Friday Freebies

GoldFlakePaint
One of my favourite non-Scottish blogs, GoldFlakePaint celebrated their second birthday last week. To mark the occasion they have compiled a cracking wee compilation album featuring some of their favourite artists. Released on limited edition CD and as a free download, the compilation features tracks from some cracking artists, including a few Scottish acts such as PAWS, Sparrow & The Workshop and Loch Awe. You can download the album for free via Bandcamp, also while you're at it check out GoldFlakePaint's site as it comes highly recommended.



Part-Time Waitress
That Jill from Sparrow & The Workshop certainly has knack of cropping on exciting new musical projects. Not only does she front one of the best bands in Scotland, she also appears on the excellent forthcoming from the Grand Gestures. As if that wasn't enough she's recorded a song with mysterious outfit by the name of Part Time Waitress. I'm pretty confident that some of the boys from John Knox Sex Club are involved in the project, but so far I haven't been able to find anything on the web to confirm my suspicions. All you need to know is that there is a whole host of free tunes up for grabs in exchange for tweet here.

  Part-Time Waitress - 3 (MP3 FREE DOWNLOAD) by Part-Time Waitress

FatCat
If you head on over to the FatCat homepage you will find yourself a whole heap of free MP3 goodness, including tracks from U.S. Girls, Milk Maid, PAWS, Hauschka and Odonis Odonis. Thanks to The Beautiful Lies for the tip off - much appreciated gents!

Cleavers
Elgin's noisiest sons, Cleavers, are giving away 3 songs as a free download on their Bandcamp page. If you're going to be at this years goNorth, then you catch the boys at Detour's Offical Showcase gig on the Thursday alongside Olympic Swimmers, Lady North and DARC.



The Last Battle
Ahead of the release of their new single, Hope Is Gold, Edinburgh outfit The Last Battle have posted up a free download of a home recorded demo version of their song 'Viv Nicholson', which featured on last years The Springwell E.P. You can catch them playing live at Pilrig St Paul's Church in Edinburgh on the 22nd of June with support from the 'mysterious' William Henry Miller, Star Wheel Press and Where We Lay Our Heads.

  Viv Nicholson (Acoustic Demo) by thelastbattlemusic

Gaz Coombes
This is the first that I have heard of former Supergrass frontman, Gaz Coombes solo material and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Whether I'll ever find the time to listen to his album, Here Come The Bombs, I don't know, the one thing I do know is that Sub Divider which is taken from it, is a cracking wee tune and it's also free to download via Amazon.

Wolves Of Winter
I have to admit that Wolves Of Winter debut single, The Art of Temptation, didn't do all that much for me, but their new single The Thaw might just make me change my mind about them. The only downside is that they've just released a dark wintery song in the middle of the week that is our summer. You can download The Thaw for free from Bandcamp.





The Little Mill of Happiness
Up and coming Invernesian outfit, The Little Mill of Happiness, are giving away an exclusive unreleased track to anyone who signs up to their mailing list. With a promise not to spam you unless it's to let you know about gigs and other free downloads that they have to offer you can hardly say no. Fans of Tom Waits, Joy Division and Dinosaur Jnr might want to take note.

Saint Max
I don't half post some downbeat tunes at times, I'm not such a misery guts in real life, honest. I do like a good up beat tune that makes me want to dance (who doesn't). If you're looking for a great wee pop tune to soundtrack this sunny weather we're enjoying, then look no further than Saint Max. There's everything from 60's pop to a bit of ska going on in their track A Life Worth Living, which is free to download on SoundCloud.

  A Life Worth Living (Band) by Saint Max

Thank You So Nice
In case you missed Boab's 62 Word Review yesterday, you should check out his review of the new EP from Edinburgh outift, Thank You So Nice. If you want to know what they sound like then you can either read his review, or you can just stream the EP on their Bandcamp page, or you could do both. Yes, that would make the most sense. Shit. I am rambling again, that's what being woken up at half five does to me...



Poor Things
Perth indie-popsters Poor Things have another free demo up for grabs on their SoundCloud page, it's full of lo-fi goodness so get downloading if you know what's good for you.

  Schoolhouse song DEMO by POOR THINGS

Betatone Distraction
Fresh from being hand picked to support Graham Coxon at his recent Glasgow show, Betatone Distraction have decided to make their Process Replaces Content EP free to download. If you like what you hear then you can catch them live tomorrow night at Pivo Pivo in Glasgow.

Friday Freebies

Happy Particles
Having made it down to the final ten in this years SAY Awards, Happy Particles have decided to give us a wee teaser as to how the follow up record might sounds. They've posted up a free download of the very first demo from the new record that they are just beginning to write, called 'Far Enough Inside'. If this is an indicator of what is to come, then I am sold.



CHURCHES
The prize for the hottest new band in Scotland this week goes to 'mysterious' Glasgow outfit CHURCHES (they even have the hipster friendly band name in capitals thing going on). The band who comprise of two boys and a girl caused a bit of a stooshie recently with the release of their debut single "Lies", which was made available as an exclusive download over on the Neon Gold blog. Rumour has it that the 3 piece are comprised of Iain Cook from The Unwinding Hours, Lauren from Blue Sky Archives and Doc from The Twilight Sad, but hey that could just be speculation (i.e. it is them). All you need to know is that 'Lies' is a cracking wee tune and you can download it for nowt here.

Jesus H Foxx
It's been that long since we last heard anything from Jesus H Foxx, that I had presumed they'd given up the ghost. Way back in 2009, the Edinburgh outfit released their Matter EP on Song, by Toad Records and then they disappeared off to record their debut album. Finally after all this time, Scotland's answer to Guns n Roses 'Chinese Democracy' finally sees the light of day later this month. To get us all in the mood and to remind us that they still exist, Mr Toad has posted up their single, 'So Much Water' for free download. If this tune is anything to go by, then the wait will have been worth it.

  So Much Water by Song, by Toad


Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP 
There are certain things in life that just make things better, listening to your favourite records, getting a lie in after having a few too many shandies the night before (this rarely happens with me anymore) and to that pile I would like to add Kowalskiy's series of free monthly EP's. Not only does he make my job a hell of a lot easier when it comes to writing these Friday Freebies posts, but he's also introduced me to a lot of music that a lot of the rest of the Scottish blogosphere seems to overlook. Take for example his most recent EP (#23 no less), in which he's roped in an array of great music, which includes Northern Alliance, Fiction Faction, Letters, Foxhunting and The Beautiful Lies. There are a few bands in there that I have to admit I had never heard of until now, sterling work as always that man. You can read a bit more about all of the bands over on his blog, then download the EP from his Bandcamp page.



Wherehumanseat 
Fans of Yahweh and Boards of Canada take note, Wherehumanseat might be right up your street. With whole heap of  music available for free download on his Bandcamp page, this Glasgow artist is certainly someone I will be keeping my out for in the future.





Poor Things
Perth's finest sons, Poor Things have posted up a couple of demos for free download on their SoundCloud page.

  Sparky DEMO by POOR THINGS 

Drunk Mule
Some of you might remember the days of Kowalskiy's Komplimentary Korner, every week my blogger friend used to give me a tip for the latest freebie he'd stumbled across that week. Now he's got his EP series to keep him busy. Nowadays though, it feels as if I should be allocating the Drunk Mule boys their own weekly slot as they continue to churn out cracking wee tunes that they give away for free. This week is no different as they're giving away another brand new song called "Whisky Breath" for free on their Bandcamp page.

Friday Freebies

Randolph's Leap
What would you do if a total stranger started slagging your band off on the internet, well if you're Adam Ross from Randolph's Leap, you'd write them a song. Obviously. You can download 'Brian' for free over on their SoundCloud page.

  Brian by Randolph's Leap

Robin Adams
The new single by Glasgow-based songwriter Robin Adamstruly is a joy to behold. Available on download only, ‘Sun Behind The Storm’, isn't technically a freebie as it's up as one of those ‘name your price’ deals on his Bandcamp page. Whether you want to pay anything is your call, give it a listen and make your own mind up.



Poor Things
Perthshire indie pop starlets, Poor Things have posted up their new single, 'Miss World Contemplates...' as a free download on their SoundCloud page. Fans of the French Wives take note, as this should be right up your street.

  Miss World Contemplates... by POOR THINGS

Homework
Ahead of the release of their forthcoming debut album, Edinburgh electro experimentalists, Homework are giving away their new single 'Thoughts' as a free download on Bandcamp.The band are also going to playing a showcase gig on Thursday the 12th of April at Sneaky Petes in Edinburgh as part of this years Wide Days. The gig is free, however, in order to gain entry you need to sign up in advance for tickets which you can do by the following this link


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The Mouse That Ate The Cat
Glasgow based electro-pop outift TMATC are out on tour this week in support of their free downloadable track 'Like Lightbulbs'. The duo which are comprised of Brian Henderson (former lead singer of The Dykeenies) and Colin Keenan (formerly of Drive-By Argument) are playing at King Tuts tomorrow night with support from Seed, Digital Jones and Farewell Singapore. Following that you can cath them on the 10th at PJ Molloys in Dunfermline, the 12th at Cafe Drummonds in Aberdeen, the 15th Mad Hatters in Inverness and then at the end of the month they're playing at the Rock The Broath two day festival in Arbroath on the 28th. Further details on all of these gigs and ticket links can be found here.



Rachel Sermanni
In anticipation of the release of her new single, Eggshells, the very talented Rachel Sermanni is giving away a free download of an acoustic version of the song in exchange for your email address.

Bear Arms
According to the the Chinese zodiac, 2012 is The Year of the Dragon. I guess Scotland didn't get the memo, as our bands are coming out in force to show their love for the Bear. Off the top of my head we have Behold The Old Bear, Brown Bear & The Bandits, As In Bear (RIP) and Bear Bones, and now we have another addition to our grizzly sloth we can add Glasgow alt-rock outfit Bear Arms. The four piece are currently giving away their single 'Towers' as a free download on their Bandcamp page.




Thula Borah
If you like your post-rock, then you might want to check out the recent Live Secretly EP from Glasgow outfit, Thula Borah. The EP which was recorded by Andy Miller (Mogwai, Arab Strap, De Rosa ) at Gargleblast Studios is free to download from their Bandcamp page.






CS Buchan
If you're looking for something a little less 'rocky', then CS Buchan might just be for you. The Aberdeen based singer-songwriter has posted up a couple of songs from a split EP that he released with Kitchen Cynics, on a pay what you want basis on his Bandcamp page. Fans of Nick Drake and things of a gentler persuasion take note this might just be the gentle soundtrack you were looking for the start of you Easter weekend.



Esperi
Scottish multi-instrumentalist Chris Lee-Marr, aka Esperi is out on tour around Scotland at the moment, calling at Aberdeen on Saturday night, then he'll be through in Glasgow next Sunday (15th) at Pivo Pivo. As wee gift to the world he's posted up his new song 'the countryside, no city dust here' as a free download on his SoundCloud page.

   the countryside,no city dust here by Esperi

Dogs Got A Bone Compilation
The second compilation from the Dogs Got A Bone radio show has been posted up on Bandcamp as a free download. Featuring Dead Star Sonics, My Electric Love Affair, The Murlocs, Mummy Short Arms, Confusion, Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5, Frantic Chant, Shambles Miller, Kick To Kill, The Girobabies, Spaceface, Missing Cat, Blasfima Sinna, Delta Mainline, The Cat That Walks Alone and Un.Real. Download it for free here.



 I Am Home Alone
Another free-to-download compilation that's up for grabs comes from Aberdonian promoters, Home Alone  who care giving away a series of free downloads from some of the best bands that the the north-east of Scotland has to offer including, The Little Kicks, Marionettes and JJ Bull.






Drunk Mule
To finish off this week freebies we have yet another free tune from those prolific Drunk Mule boys, I don't know how these boys keep churning out cracking wee songs like this, but they do. Get your hands on their latest offering Love That Sound for free on Bandcamp.

Friday Freebies

Best Coast
Ahead of the release of the follow up to their debut album, Crazy for You, Californian surf-pop outfiit, Best Coast are giving are the title track from the follow up album, "The Only Place" away for free. All you need to do is give me them your email address and hey presto you get some lovely indie pop in your inbox.

 

The Magnetic North
I am going to be a bit a hypocrite here, I am sure that a few of you will have heard me moan about my dislike of having to click 'like' on Facebook in order to listen to a bands song. Well folks, I am about to tell you to go and click 'like' on Facebook in order that you can download a new song by Full Time Hobby's newest signing The Magnetic North. The band who are comprised of Erland & The Carnival's Erland Cooper, former The Verve's guitarist Simon Tong and Hannah Peel are due to release their debut album Orkney, Symphony Of The Magnetic North at the start of May. As a taster of what to expect you can grab yourself a free download of lead track on the album, 'Bay Of Skaill', by heading over to their Facebook page. If you want to hear the song first, then all you need to do is check out the video for the song here.

S. Carey
I had fully intended to include this in last weeks Freebies, but somehow or other I managed to forget to include it.  Anyway enough of me and my forgetful mind, you would be highly advised to download 'Two Angels' from Bon Iver band member, S. Carey. The song is taken from his forthcoming EP "Hoyas" which is due out on the 8th of May through Jagjaguwar.

  S. Carey "Two Angles" by Jagjaguwar

IndianRedLopez 
Tonight sees those fabulous IndianRedLopez boys hitting up the Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh, then tomorrow night they're through in Glasgow at the ABC as part of their co-headlining tour with Song Of Return. To get you in the mood for the gigs, the band are giving away a free download of their Prometheus remix EP on Bandcamp.



Field Report
While we're on the subject of Justin Vernon, you might also want to check out Field Report. Back in the day Mr Bon Iver used to be in a band called DeYarmond Edison with a guy called Chris Porterfield. That there gentleman went on to form his own outfit, Field Report, with an album in the pipeline, Stereogum are giving away a wee teaser by posting two free downloads.

Lonely Tourist 
Former Odeon Beat Club frontman, Paul Tierney is giving away a free download from his new project, Lonely Tourist. To download the single ‘I Live Where You Are ‘just check out his Bandcamp page.



boletes
Technically this isn't a freebie as it's one of those pay what you want scenarios, but if your conscious can handle the guilt then get downloading the new album from Edinburgh 'feak folk' outfit, boletes. Fans of Elliot Smith and Sparklehorse should find check this out.



Poor Things
Ahead of the release of their new single, 'Miss World Contemplates', Perthshire 3 piece, Poor Things have posted up a demo recording of a new instrumental song they've jut recorded.

  Gigha demo by POOR THINGS

Friday Freebies

we're only afraid of NYC
It's been a pretty good few weeks in terms of news coming out of the NYC camp, first off they've managed to recruit themselves a shit hot new drummer (the last one ran away to France) and now even more excitingly they've just posted up their top notch new single We Lived Here as a free download. Get stuck in kids, it's a great wee tune.

Poor Things
Having released their debut single 'Innocence/18' through the French Wives imprint label, Red Hat Records back in May. Perthshire three piece, Poor Things have just made their new EP 'R U Sitting Comfortably?' free to download on Bandcamp.

Laki Mera
Glaswegian electronica quartet, Laki Mera have posted up the Mogwai remix of their song 'Crater' for free on their Facebook page.

Supermarionation
Edinburgh punk powerpop three-piece Supermarionation have made their new EP 'Amongst the Northern Lochs' free to download here.

Plastic Animals
Having released the excellent A Dark Spring EP back in July, Plastic Animals are now giving away even more free tunes. To celebrate their 5th anniversary since the release of their debut EP, they've made both“The Importance Of Fuzz” and it's follow-up “Forgetting This Is Killing Me” free to download on Bandcamp.

Scottish Fiction
Fellow blogger Scottish Fiction has posted up the next in his series of free EPs, this months offering features free tracks from Shambles Miller, Collar Up, Reverieme and Where We Lay Our Heads. You can download it for nowt here.

Stormy Seas
Edinburgh indie folksters, Stormy Seas have posted up two free tracks from their forthcoming album, Of Rust and Loss (due out in November). It reminds me of a lot of stuff that's coming out of Edinburgh at the moment, with perhaps a touch of the Levellers in there too. Make your own mind up by downloading the tracks here.

monster island.
My fellow blogger Song By Toad pointed me in the direction of this freebie, so if you love it or hate it you know who to blame. Mancunian alt-pop outfit a couple of free tracks from their forthcoming album 'cathedral steps' on their Bandcamp.

Rose Parade
Ayrshire whimsical pop outfit Rose Parade have made their song 'Midnight Wine' free to download on their SoundCloud page.

Fresh Meat Monday - Poor Things

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hello! We are Craig, Richard and Gav - Poor Things, pleased to meet you! We're a three-piece collective based in Glasgow but originally from the beautiful lands of Perthshire/the wee backwards town of Perth and we've been active since May 2010.


How would you describe the music you make?

We write catchy, memorable, and dynamic slices of pop mayhem - influenced by Pavement, Pixies and Super Furry Animals.


How did you start out making music?

We played in some terrible, terrible bands back in school together, and if any of our friends start digging up the evidence we will systematically batter them.

Richard and I moved to Glasgow in 2008; our eyes were opened to a mass of new music and from there, we started writing new songs about our new lives. After a while we missed Gav, and lured him to the big smoke with promises of a new band, 2 became 3, and we haven't looked back from there.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

The approach to songwriting is varied in the group - we've all contributed our own material at different stages. The biggest buzz we get comes from the little things you can create in a room with 3 people - all from scratch, our own wee inventions. It's a comfortable process where we all chip in, and put all of our influences to good use.


What can people expect from your live shows?

We want people to be impressed that 3 people can play an expansive set and not be limited... Otherwise expect us to be loud, soft, loud again, and expect a genial host in Mr. Richard Stratton - a man dedicated to perfecting the art of on-stage banter.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

Recently I've been falling in love with Interpols 'Turn on the Bright Lights' all over again, as well as Tom Waits, Mercury Rev and Deerhunter. I got a copy of 'Treacherous' by Over the Wall too, and i'm just playing it to everyone who'll listen, it's a really wonderful album.


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

We're releasing our debut single 'Innocence/18' through Red Hat Records on May the 30th - we're also having a launch party on May the 26th at Bloc in Glasgow to celebrate! After that we'll probably try and fine tune more of our recent material, with the aim to recording an E.P in time for the end of the year!

Poor Things - Innocence by peenko

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