Malcolm Middleton - BBC Gideon Coe Session (24/05/05)

Track Listing

1. Loneliness Shines

2. Devastation

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We've Got It Covered #104

Apologies for the lack of a cover version post last week, as I am sure you're all aware, last week I was up in Inverness at the goNorth Festival. So I had to take a few days off to recuperate at my folks as they stay up in that neck of the woods. Having had the whole of last week off, it was a bit of a culture shock having to come back to face real life and an over flowing inbox full of emails. Plus on Thursday there we had the State Broadcasters single release at the Captain's Rest, which seemed to go pretty well. What with Jo Mango having to pull out at the last minute, I did fear the worst. But in the end we managed to rope in the legendary Duglas T Stewart from the BMX Bandits in Jo's place at the eleventh hour. So in the end it all turned out pretty damn well I think, although I could have done without all of the stress. Then again I guess that's all part and parcel of putting on gigs, talking of which I am going to be putting on another show next month at my spiritual gig home, the Captain's Rest. This time round I have roped in Mitchell Museum, to play their first headline show since they ended their hiatus. Plus as if that wasn't enough I've also got Jo Schornikow from The Shivers and a fella by the name of Scott Rudd (from NYC) playing too. They're both going to be over in our neck of the woods in July touring the UK, so I am pretty chuffed that I am getting to put on their Glasgow date.

Talking of Glasgow dates, I'll try to stop rambling and get to the point of this post, which is of course to share with you all this weeks cover version, which comes from Human Don’t Be Angry, the most recent guise for Malcolm Middleton. If you haven't already got your hands on his eponymous album, then I'd urge you to hunt it down, as it's fucking ace. Anyway, tonight he's back in Glasgow headlining King Tut's with support from Peenko favourite, Martin John Henry. It should be a corking evening of entertainment, me I'll be at the in-laws feeling sorry for myself that I am not at Tut's. Anyway, here's Human Don't Be Angry's cover of The Beach Boys classic Pet Sounds to get you all in the mood.


Human Don't Be Angry - Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys cover)

Human Don't Be Angry - Vic Galloway Session (23/04/12)

Track Listing

1. H.D.B.A. Theme

2. The Missing Plutonium

3. 1985

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Human Don't Be Angry - Human Don't Be Angry: Track by track

Regular visitors of the blog should know all too well that I have tended to avoid writing reviews, firstly because I don't think I am all that great at them and secondly because I'm a bit lazy. It's for that reason that I like these Track By Track features, as I get tell you all about an album that I have been really enjoying, whilst leaving the musicians to do all of the hard work (I'm not as daft as I look!).
Which in a round about way brings me to the latest release from the Chemikal Underground stable, Malcolm Middleton's new pseudonym, Human Don't Be Angry. Taking a step away from his previous self deprecating
past, Malcolm's new venture sees him surprisingly veering towards almost sounding upbeat. With song titles such as 'Getting Better (At Feeling Like Shit)' and 'Jaded', Malcolm jokingly plays homage to his perceived miserableness. There are songs on the album that sound like they could be from the coolest 80's film that never was, he recently described HDBA as being 'a facade, a front so I can have fun again musically'. In allowing himself the freedom to go off and explore new ideas, he's come up with one of the finest albums that you are likely to hear all year. Anyway, that's enough of my inane ramblings, I'll pass you over to Malcky to tell you a bit more about the album...

The Missing Plutonium

Probably my favourite song, it started out (like most here) as just two guitar lines, but the drums, percussion and casios give it a really light and fresh feel. It reminds me of the old arcade game Outrun. There was a leisure centre near my High School so a lot of wasted time was spent there, and I guess I soaked up all the noise and lights. I like making instrumental music where you don’t have to worry about leaving room for a voice. You can spend hours making something and going into detail, and then when you sing over the top of it all the tiny details disappear. The title comes from the bit in Back To The Future where the Iranian terrorists are racing around a car park in a camper van trying to find the said “missing plutonium”. This song is also the first single from the album, released on the 2^nd April.

H.D.B.A. Theme

This was always going to be a theme-song of some kind, the chorus hook is crying out for it. Another simple song that’s been bolstered by layers, not much else to it. The robot vocals were a last minute addition that seemed to give it a sense of identity. All the electronic drums were done by Paul Savage playing drum machines with his fingers. I think I spent a lot of time in the studio shouting “make the snare more 80’s!” or something daft like that. “Mensch argere Dich nicht” is the German name for the Frustration boardgame, which roughly translates as Human Don’t Be Angry.

First Person Singular, Present Tense

Drums again by Paul. We always have this weird thing going on where we have different opinions about the timing of a song, or how long a bar is or where the phrase starts. We’ve learnt over the years it’s better not to discuss it too much otherwise it breaks. This is a good example of that. I’d been doing this song live for about a year and it was originally half the length, but it needed to be extended and made more confusing vocally because of the subject matter, which is a bit of a head-fuck when you start getting into it. I’m not sure if this will make sense to people or whither they’ll just think it’s repetitive, random nonsense. So as a thankyou for listening to the first half you get more 80’s drums at the end and a blazing guitar solo! The title comes from the Douglas Harding book “On Having No Head”.

After The Pleasuredome

Yes, obviously a reference to one of my favourite albums of all time by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Just a nice wee “mood” piece, again not much too it. I often wondered what "the lads" got up to after "relaxing" in "the Pleasuredome", so I guess this is my interpretation of that. 

Monologue: River

This was the first HDBA song I wrote. Back in the summer of 2010 Johnny from Fence Records asked me to play their Away Game festival on the Isle Of Eigg. I said only if I can do it under a different name, he said yes, so I went away and thought up a name and wrote some songs and that’s how this whole thing came about. It gave me a good creative burst for a few weeks and much of the album was written then for a small gig on an island. Most of the songs were instrumental but this one and First Person seemed to have space for words. Part of me wishes I’d left the album entirely instrumental as my words tend to detract from the lightness of the overall feel, but maybe it was a good thing, I don’t know. It’s nice to have some personality on the record, even if it is too similar to my previous output lyrically. Although the words here are a bit more random I suppose. I haven’t rowed down any river recently…. The “ohs” at the end are blatantly ripping off Iron Maiden, and the main guitar hook is a wee bit of an homage to Jackson C. Frank. I was initially worried about Aidan’s drums on the end section because it reminded me of the tribal dance scene from The Matrix part 2. I believe my final say on the matter was “ah, fuck it”.

Jaded

A good example of a slow, tender piece of guitar music ripped apart with indifference by Paul Savage’s latent urban beat tendencies. It makes perfect sense though. Aidan Moffat did the live drums here too. And I am very Jaded, so this song is autobiographical.

1985

What a year! The summer was hot, we had Live Aid, great music, I was heavily in love with Madonna and about to start High School, where my childhood would be destroyed and Reality would make its first unwanted appearance on the stage that is "my life". Eh, what? Anyway. I love this song. Arab Strap v’s The Bee Gees.

Asklipiio

Aww… a song about proposing to my wife while on holiday in Rhodes. Yuck. Enrique Iglesias meets Mogwai via Manchester. I’m not sure what that means.

Getting Better (At Feeling Like Shit)

Well I had to ruin it didn’t I? There goes my positive new direction and trying not to have the word “shit” anywhere near my music. Stewart at Chemikal Underground swears that if he’d seen the artwork before it was completed he would’ve forced me to change the song title to just “Getting Better”, and thereby avoid any lazy tags being associated with the album. Ach well. 


  "H.D.B.A. Theme" by Human Don't Be Angry by Chemikal Underground


Human Don't Be Angry is out now on Chemikal Underground Records, on download and CD. Also, if you're quick off the mark you might till be able to pick up a copy of the album on vinyl from your local record store, as it was released on Saturday as part of the Record Store Day celebrations.

You can catch Malcolm playing live on Saturday the 16th of June at King Tut's in Glasgow with support from Martin John Henry.

Friday Freebies

Due to me being out last week catching the Twilight Sad, I didn't get a chance to draft up a Friday Freebies, boo me. The good news is that this week is double roll over, yay me!


Randolph's Leap
You might have noticed that I have been talking a lot about the forthcoming Randolph's Leap cassette album 'The Curse of the Haunted Headphones', and seeing as it comes out on Monday I will warn you that I am going to continue to bang on about it for the foreseeable future. The album launch night is this coming Saturday at the Captain's Rest, with support from Kith & Kin, Donna Maciocia and a very special guest (ooo who could it be!). As a wee teaser the band have made the track Dying In My Sleep free to download. A catchy wee bugger it is too, then again most of the album will ingrain itself on your brain.


Human Don't Be Angry
As I am sure that most of you are already aware, Malcolm Middleton has been busy recording an album under the guise of Human Don’t Be Angry.. It's just been announced that the album will come out on the legendary Glasgow label, Chemikal Underground on the 23rd of April. The project sees Malcie taking a new direction to his previous solo material, with this mainly instrumental album, as a prelude to the album you can now download the title track from the album, 'H.D.B.A Theme' for nowt here.

The 2 Bears
First up we have a Joe Goddard of Hot Chip fame's new side project,  The 2 Bears, who's new album 'Be Strong' has been keeping me in a positive frame of mind this week. You never know it might do the same for you too, find out for yourself by downloading their track 'Work' for free from DFA Records SoundCloud page.

we're only afraid of NYC  
If you haven't already downloaded we're only afraid of NYC's latest EP, 'zero​.​four' then you really should get that rectified now. If you have already checked it out then you'll appreciate just how good it is, what you might not know is that they've just added bonus track 'Hoppa Inte' to download for free (as is the whole EP). The boys have also just announced that they'll be playing at Never Make Friends presents, alongside This Silent Forest and Mike Nisbet at the Captain's Rest on Saturday the 24th of March.

We Are Augustines
What with this obsession with Scottish music, nowadays I often find that I am nowhere near as clued up on what's going on in the world as I used to be. Most of my new discoveries either come from recommendations from friends or by catching support bands, We Are Augustines fall into this category as I caught them supporting Frightened Rabbit in Edinburgh last Friday and boy did they impress. I guess it's safe to say that We Are Augustines own a few Springsteen records, not something that would normally be my cup of tea, but the three piece were mightily impressive. Find out for yourself by 'liking' them on Facebook and they'll give you a free tune as your reward.

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP
Another month and once again Mr Kowalskiy's has pulled together another cracking free EP full of Scottish goodness. This month we have free tunes from Ayrshire singer-songwriter, Little Fire, buzz band, Brown Bear & The Bandits, Glasgow folksters, New Town Triptych, Edinburgh starlets The Last September and the rather awesome, Ajimal. Five great tunes in exchange for no pennies, the boy's excelled himself once again.

Andrew Bird
It's been an age since I last listened to anything by Andrew Bird, having been a bit over obsessed with his track 'Fake Palindromes' a few years ago, I now find myself realising that I haven't gone back and listened to his records in ages. So what made me start listening to Mr Bird again, well as you've already guessed it was of course a new free song that I stumbled across. You can download his new track 'The Crown Salesman' for nowt over on his Facebook page, for me it just reminds me why I liked him so much the first time round.

Pareto
In case you haven't already heard, Glasgow alt-rock outfit, Pareto have called it a day, as a parting gift they've made their final single 'These Men Can’t Dance' free to download on Bandcamp.

Seas, Starry
Aberdonian instrumentalists 'Seas, Starry' have just released their new single Faint Praise for free download on Bandcamp, rather lush it is too. With their debut album due out later in the year, just now would be a good time to get yourself acquainted with the ambient/shoegaze five piece.

In Session
 Over the past year or so In Session, a show on Edinburgh Student station, Fresh Air have recorded a number of acoustic sessions, which they've now decided to share with the world. If you fancy some free tracks from the likes of The Twilight Sad, Broken Records, Endor, I Build Collapsible Mountains and Loch Awe, then just follow this link.

Blue Rose Code
I can't quit recall as to whether or not I have ever posted anything about Blue Rose Code before, if I haven't I meant to and at least I'm trying to make up for it now. If you fancy something nice and laid back to ease you into the weekend, then this celtic tinged folk song is a blissful wee number that should soothe the pains of a weeks work away. The song is called Where The Westlin' Winds and it's free to download on SoundCloud.


Drunk Mule
Another week and yet another free tune from those fabulous Drunk Mule boys, this weeks offering is called 'Shoot The Fingers, Kill The Hand' and you can get your grubby mitts on it here.

i like ceareal, my friend
What the world needs now is a new a douglas firs side project and thankfully such a thing now exists in the form of "i like ceareal, my friend", who have just has released an ep by the name of 'season's greetings' (bit late?) which is one of those Buy Now/name your price deals on Bandcamp.

Moonface
Spencer Krug he of Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown fame has just announced that he's going to be releasing a new album for his Moonface project. The record which is due out in April is called With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery, and as a wee taster you can download the track "Teary Eyes And Bloody Lips" for free on Pitchfork.

In Sound Mixtape
Uber cool online indie record store, In Sound have just posted up their monthly mixtape. This latest release has tracks from the likes of Bowerbirds, Damien Jurado, of Montreal and Sharon van Etten and it's free to download here.

Bear In Heaven
To finish up here's one for all you hipsters out there, it's a free download from Brooklyn trio Bear In Heaven. The track is called The Reflection of You and I am pretty sure you can expect to see Pitchfork/Stereogum/Gorilla vs Bear... creaming their tight hipster pants over this wee number.

We've Got It Covered #17

Not one cover, but four, I really do spoil you lot sometimes. Three of them come from the spurt of recordings that Malcie did as part of his 'girl band cover project' and the other is rare song '10 Green Bottles', which was given away to anyone that signed up to his mailing list on his tour last December. We have my friend Jamie to thank for that one, as I was at another gig that night (can't remember who). So mind and say thanks to him for sharing this with us all.

Malcolm Middleton - 10 Green Bottles
Malcolm Middleton - Call The Shots (Girls Aloud Cover)
Malcolm Middleton- Issues (The Saturdays Cover)
Malcolm Middleton - My Delirium (Ladyhawke cover)

Happy Christmas

Peenko and all the gang would just like every single one of you a very merry Christmas,
if you're online today then you must be hiding from relatives, I don't blame you.

Peenko's Albums of 2009 #10 - Malcolm Middleton - Waxing Gibbous

If this is to be last Malcie's last album as a solo artist then he really is going out at the top of his game, opening track 'Red Travelllin' Socks' was one of the most uplifting songs of 2009, it doesn't fail to raise a smile. This album is quality from start to end, it even has Mr Middleton trying his hand at a bit of rapping. If this really is to be his last album before he takes an indefinite hiatus, then he' definitely gone out in style.

Malcolm Middleton - Zero
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Friday Freebies

The Kissaway Trail
First up in this weeks Friday Freebies we have the rather delicious Kissaway Trail, a five piece band from Denmark. Their eponymous debut album was one of my favourite albums of 2007, so I am pretty excited about the release of their sophomore album next year. As a wee taster the NME has a download of a new song entitled 'SDP' which you can find here
Then go listen to 'Smother + Evil = Hurt' on their Myspace, it's quite simply stunning.

Kill It Kid

As you should be starting to get into the Christmas spirit, you might be thinking of thinking some alternative Christmas tunes, so you might be interested to hear Kill It Kids cover of Low's 'Just Like Christmas' which is free to download here.

There Will Be Fireworks
Another band getting into the festive spirit are the Firework's who have put up their very own Christmas song, 'In Excelsis Deo', up to download for here. A second album is penned in for release early next year, so this should serve as a tasty little treat to keep us going.

Malcolm Middleton
Lastly, this one's a bit of a cop out, as you have to be going to see one of Malcie's gigs to get this song, I'm off to see Modest Mouse when he's in town so I won't be able to grab myself a copy (although if anyone would care to share it'd be very much appreciated).
What you'll need to do is sign up at the merchandise stall at one of his gigs, then you'll be sent a copy of previously unreleased track 'Ten Green Bottles'.

Malcolm Middleton - Summer Sundae 2007 (Part 2)

Track Listing

1. Death, Love, Depression, Love, Death
2. We're All Going To Die
3. A Brighter Beat
4. Fight Like The Night

Download
Part 1

Malcolm Middleton - BBC Rapal Session (22/08/09)

Track Listing
1. A Brighter Beat
2. Made Up Your Mind
3. Untitled

Download
Watch the videos

Malcolm Middleton's Long Dark Night

No matter how much you deny it, Christmas is a coming, which means end of the year gig time, so there goes all my Christmas present money being pissed away on concerts (sorry Nic).
After last years Burst Noel, Mr Middleton returns for another wee Scottish shindig, this time at Oran Mor on Thursday the 10th of December. No details on support acts or the like, but we can but hope that there are party games, plus there's the advantage of not having to stoat about Govan at one in the morning trying to get a taxi. As he's threatening to take his solo work into hiatus after he's finished promoting Waxing Gibbous (one of the best albums I have heard all year), then you'd be best getting your tickets soon.

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Malcolm Middleton - My Delirium (Ladyhawke cover)

Radio 3's Late Junction presents collaboration between Mira Calix and Malcolm Middleton (13/08/09)

Track Lisitng
1. Spring The Trap
2. Passages
3. Scala dei Morti
4. Trois

Download
Link

Malcolm Middleton - Across The Line Session

Track Listing
1. A Brighter Beat
2. Somebody Loves You
3. We're All Going To Die

Download
Linkage

Malcolm Middleton - Marc Riley Session (01/06/09)

Track Listing
1. Don't Want To Sleep Tonight
2. Carry Me
3. The Ballad of Fuck All

Download

Wax on, Wax Off - Mr Middleton talks about his new album

Malcolm Middelton & the Hold Steady - Colin Murray Show (18/05/09)

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Track Listing
1. Malcolm Middleton - 'Red Travellin' Socks'
2. The Hold Steady and Malcolm Middleton - 'Your Time Is Gonna Come' (Led Zep cover)
3. The Hold Steady and Malcolm Middleton - 'Run To You' (Bryan Adams Cover)
4. Malcolm Middleton - 'Kiss At The Station'
5. The Hold Steady - 'Lord, I'm Discouraged'

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Malcolm Middleton - Album Launch

Another day another album launch, this time it's Malcolm Middleton launching his new album, 'Waxing Gibbons' on Sunday the 31st of May at Mono in Glasgow.
I'm afriad I don't have any details on tickets and the like as of yet, as soon as I'll do an update.

If you can't make it along on the night, then you can still pre-order his new album here.

Malkiewill be back in Glasgow again in June at King Tuts onthe 28th of June supporting on the tour will be none other than the Pictish Trail, get in!!!

Malcolm Middleton - A Moaning Shite

Mono
Malkie

Get Yer Strap On

If you're heading out to see Aidan Moffat at Stereo this coming Friday then make sure you get yourself down their nice and early as his support will be none other than, Malcolm Middleton under the guise of Chase Music. He will be playing some of his favorite covers, so expect to hear some of of those girl band covers he's been entertaining us with lately.

Tickets

Malkie Beaten One Off

I know it can't just be me, but for years a I always viewed Edinburgh as being Glasgow's poor cousin when it came to all things musically, however, within the last couple of years it really does feel as if our neighbours to the east have raised their game somewhat (some might even say that Edinburgh has nicked Glasgow's crown, thoughts?!). Maybe I just wasn't aware of it, but it really does feel as if there is something of a 'scene' building up in the Capital, with bands like Broken Records and Meursault, various club nights and the highly influential Song By Toad blog.
The newest addition to add to this list would have to be 'Off the Beaten Tracks' a new website that ha cropped up to help promote new and established artists by getting them to 'record acoustic sessions in places you’d not normally see them.'
So far they have sessions by 'Come on Gang' and 'Team Turnip' posted up, and now they have just posted this session by 'Malcolm Middleton ' from this years Homegame, enjoy.

For even more Malcolm Middleton Homegame video's check Song By Toad on Vimeo

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