Friday Freebies

Fleet Foxes
On Monday night the Internet went officially bat shit crazy for a few hours with the exciting news that the Fleet Foxes are coming back, with a new album and massive tour (no Scottish date yet). As a taster of what you can expect from their new material they are giving away their amazing new track 'Helplessness Blues' for free, if this is anything to go by then boy are we in for a treat.

The Streets
Love him or hate him, I think it's fair to say that Mr Skinners debut album, 'Original Pirate Material' is a fucking epic record. No question. Having decided to retire his Streets moniker with his final album 'Computers and Blues', I think he's going out on a bit of a high with this record. If you're not too sure if it's still your bag, then you can download '4 O'Clock Today' for nowt off Amazon.

Butcher Boy
Anyone who caught Butcher Boy supporting Belle and Sebastian at their last Barrowlands show should agree that the new material from the Glasgow indie outfit is sounding pretty damn sweet. If you haven't heard of them before then do yourself a favour and get downloading 'Clockwork' which is taken from their second album 'React Or Die', then go and buy the actual album. It's a hidden classic, trust me.

Azure Ray
If you haven't got any plans for this evening then might I suggest that you get yourself down to King Tuts for an evening of indie-joy. Having been on a bit of a hiatus for the past few years the amazing Azure Ray are back in town and they've asked Glasgow's finest, Beerjacket to support for the evening. If you haven't heard of Azure Ray before, then get that rectified by downloading this collaboration they recorded with Sparkelhorse.

Come On Gang!
Last week I was lucky enough to have been asked to appear on Pop Goes The Revolution on Subcity (you happy now George?!), I got asked to choose 4 songs to play. Seeing as I do this weekly post I thought it made sense for me to select songs that are freely available on the internet. One of my choices was the poptastic, 'Fortune Favours The Brave' from Come On Gang!. Sadly the band have decided to call it a day, but not before going out with one final hurrah, which will also be there album launch. If I am honest about it, I am pretty gutted about them splitting, for me they're another holiday romance band, just as soon I've fallen for them they'll be gone for good. On a more positive note, they have crafted on the best albums I have heard so far this year. Anyway, enough of that ramble, you didn't come here to be rambled at, you are here for free stuff and that's what you're going to get. Just head over to their Bandcamp where you will find free download of the aforementioned song, plus a download of former single Wheels.

French Wives
Those luverly French Wives really have left the best till last as they begin to roundup their series of Home Fires freebies by giving away Me vs Me, one of their finest moments to date. Their new EP is due out later in the month, look out for as it's a corking wee release.

de Selby
It's been a while since we've heard much from the Second Hand Marching Band, so ti came as a nice surprise to find out that not only have they been practising new material, but one of them has gone off and formed his own wee side project. Step forward, Alistair Beith, who has roped in some of his fellow Marchers to record an EP under the banner of de Selby. The EP has been getting some heavy rotation in my car this week, it reminds me a touch of Burnt Island. No bad thing in my eyes, if you fancy hearing the EP you can download it as one of those pay what you want deals on Bandcamp. If you like what you hear then there is a limited edition CD that you can buy too, it's awffa pretty.

Dear Mountaineer
If you missed my Scots Way-Hay post earlier in the week, then now's the time to do some much needed catching up. At the time I found myself bemoaning the lack of a full track on their Bandcamp page, then I ended up looking rather foolish when they posted up the excellent 'The Hare Versus The Bear' on their Bandcamp. Again it's a pay what you want kind of download, so it's up to you if you want to download it for free then on your shoulders so be it. Either way I urge you to check this four piece out.

Yeasayer
Technically it's not a freebie as it' one of those pay what you want deals, but hey there is an option to pay fuck all, so if your conscience can cope with that then you will find a free download of a recording of Yeasayer in Belgium here.

Now Wakes The Sea
A few months back I posted a freebie from Now Wakes The Sea, this was shortly before a gig he was playing for Elba Session. Being the nugget that I am, I hadn't realised they weren't the original band that had been booked up to play. The original band were my mates band, so when I came across the freebie I automatically thought it was my mates band and I started to profess about me being mates Now Wakes The Sea. Yes, I am fuck nugget. On the brighter side he really impressed me at the gig, now his new EP 'Oral Arms' is up for free download I would suggest you check it out. One day I hope that he becomes my friend too.

North American War
Matthew 'Song By Toad' wrote a cracking wee review of an EP from North American War earlier in the week, the review caught my attention for two reasons. One it was released on the awesome Winning Sperm Party label, and two it's free to download. I would suggest you read the Toads review, then if it sounds like your cup of tea you can download it for free here.

Bear Driver
I have already admit how much I like this Leeds pop outfit, so it was good to hear that they're heading out to this years SXSW. In the build up to their big adventures the band are giving away a new track every other week until they fly out. Awesome stuff.

Julia and the Doogans
The female fronted Glasgow indie folk outfit have a pretty new website, to celebrate it's prettiness they've made one of their demos available to download for free.

Yuck
I really don't seem to be able to get away from Yuck, I am almost at the stage were I am determined not to like them, but I know that eventually I am going to cave in. Perhaps it will be this free download of 'Coconut Bible' that will push me over the edge. We wait with bated breath.

The Barettas
The singer from this trio from Hamilton, Ontario sounds a lot like Gwen Stefani, if that's a plus in your boo then get downloading their single Touche, there's also an awesome wee video for you to admire too.

Vivian Girls
Stereogum have a free download of a new Vivian Girls song.

Esben and the Witch
The internet seems to be spaffing over this lot, I can't get past their shite name. If you are less fickle than me you will be pleased to know that you can get yourself a free download of their song 'Warpath' in exchange for your email address.

Valentine Records - Doolittle
The Manchester label has just posted up a free download of a covers album of the Pixies classic, it includes Neil Miltons take on Wave of Mutilation.

Smith Westerns
Another band getting a lot of hype at the moment are Chicago trio, Smith Western, their album 'Dye It Blonde' has been getting a fair few spins on my MP3 player over the past couple of weeks. I still haven't quite made my mind up if it's for me or not, if you fancy checking them out you can download their song Weekend for free via KEXP.

blood blood
A very late addition to this weeks freebies comes courtesy of Glasgow lo-fi outfit, blood blood, who I cam across courtesy of Happy Particles Facebook update. If you are quick off the mark then you will find a couple of free EPs to download here.

Scots Way-Hay #45 - Dear Mountaineer

After all the fun and games of my 'Ones To Watch' posts, normal Scots Way-Hay will now be resumed with indie-folk four piece, Dear Mountaineer. Having just recently played at the Chem 19 showcase gig in Glasgow a few weeks back, the band first came to my attention through Halina who I run Olive Grove Records with, or as most of you will probably already know her as being the brains behind the awesome Glasgow Podcart. She suggested that I check them out, I think she was trying to mock me for my love of of twee-pop, but boy did she get it right. When I first listened to them on Bandcamp I could have sworn there was a lot more on there than just the 23 second clip you can stream below (NB any bands out there reading this, please don't do this, it's frustrating and as limited as most folks attention spans are, they do expect something more). Anyway, they write catchy wee pop numbers and they make me happy, I predict that they might do the same for a lot of you too.

Would you care to introduce yourself?

We’re an indie pop band from Glasgow called Dear Mountaineer!


How would you describe the music you make?

It’s a bit whimsical and possibly childish at times. There’s a real focus on vocal harmonies between us all – a lot of it quite repetitive.


How did you come together as a band?

We’ve been friends for a number of years. Stories about band formations are typically boring so we won’t pretend it was anything magical. Most bands are born from the womb of a pub, aren’t they? (I like to think so, aye - Peenko)


How did you start out making music?

As a group? We were playing in separate little projects of ours and kept having chance encounters . I guess it just made sense to set up something together.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

We have our own small rehearsal space where, as individuals, we can spend time bouncing ideas down onto software. We can then share clips, ideas and scraps of melodies. Once we have the skeleton of a song, we’ll get together, rip it apart and rebuild it again.


Who are your big musical influences?

It’s probably quite apparent that we’re heavily influenced by contemporary Scottish music. Rather than make an incredibly long list, the one thing we share in common is the appreciation of a well written song with character. If it makes us laugh, cry or has some sort of affect on us then we’ll soak it right up.


What kind of influence do you feel that where you come from has had on the music you create?

We’re proud of the music that Glasgow and Scotland has and is producing. It’s an area absorbed in supporting independent music. It would seem impossible not to be influenced by that. I hope it shows in our music.


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

You can probably expect a lot of imperfect, folk-ish rhythms and harmonies. As our confidence grows, we really hope we can develop good interaction with our audience. We really want people to wander where the time has gone as we reach our last song.


Has there been a particular gig that has stood out for you so far (good or bad)?

Well, we haven’t played many! In October we played a couple of gigs in bars which were really just to get a feel for playing live again. On Saturday we played our first “proper” show at a sold out Captains Rest. It was a wonderful atmosphere and very encouraging.


You were recently recording in Chem19, how did that come about? and do you feel that you got a lot out of the experience?

“The Hare Versus The Bear” and “Noah” were recorded at Chem19 thanks to help from Creative Scotland. Jamie Savage recorded us over three days. We geeked-out at microphones for a while. It was christmas time and we listened to the Phil Spector’s “A Christmas Gift for You” and Billy Connelly on a wee vinyl player in the kitchen. It felt like a holiday!


What are your plans for the rest of the year and beyond? Do you have any new releases planned for any time soon?

Once The Hare Versus The Bear has been released, we’ll get to work on our next recordings. As far as plans are concerned, we’re mainly interested in improving as a group and rounding up as much interest in the music as we can along the way. One step at a time!


Dear Mountain - The Hare Versus The Bear

Dear Mountaineers new single 'Hare Versus The Bear' is available to download from their Bandcamp page, plus they've also promised to announce some gigs very very soon.


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Dear Mountaineer from Emma Cooke on Vimeo.