to post up this weeks cover. I am literally just about to head out the door for Kid Canaveral's Christmas Baubles II, so that should excuse the rushed nature if this post. This weeks cover comes from Rachel Sermanni and her take on the festive classic Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Hope you like it, I am off to the capital now for a day of debauchery and lots if hugging.

Rachel Sermanni - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Festive Freebies,

2011-12-16T13:00:00.006Z

Id like to apologise in advance for the rushed nature of this weeks Freebies, too many Christmas nights out mean that I haven't had the chance to listen to everything this week. Still though there are some wee corkers in there, you'll just have to find them for yourself.

Gargleblast Records
In the spirit of all things Christmassy, Gargleblast Records have their very own advent calendar of free tunes to give away every day. So far they've posted up free tunes from the likes of De Rosa, to find out what todays freebie is just head here.

The Savings and Loan
If you head on over to The Savings and Loan Bandcamp page you'll find yourself a lovely wee treat as they have released a free 7 track EP which eventually became the debut album Today I Need Light.

The Machine Room
Edinburgh outfit, The Machine Room, have posted up their very own festive tune 'Cherry Pie' for free download on their SoundCloud page.

Drunk Mule
It really is starting to feel like I get to post about a free Drunk Mule track every week these days, no bad thing in my eyes. This week we have new tune Light Speed to share with you all.

Red Deer Club
Head on over to Red Deer Club's website where you can find yourself a free download of their lastest compilation ‘Red Deer Club / Volume 4' which features tracks from the likes of Jonnie Common and Sex Hands.

Kid Karate
Irish duo, Kid Karate have made their new Heart EP free to download on their Bandcamp page.

Neil Milton
Not only did I ask bands to write about their albums of the year, I also cheekily asked if they had a Christmas tune up their sleeve that they might let me share with you all. Neil Milton took things a bit further and went as far as actually penning this wee cover of the Wham classic 'Last Christmas', which I am going to post up again, but I thought this was too good not to share with you all.

A Band Called Quinn
Download yourself , Snowblind, a new Christmas song from A Band Called Quinn for free here.

A Fight You Can't Win
Edinburgh four-piece, A Fight You Can't Win ave just released their new single, 'Shout First / Last Words', which you can download for the free on their Bandcamp page. The band who play a mixture of grunge, rock and pop have played with bands like And So I Watch You From Afar, La Faro and T.A.W.F.A.W.W, which should give you a vague idea of their sound.

Make Sparks
As a wee Christmas treat, Make Sparks are giving away a free download of their track 'Floored' here.

Scots Way-Hay - The Artists 7" Of The Year

2011-12-14T20:30:00.000Z

Some bands just don't do conformity, in the majority of cases this can prove to be a royal pain in the arse. The exception to the rule in my case is noisy as fuck three piece PAWS. As you've seen from my recent posts, I have been asking bands to choose their album of the year. So what do PAWS do, that's right they come back with their favourite 7" of the year. So what's a boy to do, other than just go with it, fuck it, it's PAWS and I love this band. Anyway here's Phil from the band to tell you a bit about why he loves this little bit of vinyl...

Mazes/Eagulls
Wipers Covers Split 7"
Italian Beach Babes Records

"When I picked this record up I was only familiar with Mazes. We played one show with them and I thought they were great. They told me they were putting
out a Wipers 7" and I was very much in favour. After the show I had forgotten all about it and then stumbled accross a copy at Rough Trade East when
PAWS played a show in London. I bought a copy and stuffed it into my backpack with my clothes.

We played our show and the next day we heard Mazes and Eagulls were playing that night at the 100 Club. Me and Josh had a few hours to kill before our bus at
midnight so we went in search of the 100 Club. When we arrived we met this woman that had a ferret on a leash outside the club. Weird town man.
I think it was a night hosted by Converse Shoes. It was a bit strange.

Eagulls come on and none of them are wearing shoes. The only shoe in sight is a single Converse Trainer on the stage that has "cuntverse" scrawled on it with a marker.

POSSESED punches me in the face from the get go. I listen to it when I get out of bed in the morning and it prepares me for the brutal/boring day ahead. "I don't want to know what
you think, I know something Else. I'm possesed."

Possessed by eagulls

MYSTERY is one of the best covers I've heard in a long time. I love The Wipers. It's the perfect song for Eagulls to have chosen to include on this record. The chorus makes me
shake my fist when I'm even just alone in my room. "You! Don't care about it!. You! Don't care about it!"

Mystery by eagulls

Please go and listen to more EAGULLS here.

Upon return to Glasgow, that 7" hasn't left my turntable. They are my new favourite band.

MAZES are also one of my favourites from this year. Their track "Most Days" from their debut album "A Thousand Heys" has been a big highlight for me.

FAREWELL SUMMER is a more recent recording from the band and a total treat. Named after the book by American author Ray Bradbury, one of my favourite writers.
This pop treat is the perfect way to bid farwell to this summers bogus ammount of sunshine. Good hooks, goodbye summer.

Mazes- Farewell Summer by italianbeachbabes

MESSENGER is another Wipers favourite for me. A song about bad news. I've had so much bad news this year from various messengers. This song makes is it all better.
Bouncy garage rock at it's best. It has celabratory and steadily driven rythym that would make even the most messed up bad new shake it's hips. "You got me all choked up".

Mazes- Messenger by italianbeachbabes

I think these were limited to 500 tour singles. See if you can still get your paws on one..."

If you're quick off the mark then you actually can still get yourself a copy of this 7" using the following link.

You can also catch PAWS live this coming Sunday (18th) at the Glasgow Podcart's Nightmare Before Christmas do at the Captain's Rest alongside, As In Bear, Citizens and Lady North.

Scots Way-Hay - The Artists Albums of the Year 2011 (Part 2)

2011-12-14T18:30:00.000Z

If you're already getting sick of all of this talk about albums of the year, then you might want to stay well away from this site for the next two weeks. Continuing on from last week, here's the second out of four scheduled Artists Albums of the Year. This is the bit where I get folk who've done interviews for me over the past two years to tell me a bit about what's been tickling their fancy in 2012, we even have one of our artists choosing an album by someone else who's writing about their favourite album - I hope to fuck that makes sense to you. This week we have the choices of Sebastian Dangerfield, Bronto Skylift, Sugar Crisis, Song of Return, Mike Nisbet, Neil Milton, Washington Irving, United Fruit, French Wives and The Scottish Enlightenment...

Bon Iver - Bon Iver chosen by Stuart (Sebastian Dangerfield)

The first thing that came to mind was “Bon iver’s, Bon Iver”. Then I thought, “Is that too obvious?” Then I thought; that’s probably the reason why it should be my favourite album this year.
I was nervous to hear that Justin Vernon was bringing a band in to do his second album and to record it in a purpose built studio, just incase he lost that intimate and unique sound he had on "For Emma...". But it’s a huge step away from the first album and is arguably an improvement that seems more confident.
The sound and the production are bigger, the songs are more detailed, and there are a few controversial synth noises just to keep you on your toes. It also helps that he has a cracking voice and a great sense of melody.... and the show at Usher Hall this year was the tits.

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will chosen by Niall (Bronto Skylift)

I find it difficult when talking about anything as the best of the year because my moods vary wildly throughout the year and something I was maybe digging a few weeks ago (say, Mastadon) might not be massaging my eardrums as I write this so I guess i have to think about the piece of work that has drawn me back time and time again like some kind of magical Pony Magnet...
Honourable mentions have to go to the cassette based rumblings of PAWS even though they did not make an album but released enough to constitute an album and to the BREW RECORDS BRW015 Split 10" with Kong/That Fucking Tank/Castrovalva/Shield Your Eyes which has been melting my head and making we want to live in Leeds.

So, after studying flow diagrams, pie charts and polishing all metal objects on site I can safely say my album of the year has been - Mogwai: Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.
I remember when they released Rano Pano as a free download. I instantly thought "these guys have made a ripper of an album and are so confident of it's rippage that they have given this for nothing" And how true a thought that was.The flow of the album is beautiful.
The sound so mighty and immersive that you could almost believe that anyone could learn a foreign language using Linguaphone.In two weeks.
At times when i listen to it and I'm drawing pictures I find myself ;sketching the legendary nature pundit David Attenburgh (White Noise) employing sharp lettering and slogans (Mexican Grand Prix) and feeling like I could take on the whole empire myself (How to Be A Werewolf)
Oh yeah and the title alone makes me want to tear the clouds from the sky and use them as loofers when in the shower.

Veronica Falls - Veronica Falls chosen by Neil and Lorna (Sugar Crisis)

They're such a beautiful sounding band and the songs are rocky and dreamy and a delight. Loved them from the first chord.

Radiohead - The King Of Limbs chosen by Graig Grant (Song of Return)

There was a time, I know there still is for other people, where I'd always create a lot of pomp and ceremony about my first listen to a new record by one of my "favourite" bands (in fact, my first listen to sigur ros' "takk" on the day of it's release whilst hanging the free embossed poster I made sure i got in early for made me 15 minutes late for work and almost got me fired). But in spite of how I still feel after all this time, I am not sixteen anymore. By a long shot. And yes I did pick up "King of Limbs" on the day it was released, but what I am getting at is that it was much more of a slow-release drug affair, like all music and the changing way people use and listen to it these days.

Now I've followed radiohead since my teens, but what I think I appreciate most about their current 'embodiment', really from "In Rainbows" to present, is the distinct lack of pomp and ceremony. These guys have toured the world extensively. they have been the biggest band on earth at some points. But they are have not become the Rolling Stones, the don't live on separate islands that they own. they are just a bunch of regular guys living in rural Oxfordshire and using their time on earth to absorb beautiful and far out music, and transforming that education in to beautiful and far ourt music of their own. but yet, in spite of this new, accessible, down to earth persona, they have still managed to make something which is altogether elusive, mysterious, entrancing even. This combination makes a band magical, still makes one feel like the teenage fanboy.

And it's this mystery which draws me back listen after listen. It's a code. I remember from a great piece in Rolling Stone not long after it's release that "nothing at Radiohead HQ is an accident", meaning of course that the form and structure of the record, not to mention it's length, seem at first jarring. But it's all in there, waiting to be figured out. The content is there. It requires listening with intent to acquire it's hidden meanings. And that is what makes a great record. Mystery.

Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest chosen by Mike Nisbet

I fell in love with Gillian Welch on a cold dark night, out on the west coast mid winter, and I was a little drunk, the conditions were just right. Reading an online magazine and caught a picture of her, she look like she was from another time, and I had to know what this 'time' sounded like. Being a late comer to Gillian I didn't have to wait the 8 years everyone else did for this new record but god it was worth it! It's a world that I frequently sink into, a place I find painfully beautiful at times, a place that reminds me what a song can really do to you.

Highlight have got to be Down Along The Dixie Line & Hard Times, Gillian singing her cut throat lyrics 'I've never been so disabused, I've never been so mad, I've never been served anything that tasted so bad' underpinned by Dave Rawling on lead guitar (my favourite guitarist of all time, hands down by the way) with harmonies that at points can bring you to your knees.

If you've not ventured through the music of Gillian Welch yet, wait till it's dark, pour your self a stiff drink and welcome home.

Jóhann Jóhannsson - The Miners' Hymns chosen by Neil Milton

I first heard Icelandic composer, Jóhann Jóhannsson around 2006 when he released what has become one of my all time favourite albums, IBM 1401 - A User's Manual. Since then he has become a great inspiration to me so I was excited to hear he would release the soundtrack he had written to accompany the Bill Morrison film, The Miners' Hymns. Like everything that Jóhann does it seems to balance delicately between glorious, sweeping celebration and poignantly sorrowful nostalgia. Its use of brass, a group of instruments commonly associated with colliery life, perfectly identifies with the social history of the northern English miners that the film sets out to depict. The Miners' Hymns is a beautiful modern-classical requiem and one I can't recommend highly enough.

Mike Nisbet by Vagrant chosen by Joe (Washington Irving)

This album takes the prize for me. There’s no-one like Mike in Scotland at the moment. Taking influences from Nick Cave and Tom Waits, he’s produced something really unique with a lot of guts, dirt and soul. The song ‘El Frida’ shows a real step up in his song writing and guitar playing, and tracks like ‘Snow Me In’ and the title track ‘Vagrant’ show him at his most mournful and melodic. The record has consistent sense of morbidity, loss and desire set in Mike’s own desolate, wintry world. I think the reason I rate it so highly is because the listener is invited into this place, or at least catches a glimpse of it and sees Mike, guitar in hand, wandering down his long, lonesome road.

Empros by Russian Circles chosen by Marco (United Fruit)

Basically it is the best thing to happen to instrumental music since Godspeed.

A Different Kind of Fix by Bombay Bicycle Club chosen by Jonny (French Wives)

We were lucky enough to support this band at the tail end of last year, however, regrettably, I'd never paid much attention to them; previous offerings have never stood out and grabbed me in the way that this third record has.

Arguably a combination of genres from the first and second record, 'A Different Kind of Fix' marks a huge step up for BBC. A beautifully restrained effort, the album flows with such a consistent groove yet never threatens to lose it's dark, lo-fi appeal. Tracks like 'Lights Out, Words Gone' and the initial single 'Shuffle' demonstrates intelligent vocal layers and some truly remarkable rhythms. Heavier tracks such as 'Your Eyes' and 'Take the Right One,' although bold in exterior, Jack Steadman's haunting tone keeps them perfectly in line with the understated feel of this record.

A genuinely great album and I think I've given it as birthday presents to about 4 people which can't be a bad sign!

Happy as a Windless Flagchosen by Douglas Firs' chosen by David (The Scottish Enlightenment)

My album of 2011 is Douglas Firs' Happy as a Windless Flag, and this has got nothing to do with them being on the same label as us. The record is totally fascinating. I keep finding new things in it to wonder at. I cant imagine how some of the ideas came into being and It probably wasn't the intention, but it's like Edinburgh cast in musical form. Neil's delicately warbling murmur and the fragility of the performances really draw you into the dark, quiet closes within the music that separate great slabs of blackened grandeur. This bipolarity of intimacy and bombast, and the diversity of rhythm that carries the songs on dancing feet, makes it a totally satisfying listen, and a case study in why albums are a really good musical format. They also happen to be the best live band in Scotland as far as my experience goes. Long live The Douglas Firs!

Peenko's Albums of 2011

2011-12-13T19:30:00.002Z

It's the moment you've really not been waiting for, yes folks, it's time for me to share with you all my favourite albums of the past twelve months. I fully appreciate that what I say doesn't really matter all that much and nor should it, but hey indulge me a little. This is now the fourth year that I have found myself compiling these lists. Back in 2008 and 2009 I came up with a Top 50 for each year which just seems insane to me these days. This year I have stuck with a top ten, mainly because I didn't want to bore you all to death. This of course means that I have missed out a lot of stuff, including King Creosote & John Hopkins, Come on Gang!, Metronomy, Indian Red Lopez and The Black Keys (which came in that bit too late). Also, I didn't really think it would be fair to include any Olive Grove releases in my choices, I wouldn't want any of them to think that they're not my favourite baby. Anyway without further a do, here's my top ten albums of 2011...

10. The Shivers - More

When it comes to releases from the Fence stable, it's usually a straight bet that you're going to be getting something fairly folky. However, with this release from New York duo, The Shivers, we got something quite different from the norm. What with the majority of Fence's back catalogue being made up of folk based music, The Shivers sixth album, but first for Fence, is a no holds barred rock n roll record. One minute you feel that you're listening to The Strokes, then The Velvet Underground and then Tom Waits. Every time I listen to this album it grows on me more and more. Full of vitality and raw emotion, I can see why Fence were so keen to add them to their ranks.

The Shivers - Love Is In The Air

9. John Knox Sex Club - Raise Ravens

Being a man who loves his catchy tunes, The John Knox Sex Club wouldn't usually be the kind of band that I would find myself listening to much, but listen I did. Raise Ravens is a dark unsettling album full of raw Scottish emotion, at no point does it ever let you settle into any kind of comfort zone. It's a record that will continue to challenge your emotions and I fucking love it.

John Knox Sex Club - Above Us The Waves

8. King Post Kitsch - The Party's Over

So how do you critique the work of someone you now consider to be a friend, well in King Post Kitsch's case I don't feel I have to as I loved his music well before we ever met. Much of his debut album, 'The Party's Over', is made up of older songs that featured in his earlier EPs, which I guess makes me love them even more as they're songs that I have treasured as my own (I am still taking unjustified credit rights for being the one to 'discover' his music). With the possibility of live shows in the new year, plus some other potential projects on the go, keep your eye on King Post Kitsch as he's got plenty more tricks up his sleeve.

King Post Kitsch - Fante's Last Stand

7. Martin John Henry - The Other Half Of Everything

Out of all of the albums that came out this year, this was the one that I had been most looking forward to, and it didn't disappoint. The demise of Martin's old band De Rosa was a real kick in the teeth, their two albums Mend and Prevention rank in my eyes as being some of the finest records to have ever come out of Scotland. So with the release of The Other Half Of Everything, Martin had some pretty massive expectations to live up. Thankfully though he delivers the goods and then some. Scotland may well have lost one their greatest bands, but in turn we have gained one hell of a songwriter.

Martin John Henry - Span

6. Sparrow & The Workshop - Spitting Daggers

I remember reading a review in Uncut of Spitting Daggers shortly after it came out, in which the reviewer pretty much slated the whole album. Having just bought the album that day I knew what a load of old pish they were talking, as this is one hell of an amazing album. Their debut album Crystal Falls was impressive, but this really feels like a massive step up in them progressing as a band. Snakes In The Grass, the lead single from the album is by far and away the greatest song I have heard in 2011. If you don't believe me then check out this video then come back and apologise. Also, for the record I cancelled my Uncut subscription very shortly after that review.

Sparrow & The Workshop - Our Lady Of The Potatoes

5. The Antlers - Burst Apart

I bet you were starting to think that this list would completely taken over by Scottish bands, which kind of makes sense as I so rarely find the time to listen to anything that doesn't have a touch of 'Scot' about it. For The Antlers though I am always willing to make an exception to this rule. Having first gotten into the band through their last album, Hospice, which I liked a lot, I was genuinely surprised by just how good Burst Apart really is. Having heard them being played countless times on Marc Riley's 6Music show, I now have the album etched into my brain and I feel a lot better for it.

The Antlers - Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out

4. Emily Scott - I Write Letters I Never Send

One of the things that really stood out for me as I looked back over my previous albums of the years lists, was the lack of female singers. With Sparrow & The Workshop and Emily Scott featuring highly this year, hopefully this years choices will go some way to rectifying this oversight on my part. I think I have been pretty vocal about the albums that I felt disappointed by this year, Bon Iver being the main one, the other being St. Vincent's album. Thankfully though I had Emily Scott's 'I Write Letters I Never Send' which more than made up for it. It's an album that I happily find myself getting lost in, it's surprising just how enjoyable one woman and a ukulele can really be.

Emily Scott - I'd Hardly Know

3. Beerjacket - The White Feather Trail

I must admit that in comparison to my fellow Scottish bloggers I was a bit behind the game in getting into Beerjacket. In fact until we got him to record a Peenko session back in March, I'd never actually seen him live. Having witnessed the live experience in such intimate surroundings just added to the experience, which I guess in turn made me love The White Feather Trail all the more. Out of everything he's recorded to date,I think this stands way above it all.

Beerjacket - Eggshells

2. Monoganon - Songs To Swim To

The best things in life are free - try telling that to a ten year old kid who's asked for a new XBox for his Christmas. However, in the case of Monoganon's Songs To Swim To, the best things really are free. The album which is out on super sexy vinyl, is also free to download from Winning Sperm Party's website. I fucking love this record, so much so that I went and bought the bloody thing on vinyl and I still don't own a record player (I'm working on that though).

Monoganon- Eternal See You Soon

1. Adam Stafford - Build a Harbour Immediately

There can be only one, or so the bloke in Highlander said. In 2011 there really is no real debate as to what my favourite of this year would be, Adam Stafford's Build A Harbour Immediately won this race back in January. Since then nobody else has really had any sort of a look in. Putting on Adam's album launch alongside my partner in crime Jim 'Ayetunes' at our last AvP gig, was one of the highlights for me of this year, as I was honoured to be in anyway connected with something so good. It's an album that lures you in with promises of indie pop magic, before descending into full on fucking loop pedal craziness and somehow it all fits together perfectly. If you do one thing with your Christmas money this year, invest yer pennies in a copy. I promise you, it won't disappoint.

Adam Stafford - A Temple of The Holy Ghost

The Birthday Suit - Live in Dundee (25/11/11)

2011-12-13T13:00:00.000Z

Track Listing

1. Sing It Alone
2. Do You Ever?
3. Hope Me Home
4. Wonderfull
5. They Say I Love You
6. Sell It All
7. On My Own
8. Sing Your Praises
9. Don't Look Down
10. A Pirate Song
11. Over The Hill (John Martyn cover)
12. A Nation
13. The Eleventh Hour
14. Past Passes By
15. Rhythm Is A Dancer (Snap! cover)

Download

Thanks to Tom for sharing the link

Fresh Meat Monday - Dolfinz

2011-12-12T13:00:00.002Z

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Erm, we're Dolfinz we're an and 18 year old and a 20 year old from a town called Stonehaven in Scotland.

How would you describe the music you make?

Dumb, fast, pop songs.

How did you start out making music?

We were really bored.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

Jordan writes something in his bedroom, then we play it together for about ten minutes or so, and usually Gav records it straight away. Recently its been alot more collaborative, though.

What can people expect from your live shows?

Spit, mishaps, gentle violence.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

Daniel Johnston when we're sad. Bleeding Knees Club when we're not. New music wise, we're big on The Babies, from Brooklyn. We just played two shows with them so they're kind of stuck in our heads. Also Former Bullies, Sex Hands, Waiters and obviously, PAWS, they are unreal.

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

We have our first single available on 7'' vinyl from Tuff Wax Records. We'll also be putting out a tape on Cath Records around February i think. I think we'll be dusting off the four track to record an EP around January too. Plus lots more touring.

Dolfinz - Coral Reefer

Twitter
Facebook
SoundCloud
Tuff Wax Records
Bandcamp

We've Got It Covered #80

2011-12-10T11:30:00.004Z

I'm a sucker for exclusives, I guess all bloggers are (although not all of them will admit it). So as we are now in the run up to Christmas I guess it's okay for me to start posting up some festive tunes. This week we have a genuine first, which comes from The Scottish Enlightenment and their take on 'God Rest You Merry Gentlemen'. Originally pencilled in to be a Christmas single last year, however they couldn't find 'time to do that properly. And when you have a song with a 1 note guitar solo, you need to get that shit out there ', which means I am the lucky one that gets to share it with you all. I guess that a lot of you might already have the session versions that they recorded for 6Music and Vic Galloway last year, but now we have the official version that was meant to be shared with the world in all of its glory.

The Scottish Enlightenment - God Rest You Merry Gentlemen

100 Not Out...A News Round Up Of Sorts

2011-12-09T20:00:00.000Z

t's been a while since I did one of my news round up posts, so I guess just now is as good a time as any...

Our good friends over at Glasgow Podcart celebrated their 100th podcast this week, so a big congratulations goes out Halina and all the gang. To celebrate the latest shows was recorded in 45 A Side Studios, with special guest Vic Galloway and an array of tunes including Hidden Orchestra, Salo, Wounded Knee, Craig_FS, Clean George IV, plus an exclusive new song from Julia & The Doogans, Young Fathers , PAWS, Django Django and Die Hard. You can check out the show for yourself over on the Podcarts website.

Not content with hitting the century mark, the Podcart team will be having their annual Christmas party at the Captain's Rest on Sunday the 18th of December. The night which is titled as the 'Glasgow Podcart's Nightmare Before Christmas' features one hell of a noisy line up which includes As in Bear, PAWS, Citizens and Lady North. Further information on the night can be found on their Facebook page.

Way back in June, those luverly boys at Detour had another one of their now legendary 'Wee Jaunt's'. This time round the boys took over 100 folk out and about round Edinburgh to see an array of artists including Madhat McGore, Shields Up, Stanley Odd, I Build Collapsible Mountains, Teklo, Over the Wall, Conquering Animal Sound, a story from the notorious VIC (Mr Galloway to you and I), Withered Hand, and Lady North, all in “venues” that will probably never be used as venues again.
To celebrate they're are going to show a wee premiere of the best of the footage this coming Thursday (15th) at the in Electric Circus, Edinburgh. The show which will run between 6pm-7pm will be totally free to get in. Plus it also coincides with Vic Galloway's special Christmas show in the same venue, featuring Jill O'Sullivan(Sparrow and the Workshop) and Jenny Reeve(Strike the Colours), Neil Pennycook and Lorcan Doherty(Meursault), James Yorkston plus a very special guest who's playing under the guise of Owl John (my guess is Withered Hand, but that's just a guess).

Remember The Social Services? Well they went and changed their name to Tall Tales. Their name might well have changed, but their songs are still ace. Next Friday night (16th) they're going to be celebrating their first release as Tall Tales, with their a double A-side single 'Windows 98/All The Things You Read To Me' with a wee shindig at The Billiard Room at the Pearce Institute in Govan, Glasgow. Entry to the evening is just £5 which also includes a copy of their handmade single, (designed by Emma from the band). Having been lucky enough to have been sent one of the singles earlier this week, I can vouch for just how pretty they are.
The first 25 people through the door will get a deluxe single pack, including badges and a copy of 'Small Tales', a book of flash fiction by Martin from the band (who not only plays drums, he also writes award-winning fiction). If that wasn't enough they will also have a couple of very special guest musicians joining them on stage. If that sounds like it'd be up your street then you can find out more here.

I think that's enough rambling for one evening, I am going to finish on a high though. Here's a video of 'Real Snow', Withered Hand's Christmas song which is also his first new material in 2 years. The song is being released on Fence Records as part of an exclusive to subscribers of their new EP series, anyone who signs up before the 16th of December will receive a Xmas card with a mini-CD inside which will have 'Real Snow' on it. Talking of Fence, if you're going to see Malcolm Middleton on Thursday night, if you keep hold of your stub for the gig, then you can use it to get into the Fence Christmas Party at the CCA on the same night...

Friday Freebies

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000Z

we're only afraid of NYC
I don't think that it's much of a secret round these parts that I'm a big fan of we're only afraid of NYC. Since the release of their debut EP, zero.one way back in 2009, they've continually gotten better in my eyes (and ears). Today sees the release of their new EP zero.four, which again sees the band take another massive step forward. Fuck knows how they're going to move upwards from this point, for now though I don't care as this EP's the dogs proverbials. Get in about it kiddie-winks, it's free...then again I guess you already knew that.

The Seventeenth Century
Bloody hell, this weeks Freebies is starting to look like a who's who of former AvP headline bands. Not only are the NYC boys getting into the spirit of sharing free tunes, we also have those wonderful Seventeenth Century boys getting in on the act with a couple of free tunes. Both of the tunes were written on their tour of the Netherlands earlier in the year, one of which was written in and recorded in just one hour especially for a Dutch radio station. Some bands never write a song this good in their whole life time and those talented fuckers came up with this in just 60 minutes. You can find out for yourself by downloading the songs for free from their Bandcamp page.

Drunk Mule
Having just given away their album 'Crash Test Y'self' for free, Drunk Mule are now back with a cracking wee festive tune called 'Feels Like Christmas', which you can download from their Bandcamp.

Stanley Odd
Edinburgh hip-hop outfit, Stanley Odd have continued on the success of last years Oddvent Calendar by doing it all again this year. For a whole host of free tunes and some cracking videos just follow the link.

Perfume Genius
If you were a fan of Seattle songwriter, Mike Hadreas aka Perfume Genius 2010 debut album, 'Learning', well you might be excited to learn that he''ll be back in the new year with a new album called 'Put Your Back N 2 It'. You can download 'All Waters' taken from said forthcoming album, for free here.

OnTheFly
Fence stalwart, OnTheFly is giving away his double album, DFNC001 as a free download on his Bandcamp. The album which is packed with an array of Remixes & Rarities, totalling 30 tracks all, acts as wee teaser of what we can expect from his debut album which is due out some time next year.

The Plimptons
It's that time of year again when bands start posting up their festive tunes to share with us all. The Plimptons have been getting right into the Christmas spirit, they are giving away a 3 track festive download called “Christmas All Over This Town” which can be downloaded for free from their homepage - they've even made a wee video to go with it too.

Randan Discotheque
How could you not like a band who describes their sound as being 'historico-funpop', I guess that none of that will make any sense until you actually give the band a listen. With a new album due out in Spring of next year, the band have decided to give away their new "The Purgatory E.P." for free on their Bandcamp. The EP features 3 new songs, "Old & Grey", "Who Took the Booze?" and "The Blackness" and there's also a cracking wee video to go with it too.

Hipster Death Squad
If there was an award for the best named band of 2011, thenHipster Death Squad would win it hands down. Having previously raved about their last single, it's good to see the band are back with another cracking wee release. Their new EP, Big City Nights is up on their Bandcamp to download for nowt and it's fucking ace.

Darren Hayman
The former Hefner frontman is giving away free mp3 download every day throughout December 2011 in the run up to Christmas. So far he's posted up tunes from the likes of The Mountain Parade, Josie Long & Ralegh Long and Stars In Coma. Find out more here.

Jack James
Scottish singer-songwriter, Jack James has been making a bit of a name for himself in this past week. Having posted his third album "Leaving Town" up for free download on Bandcamp, he managed to attract a whopping 66 thousand people (fuck me) to his site. Needless to say he soon ran out of free downloads, however, being the good soul that he is, he's reposted the album to download for free here.

How to Swim
Another band getting into the festive spirit are Glagow lo-fi indie pop outfit, How to Swim, who have just released their very own Christmas EP. Featuring 2 original songs and a cover of Pal McCartney's 'Wonderful Christmastime', the EP is free to download on their Bandcamp. The band celebrate the release of their EP in style next Friday (16th) at their 'Xmassive Discrimbobulation' gig at Sleazys in Glasgow, with support from The Store Keys and Adam Stearns.

Julia and the Doogans
What's that, you want even more free festive tunes. Well here's Julia and the Doogans take on the Christmas classic 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' which is free to download on Bandcamp.

mini50 records
Edinburgh label, mini50 records are getting right into the festive spirit as they've just posted up their Winter Sampler on Bandcamp. Featuring tracks from The Kays Lavelle, Graveyard Tapes and Chris Tenz, you can download it here.

Gringo Records
Nottingham DIY label, Gringo Records have a free sampler up for grabs, featuring tracks from the likes of Part Chimp and That Fucking Tank. Grab it here.

Mr Peppermint
The latest offering from Scottish DIY label, Winning Sperm Party, comes from noisy rock outfit Mr Peppermint, who's third album is free to download here.

Lovers Turn to Monsters
I have said this plenty of times, but I'll say it again, Kyle Wood aka Lovers Turn to Monsters , is one prolific young fella. I have lost count of the number of releases he's put out this year, as it's the festive period he of course has an EP to in with it. Download 'Feed my Christmas Time' for nowt via his Bandcamp.

Hopefully that's enough freebies to keep you entertained for a bit, next weeks post might be a bit more sparse as I am out next Thursday night...

The Peenko Podcast #2

2011-12-08T17:00:00.001Z

Yes folks, it's that moment you've really not been waiting for. It's the second ever Peenko Podcast! Now, I know that I promised that we would do these monthly, but that plan fell by the wayside after a combination of parental duties and a hungover sound man holding things up ever so slightly. But now we're back with some great tunes, some terrible chat (all my own work) and the greatest jingle you'll ever hear...

The Peenko Podcast #2 by Peenko on Mixcloud

1. Ghost Pants - Coat of Arms

2. Call To Mind - A9

3. Bear Bones - Oil & Lacquer

4. Adam Holmes & The Embers - Alone We Stand

5. Doug Johnstone - Keep It Afloat

6. Pet - Middle Child Syndrome

7. Indian Red Lopez - Prometheus

8. Marie Collins - Old Movies

9. Dems - House

10. Randolph's Leap - The Nonesense In My Soul

11. RM Hubbert & Aidan Moffat - Car Song

Jonnie Common - Vic Galloway Session (05/12/11)

2011-12-08T13:00:00.002Z

Track Listing

1. Heir to the Throne
2. Hand-Hand
3. Bed Bugs

Download

Scots Way-Hay - The Artists Albums of the Year 2011 (Part 1)

2011-12-07T07:00:00.002Z

And so it begins... I did warn you at the end of last week I did warn you that I would be starting on my numerous end of year polls. Following on from the success of last years series of posts I have decided to run my Artists Albums of the Year, which basically meant that I went back to any of the bands and artists that have featured in my Scots Way-Hay posts over the past couple of years. To kick us off here are the choices of Happy Particles, Discopolis, John Knox Sex Club, Come on Gang! , Trapped in Kansas and Miss The Occupier.

Belong - Common Era chosen by Steven Kane (Happy Particles/Remember Remember)

I had been a fan of Belong for a while before Common Era came out, their previous efforts sitting somewhere between Stars of the Lid and Tim Hecker at his most rusty. I was pretty surprised by the departure i heard on first listen, it's still engulfed in the usual 'tumble dryer' ambience but there is a really strong melodic heart to this record along with some almost subliminal rhythms. One of the reasons i like it so much is that it can be hard to tell where the source of a lot of the cacophony is coming from, although it all sits prettily in harmony. Your brain connects melodies and perhaps makes up some new ghost melodies too. I get that nice nostalgic cozy feeling from it that you do from some Boards of Canada records where melody and memory seem to bind in a beautiful wonkiness. It certainly owes something to some bands from the Shoegaze era but i think they have achieved something distinctly fuzzy and their own. Not just my favorite of 2011 but one of my all time favorite records.

Bon Iver - Bon Iver chosen by Laurie Corlett-Donald (Discopolis)

An incredible follow up that I think captures the simplicity and beauty of his debut ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ butmanages to chart new territory with epic 80’s sounding ballads to fully instrumented rock songs. I cannot wait to spend the winter months listening to this record on repeat in my room while enjoying large glasses of mulled wine.

Sparrow & The Workshop - Spitting Daggers chosen by Rory Anderson (John Knox Sex Club)

Sparrows first album was cracking, this is ten times better. Nick is a complete geek with equipment so all the guitars are a step ahead of the previous album, plus the harmonies perfect. Jills vocals are incredible, she has a delicate quality but also wails (not like zep, I mean in a good way) like fuck which can kick the arse of most singers. As I said, the harmonies are great, Gregor has an amazing voice as well, and the two match so well, never been able to explain why.... I guess everyone talks about the vocals when Sparrows come up in conversation, but the lyrics are lovely too. Jill is a really sincere writer, we played with them up in Aberdeen, and they soundchecked 'Old Habits', everyones jaws dropped in John Knox, we all were really taken by that song, the performance was great, but the lyrics were really beautiful. Anyway, that was pretty much 5 sentences of rambling. The record is really well put together, it's hard just to put on one song from it, but my favourite is 'Against The Grain". If I could drive and put a driving tape together, that song wid be on it.

P.S. The intro of Soft Sound Of Your Voice sounds like Dirty Diana by Michael Jackson, which is bawzoot.

FOUND - factorycraft chosen by Michael Morrison (Come on Gang!)

My album of 2011 is factorycraft by FOUND. Since it was released in March, nothing else has got much of a look-in on the annual roundup stakes, and I’ve subsequently played it dozens and dozens of times.

As perennial overachievers, it was great to finally see FOUND get snapped up by Chemikal for this record and, thankfully for both parties, everyone seems in agreeance that factorycraft is a solid step-up from their first two albums proper. Anyway…

It’s dark, funny, very very smart and instantly arresting. It also plays as a record – with two distinct sides – which is a rare treat these days. Though it’s experimental in approach, factorycraft is a solid pop record which is never ‘out there’ for the sake of artiness, and instead just occasionally trips the listener up a little along the way. I always think it’s pretty easy to create something unique, but to make something unique and good is nigh on impossible, and that’s what FOUND seem to do on an almost bi-annual basis these days.

Each song is killer, with Blendbetter’s epic drop being a stand out for me, but it’s the obvious range of influence on offer that keeps the record leap years ahead of the crowd. Part The Cure and part Arab Strap, but with really weird bits thrown in, factorycraft is impossible to date – if I was an idiot, I would absolutely believe that this record was a vintage relic sent back through time from the future. If I lived in Hoxton I would call it 'small-town- industrial-hawick-soul-pop'.

Colin Stetson- New history of warfare volume 2-judges chosen by Sean (Jo hn Knox Sex Club)

A record that I struggle to compare to anything else I have ever heard. In fact to go on about it and attempt to 'review' it would be pointless so I won't other than to say it is beautiful, apocalyptic, baffling, furious and desperate.

The Cosmic Birth & Jounrey of Shinju TNT by Akron/Family chosen by Chris Ward (Trapped in Kansas)

I stumbled across Akron/Family one late night trawling the recommended artists on iTunes and since I heard the first minute of opening track 'Silly Bears', I was hooked. This album opens up a world of epic and cosmic proportions, every song invites you into a radiant phantasmagorical soundscape. For me it's like listening to the best elements of Grizzly Bear, Maps & Atlases, Animal Collective and Beach Boys all rolled into one!

Like most albums you've never heard before the first port of call was the incredible artwork on the cover, which is a volcano spewing out lava into the night sky. It's a beautiful wash of deep colours and it defiantly added a peacock moment which lured me in and I'm glad to say I was not disappointed. Wanting to know a bit more about the band I read a few articles which led me to find out the album was written in a cabin built into the side of an active volcano in Japan and then recorded in an abandoned train station in Detroit and that they lost one of their founding members when he went off to become a Buddhist monk!

These guys are special, their music is special and I think more people should be listening to Akron/Family and the cosmic birth & journey of Shinju TNT.

Simon Werner a Disparu by Sonic Youth chosen by Magnus (Miss The Occupier)

Simon Werner a Disparu is a film soundtrack released this January on Sonic Youth's SYR label, an outlet for occassional albums and EPs highlighting the band's more experimental extremes. These haven't exactly been radio friendly unit shifters (1999's double disc Goodbye 20th Century is hard going by most people's standards) but this new release is probably the most accessible of the SYRs, more reminiscent of, say, Tortoise or the Dirty Three. Simon Werner a Disparu is entirely instrumental and is heavy on atmospherics and white noise, but there are plenty of Providence-esque pianos and jangly guitar melodies. The closing track Theme d'Alice is ace and politely rocks out in a similar way to Pink Steam from Rather Ripped.

The recent speculation about Sonic Youth's future has given the band headlines in 2011 for all the wrong reasons. Certainly more focus will be on Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore's respective solo projects in the near future, so it's only right to give credit to the actual music Sonic Youth have put out this year rather than the very un-Sonic Youth celebrity gossip that's been doing the rounds.

Open Swimmer - Ally McCrae Session (05/12/11)

2011-12-06T13:00:00.001Z

Track Listing

1. 19
2. Bark
3. Old Fox
4. The Canyon

Download

The Little Kicks - Radio Clyde Session (04/12/11)

2011-12-06T12:00:00.004Z

Track Listing

1. Before Today
2. Do Something New
3. The First Place

Download