We've Got It Covered #109

It's been a funny old week. In case you missed the memo on Wednesday there I announced that I was going to be taking a wee step back form posting every day and that I'd decided to bring a few new faces in to help out/freshen up the place a wee bit. I was genuinely a wee bit taken aback by the reaction that the post got, I think I might have caused a wee bit of confusion  as a lot of folk seem to have read it as I was giving up. I can assure you that is not the case, I have just decided to take a wee break from my Fresh Meat and Friday Freebies posts. The Fresh Meat posts will defo return at some point in the future and my partner in crime, Jim from Aye Tunes has decided to take on the mantle of writing Friday Freebies for his site. With just a couple of days notice he managed to come up with a whole heap of cracking free downloads which you can find here. I have full confidence that Jim will do it justice, so if you are a fan of free stuff check out Aye Tunes every and he'll sort you out. I would also like to point out that it was purely coincidence that myself and The Pop Cop announced that we were going to be going off and doing different things on the same day. If you haven't heard he's passed the reins over to a new girl, if her first post is anything to go by then I think it's safe to say that his site in safe hands.

Now I am going to attempt to shoe horn some music news into this post, as it seems that Edinburgh is very much the place to be this weekend.If you are out and about in the capital today then you'd be wise to get youself down to the Dissection Room at Summerhall for this years Scottish Independent Label Fair. The event has stalls from some of Scotland's finest independent record labels, including Chemikal Underground, Rock Action Records, Song By Toad Records, Gerry Loves Records and a whole load more. Sadly there won't be any Olive Grove Records representation at the event (I am on a stag do today and Halina's moving house). As well as having an array of great music on sale, there will also be live music and DJ sets from the likes of FOUND, Seafieldroad, Withered Hand and Adam Stafford.
Then on Sunday those nice boys from Born To Be Wide are putting on an event at the Electric Circus which will feature ten-minute taster sets by artists playing in the city during the month, including Kid Canaveral (acoustic) Fatherson, Fat Goth, Homework, Paul Gilbody, Siobhan Wilson, Plum and TeenCanteen. Further information on the event can be found on their website.

If you are going to be in Edinburgh next weekend then you might also be interested in a two day convention that is being putting on at the Carlton Hotel which aims to act as training event for bands, musicians, managers and solo artists who are interested in learning more about the art of live performance. I was planning on talking a bit more about this, but sadly I have run out time. Got get myself dressed so I can go Go-Karting. If you want to find out more just follow this link.

Over & Out
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Seafieldroad - Walking On A Dream (Empire Of The Sun)

FOUND - Eyes So Bright (Cate Le Bon cover)

Adam Stafford - Tin Foil (The Handsome Family cover)

Withered Hand - Into the Fold (eagleowl cover)

Friday Freebies

 

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.

Seafieldroad - Seafieldroad : Track by track

I always think that releasing an album so late in the year is a pretty bold move, what with everyone now thinking about their end of year lists there is a bit a of danger that you're album might get overlooked in the rush. I guess that Seafieldroad must know what they're doing, as they pretty much released their debut album around this time last year, a great wee album it was too, so good in fact that the Sunday Herald reckoned the album would 'either win the Mercury Prize or disappear into fervent cult obscurity'.
Today they release their second self-titled album and dare I say it, I reckon this is even better than the first. Rather than bore you with some lame analogies about what this album means to me, I thought I'd let Andrew from the band talk you through this cracking wee album (there's a stream at the bottom of this post which you should listen to while you're reading)...

Cramond Island Causeway

For those who don't know Edinburgh, just off the village of Cramond, on the outskirts of the city, there's an island that you can walk to at low tide, along a causeway of jagged triangular structures that look like the spine of an ancient sea creature. At high tide, though, the island is cut off from the mainland. People who don't know this sometimes get stranded there - like the teenagers who had a massive party there last year and ended up with their faces all over page three of the Scotsman after getting hypothermia and having to call the coastguard. Oops. I live in Leith and sometimes cycle to Cramond. Not for teenage parties though, I'm too old for that. This song was inspired by one particular cycle ride there, on my wife Laura's 31st birthday. Quintana Films, who are based in Edinburgh, have just made a very beautiful video for this song (which you can check out at the bottom of this post), in which Laura and I are played by two very young and pretty people, and the beach is in Orkney instead of near Leith. It's like a Hollywood version of us (or maybe a French arthouse version of us, since it's in black and white). By sheer chance, though, Laura owns a summer dress exactly like the one the girl is wearing in the video, which freaked us out a bit.


What Became Of Pinky And Honker
A deliberately very simple love song. The title comes from Laura calling me Honker. Not because I smell, but because when I have a cold I make a slight honking sound with my nose. I wanted to give her an equally stupid nickname as revenge, but the only thing I could think of was that she was wearing a pink beret at the time. None of which has anything to do with the song, I just liked the image of two characters called Pinky and Honker going off on some adventure and leaving their old working lives behind. The title has a double meaning - Honker is imagining the people left behind wondering what became of Pinky and Honker, but he's also feeling vulnerable and wondering whether Pinky is going to stay with him. Hence the final line: 'Don't leave me in the dust, floundering and wondering what became of Pinky and Honker.'


I Just Want To Sledge With My Baby

Another slightly silly title for a quite sad, serious song about the cruelty of love. It was written during last year's incredibly cold, bleak winter, when the snow drove Scotland to a standstill - hence the line 'the radio is saying make no journey you don't need'. Musically this is probably my favourite song on the album - there are obvious shades of Steve Reich and Michael Nyman in the arrangement. I'm childishly proud of the second section, where the line 'we're climbing up the hill' is accompanied by an ascending chord sequence.


The War Planes Are Blitzing The Town

This song was originally called Cramond Island Causeway 2. I changed the title to avoid confusing people, but the new title will probably end up confusing people anyway, since the song is actually much more about Cramond Island than Cramond Island Causeway is. The lyrics refer to the war fortifications on the island, a series of concrete bunkers which had anti-aircraft guns on them during World War Two. It's a song about emotional battles - the war planes are, obviously enough, not actual war planes, they're all the things in life that make you feel under attack, or oppressed, or isolated. I liked the image of someone lonely and lost, fighting off their own personal war planes from a metaphorical island, and someone who loves them swimming out to the island to be with them, shooting anti aircraft guns by their side.


There Is A Train That Goes Thousands Of Miles Away

This used to be called Trans Siberian Express, until I remembered that Momus had already written a song called that. It's about wanting to take a trip on the Trans Siberian Express, either literally or metaphorically. And that's about all I can think of to say about it. I'd really like someone to do a remix of it in the style of Trans Europe Express by Kraftwerk. Hamish (from my band Swimmer One) offered to do it but hasn't got round to it yet, so if anyone else feels like having a go in the meantime...


You Are The Only Place On The Map

A companion piece to There Are No Maps For This Part Of The City, from the first Seafieldroad album. It's quite epic, given that there's nothing on it apart from a voice and a piano - a song in three parts, with a big singalong bit at the end. If There Are No Maps was about the beginnings of a relationship, this rejoins the same couple further down the line, having to work hard to keep things together in difficult circumstances. I really like maps as a metaphor - finding routes through life, drawing your own emotional maps, that sort of thing.


The Coastal Path

This song was originally called Seafield Road, until it dawned on me that a song called Seafield Road, by Seafieldroad, would result in even more confusion than two songs called Cramond Island Causeway. It is, however, about the journey along Seafield Road in Edinburgh, from Leith to Portobello. Seafield Road is not a very pretty road. It smells a bit from the nearby sewage works, and mostly consists of warehouses. It is, however, the quickest way to get from Leith, where I live, to one of my favourite places, Portobello Beach. I thought it was a nice metaphor for the fact that the road to happiness isn't always pretty, that there is always some difficulty along the way, even if it's just coping with the smell of sewage. This song is very much about that (the difficulty, not the sewage).


Walking On A Dream

A cover of the song by Empire of the Sun, which I really like (so much so that it was the first dance at my wedding this year). The original is very upbeat and camp. This version isn't. But it's a nice happy note to end the album on.

Seafieldroad is available to download now directly from their Bandcamp page, there are also 50 limited edition CDs up for grabs, although you'll have to be quick to get your hands on one of them.

Bandcamp
Facebook
Biphonic Records

Friday Freebies

The Moth and The Mirror
In case you missed our wee announcement at the start of the week, our label Olive Grove Records have added another band to the family. They're called The Moth & The Mirror and they're fucking great, we wouldn't have worked with them if they weren't. To celebrate the joining Team Olive Grove they're giving away a free download of their track 'Lights in the Sky' via their Bandcamp, I hope you'll agree it's great wee tune.

Martin John Henry
In a few months time the former De Rosa frontman is set to release his debut album, something I have been pretty excited about for a while now. In fact I bumped into Martin backstage at the Wickerman Festival were he was down helping his former band mate Chris, run the Solus Tent. I spent the majority of the weekend pestering Martin to play me some songs, then at the last minute he had to step in to play some songs as Rachel Sermanni was running late. I of course missed this performance as I was busy fannying about elsewhere, I then spent the remainder of the weekend moaning at Martin, for which I should really apologise. I am just a bit of an over excited kid some times, thankfully though he's going to be playing some shows soon and hopefully we'll get him in to record a Peenko Session at some point. Anyway, enough of my inane ramblings, on with the freebie, you can download his new 'First Light' which is taken from his forthcoming album "The Other Half of Eveything", for free on his Bandcamp page. It's a great fucking song, if this is the standard of the album then boy are we in for a treat.

Adam Stafford (remixed by Miaoux Miaoux)
I haven't done any shameless plugging for the forthcoming Ayetunes vs Peenko gig (two weeks tomorrow), so it's pretty fucking ace when two of the artists playing decide to work together. I have been banging on for ages how fucking great Adam's forthcoming album, Build a Harbour Immediately, is. That's because it is fucking great, trust me kids would I lie to you (I probably would, but not in this instance). Anyway in anticipation of the albums release Miaoux Miaoux
has done a wee remix of Adam Stafford's Shot-down You Summer Wannabes , which you can find on the b-side of his new single Fire & Theft, which you can download for free from Wise Blood Industries.

Seafieldroad
I really meant to mention this in my last freebies, but due to an overload of links I stupidly over looked it. As you might already know, I really liked the Edinburgh outfit, Seafieldroad's first album, There Are No Maps For This Part Of The City. With their sophomore album due out in November, they really could come up with the last great album of 2011, if their new single 'Cramond Island Causeway' is anything to go by, then we should be in for a treat. The single is available to download for free on their Bandcamp page, plus it also includes a cover of Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun which you might remember I posted a few weeks back.

Rod Jones
Seeing as Idlewild are taking a bit of a hiatus, the two Rod's are both off following their own solo projects, Roddy is off doing his folky stuff and Rod Jones is continuing to rock out with his backing band 'the Birthday Suit'. If you head over to The Skinny magazine's website you will find their first single free to download, ain't that nice of them.

T Break
I didn't just forget to post about Seafieldroad last week, I also completely forgot to mention that there are a whole load of free downloads up for grabs from the bands that played on this years T Break stage at T in the Park. You can stream the full sets and download one live track from each of the bands that played, including songs from Aerials Up, Cancel the Astronauts, Lady North and PAWS. Get downloading here.

Shambles Miller
My favourite Scottish troubadour, Shambles Miller has been busy writing great wee pop tunes again, this time round he's written a song about how the the end of the world, might be a good excuse to tell a girl you like how you feel. Appropriately enough the song's called Rapture and you can nab it for free on his Soundcloud.

Scottish Fiction
It honestly feels as if at the the moment a new Scottish music blog crops up every week, most of them soon lose interest when nobody pays attention to them (much is the way of the blogger). One of the more interesting sites to have started up is by a guy who goes under the guise of Scottish Fiction (an Idlewild pun I presume), he also runs a weekly radio show, so he does seem to know his stuff. Anyway, following in the footsteps of wur pal Kowalskiy, he too has taken up the challenge of posting a free monthly EP. To start him off he's roped in Michael Cassidy, Campfires in Winter, Night Noise Team and Adam Holmes And The Embers. You can download the EP for free here.

Good Weather For An Airstrike
Scottish experimental/post-classical outfit, Good Weather For An Airstrike, released their new album 'A Summer' just last month. As a wee taster of what to expect you can download their track The Beginning Of The Rest Of Our Lives (Revisited) for free on their Bandcamp.

Negotiations. & LA MORENA
I have joked in the past about Matthew from Loch Awe pretty much being featured every week in Friday Freebies, I actually was only jesting, however, he seems to have taken me up on this challenge as once again he's been off recording yet another new project. His latest outfit go under the name of Negotiations and you can download their free EP here.

Scrap Brain
Edinburgh glitzs-grungers, Scrap Brain have not only made a cracking wee video for their song Take It, they're also very kindly giving away the song for free on their Bandcamp page.

Radio Trees
I actually meant to include this last week, but there was a bit of an overload of free tunes to catch up with so I managed to over look it. Zoey Van Goey frontman and sometime accordion player for Aidan Moffat, The Trembling Bells and Lord Cutglass, Michael John McCarthy has posted up a free download of his one-man project Radio Trees.

We've Got It Covered #59

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


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

Friday Freebies

Call To Mind
Kicking this weeks freebies off, we have a cracking wee festive tune from those fabulous Call To Mind boys. You can download their gorgeous wee tune, 'Learning Alone Again (Merry Christmas)' for nowt on their Soundcloud page. If their debut album which is pencilled in for some time next year is half as good as this then we're in for a right treat.

Zoey Van Goey
I am sure that I am not alone in looking forward to the forthcoming Zoey Van Goey's album 'Propeller Versus Wings'. Well as a wee taster of what you can expect to hear they've posted up new song 'My Aviator' taken from it for free on their Bandcamp.

Beach House
The dream pop outfit recorded a holiday song a few days ago, you can download their holiday gift for free here.

Duncan and the Ex-Teens
It really feels as if a new Dananananaykroyd side project crops every week at the moment. You'd think they'd be busy enough as it is, what with sunning it up in LA recording their new album. But being the creative bunch that they are they continue to produce amazing tunes, the latest side project comes from Duncan who has posted up his EP 'Songs, I Know' on Bandcamp.

French Wives
It's the fifth week in the series of Home Fires posts from those lovely French Wives, this week they're giving away 'Small Time Crooks'. Apparently this is a long lost French Wives song that they don't really play any more for 2 reasons: 1. they don't really like it and 2. it's quite difficult to play. They sound like pretty good reasons to me. You can download the tune here.

Gargleblast Records
"Available digitally for the first time, a one-off Xmas EP featuring exclusive recordings by De Rosa, Foxface and Pan. Originally a CD-R release, one hundred hand made copies were given away at the Gargleblast Christmas party in 2007". Download it here.

Chemikal Underground
Not signed up to the Chemikal Underground mailing list yet, then you are a nugget. As it's fucking ace and every month you get free stuff, cause they're dead nice. This month they're giving away a free download of a wee compilation called 'A Chemikal Xmas Present' - With Thanks And Love'. You'll find that and plenty of other free downloads here.

REM
As a wee Christmas gift REM are giving away a free download of their new track 'Discoverer', to get it all you have to do is give them your email address.

FOUND
It's week 12 of FOUND's Free Friday series in the build up to the release of their third album in March. As always I have no idea what it's going to be, but I am sure it'll be cracking as always.

Seafieldroad
Having release a corer of an album last month, Andrew from Swimmer One has decided to giev away some free tunes from his side project every other week. Kicking it all off you can download one of his old demo's 'Fanbloodytastic' for free on his Bandcamp.

Otherpeople
Ye another band giving away a wee festive tune for free are those lovely Otherpeople, quite possibly the hardest band to google ever. Thankfully though you don't have to go hunting for their tunes as you can get their Christmas song '2 zero double 1 (the festive song)' for free here. Rather good it is too.

My Cousin I Bid You Farewell
There is a free download of My Cousin I Bid You Farewell's song, 'I'm Yours' up for free download on their Bandcamp Be quick mind as it's only going to be up for a wee while longer.

Hectares
I've always been a sucker for things that are a bit ramshackle, Hectares EP 'The Zooey Deschanel Pity Fuck Adventure Dream' certainly falls into that bracket. Plus that's possibly the greatest release title I've seen all year. You can download it for free on their Bandcamp.

The Forest & The Trees
The Swedish duo have posted up a cracking wee festive number, 'Santa Claus is coming' for free on their Bandcamp. I fully guarantee this song will put a huge grin on yer chops.

Toro y Moi
Here's one for all you hipsters, it's a free download of a new track from the forthcoming Toro y Moi album, it's called 'Still Sound' and you can find it here.

Stray Kites
Lo-fi duo, Stray Kits have a cracking wee album called 'One Day, Earth Time' up for free download on their Bandcamp. It kind of reminds me a wee bit of some of Adam Green of Moldy Peaches fame. Which is all good in my book.

Miss the Occupier
You can download the spiky indie pop trio's song 'All Day' for free here.

The Mountain Goats
Stereogum have a free download of new Mountain Goats track, 'Tyler Lambert’s Grave, you can find it here.

Gorman
Another act getting with a festive tune to share are Glasgow's very own Gorman, who's tune 'Snow' is available to download for free here.

Idiot Glee
Fans of Perfume Genius take note as this will probably be right up your street. There is a free EP called An Idiot Glee Christmas up for grabs here.

Clockwork Radio
The Manchester based band, with members coming from North Wales and Egypt have just released their second, The Soul Harmonic EP and yep you guess it, it's free. Kudos goes out to Oh So Fresh for the tip, nice find.


Kowalskiy's Komplimentary Korner

It feels like ages since I've posted the last Kowalskiy EP, but it's been more than worth the wait. This month he's got exclusive tracks from Dirty Cuts, Johnny Reb, The Parrifins, Mamoeth and Thirty Pounds of Bone. Download them all here for free here.

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

As it's that time of year when every man and his dog is drawing up their end of year album lists. I thought it would be a fun idea to ask some of the bands that have done interviews for me this year as part of my Scots Way-Hay, to tell me what their favourite albums of 2010.
Kicking it all off we have Call To Mind, Eagleowl, Ghost Pants, I Build Collapsible Mountains, Miss the Occupier, Seafieldroad and the Son(s) telling us a bit about what was floating their boat in 2010.

'Deerhunter - Halcyon' Digest

chosen by Paul Carlin, Ghost Pants/Dananananaykroyd/American Men

"I got into Deerhunter by accident about three years ago and remember walking around in the sunshine listening to their album 'Cryptograms' a LOT. They've steadily become better and better since then and this new album, Halcyon Digest, is, by far, their most concise and complete collection of songs to date. They've somehow managed to come up with a body of work that has a 4-track recorder for a heart but is significantly more shiny on the outside. Everything that Deerhunter has done up until now has culminated in this great album and in Desire Lines, they've written pretty much the perfect indie rock song. There's perhaps less ramshackle charm on this record compared to their earlier work but when the songs are THIS good, who cares? Halcyon Digest is darkness and light in equal measure and a fine starting point if you're new to the band"

'Marnie Stern by Marnie Stern'

chosen by Magnus Hughson, Miss the Occupier

"The basic idea of taking the none-more-metal musical technique of guitar shredding and placing it within the context of non-metal, quirky, Deerhoof-ish songs with sweet vocals was refreshing enough on Stern's first two albums. Here she expands on this massively with the epic For Ash, the bruised Transparency Is The New Mystery, and the understated The Things You Notice. With lots of awesome choruses and riffs in between. For what it's worth, the rest of my top ten albums of 2010 list is as follows: Quasi, The Fall, Manic Street Preachers, Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, Neil Young, M.I.A, Kristin Hersh, Emma Pollock, and Scout Niblett."

'The Phantom Band - The Wants'

chosen by Jamie Ross, Call To Mind

"We were lucky enough to play one of our first gigs opening for them. It's really pleasing to see a band who've taken their time and done things their own way deliver a really solid first album. With The Want's though, it shows a definite step forward: diverse, more grooves on there, lots of melodies.. You can tell they don't take themselves seriously, but at the same time it's a more intense record than Checkmate Savage. They've really stepped up in terms of song craft, and we've all got a different favourite track ('The None of One' being mine just now). Weird and lovely sounds + weird and lovely blokes to boot"

Field Music - Measure

chosen by Bart, Eagleowl

"This was released way back in February - but it's one I've kept coming back to all year. Field Music always floor me. I guess they're very much a musician's band. The two brothers - the songwriting core of the band - are really proficient, both musically and in terms of the production. It's amazing that they can create such interesting rhythms and structures, have such intelligent lyrics, and yet still retain a real sense of fun. Still keep it so light and accessible. It always seems like they're having the time of their lives, despite the complex nature of the music. This came after a three year break from Field Music. And where most bands take time out to concentrate on other things, or have a rest to recharge the creative batteries, Field Music spent the intervening time concentrating on two side project 'solo' albums - School of Language and The Week That Was. And still had time to write this rather stunning double album. It's as impressive as it is expansive. I think their secret is economy. There's 20 songs, but only one breaks the 4 minute mark. They're never afraid to experiment or play around with ideas, but it's always within the confines of a pop song. Also they always seem to take influences from the most unlikely, most unfashionable places (prog rock, 80s pop), and turn it into something that sounds, for want of a better word, really cool. They're really quite an inspiring band"

St Vincent - Actor

Andrew Eaton, Seafieldroad/Swimmer One

"There are two albums I've had pretty much on repeat this year -Everything Everything's debut, and Actor by St Vincent. If I had to pick one I'd go for Actor. It's called Actor because in every song she plays a character in a different imaginary movie. So the words are very evocative and the music is very cinematic - there are shades of Michael Nyman, Ennio Morricone, Yann Tiersen, Ryuichi Sakomoto and David Arnold, but it's never just pastiche. It’s audacious, unpredictable, really inventive and ambitious in the structure and arrangements, and every song has its own distinct atmosphere. I love it"

Admiral Fallow - Boots Met My Face

chosen by Luke Joyce, I Build Collapsible Mountains/The Gothenburg Address

"I've been a fan of this bands music for quite some time starting back when they were Brother Louis Collective. They were one of the few bands that I knew after the first live show i saw that they were going to be moving on to great things. They took their sweet time mind you. A few years later and a name change in tow, they finally released their awesome debut album for all who had been patiently waiting. The high expectation was easily met. The songs had become favourites from hearing them live so it was Christmas come early to get them in hard copy. The album is being re-released next year and i have no doubts it will find its way in to many a new fans hand"

John Grant - Queen of Denmark

chosen by Karl, the Son(s)

"I must admit there are songs on here I habitually skip but it's also the album I've listened to the most this year, from it's release and still now. Fireflies, Caramel, Marz, Sigourney Weaver.... I love those songs. They seem so naive and unforced. I think you can hear that it is music recorded without an audience in mind, as if it was made to be listened to just by the people who recorded it. I like that here. It came out months ago and it's not spent a week unplayed"

Scots Way-Hay #44 - Seafieldroad

When I was growing up my parents tried their best to get me to play a musical instrument of some sort. From the trombone to the piano, they really did try their damnedest to find something that I might have a talent for. Eventually I think they soon realised that playing music just wasn't for me. So I guess it's pretty ironic that I am now so heavily involved in something that I have no discernible talent for. The one thing that it has done, is that it has given me a much greater respect for musicians. Having spent weeks, failing to learn even the simplest songs on the piano, I have the utmost respect for pianists such as Ben Folds and Sufjan Stevens.
I would now like to add Andrew Eaton's new project, Seafieldroad to the list. Some of you should already know his main band, Edinburgh outfit Swimmer One.
Being the creative fella that he is, he's set up his own wee side project, Seafieldroad and recorded an absolute corker of an album of piano based songs. If you are looking for a last minute addition to your Christmas wishlist, then his new album, 'There Are No Maps For This Part Of The City', comes highly recommended as it is a truly remarkable album that illustrates just how amazing the music coming out of Scotland is at the moment. This is also the last Scots Way-Hay of 2010, and I must admit I am chuffed that I can go out on such a high....


Would you care to introduce yourself?

My name's Andrew, and normally I sing in a band called Swimmer One. But now I've recorded an album of my own songs under the name Seafieldroad.


How would you describe the music you make?

The description I put on Seafieldroad's Facebook page is 'melancholy euphoria'. 'Me playing piano and singing' would do equally well. I appreciate that anyone who knows Swimmer One's music may be expecting electronic pop. It's not that. It's me and a piano, a proper one, with some lovely harmonies by Laura Cameron Lewis and beautiful string arrangements by Pete Harvey, who you might know from his work with the Starlets and Meursault.


Who are your big musical influences?

On this album, Mark Eitzel (of American Music Club), Jane Siberry, Rufus Wainwright, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, the Blue Nile, probably Thom Yorke and Richard Hawley a bit too. And Momus.


Does Seafieldroad mean that Swimmer One are no more?

Only if it's hugely successful, in which case I'll unceremoniously dump them, embark on a glittering Lady Gaga-style solo career, and keep all the money. Sorry, did I say that out loud? What I meant to say was NO, not at all. In fact this album has been put together by the same group of people. Hamish from Swimmer One produced it. Laura from Swimmer One sang on it, wrote lyrics for three songs, and helped with the music for two others too. And Daniel Warren, who has done Swimmer One's artwork right from the beginning, put together the sleeve for this album too, from a photo by Laura. The reason it's not called Swimmer One is that I wrote most of it. In theory I could have done something resembling this album on my own, but it wouldn't have sounded anywhere near as good. Swimmer One will continue - there'll be a single and some live shows next year. The four of us will continue to work together in other ways too, as we have done for years.

How did you start out making music?

I've been writing and recording songs since I was 13. I still have between 300 and 400 early demos, recorded on a four track reel to reel machine between the ages of 13 and about 21, mostly on my own, but sometimes with friends playing bass, or guitar, or singing a bit. I'm planning to inflict some of these on the world shortly on a blog called Might Make A B Side. It's the weekly diary of a slightly obsessive singer-songwriter. Every diary entry will have a song you've not heard before. I'm going to include the rubbish, embarrassing ones as well as the good ones.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

With Seafieldroad songs I usually just play the piano until something emerges. My rule is that I never write anything down, and if I can still remember a tune the next morning then I figure it's probably interesting enough to turn into a song. The downside is that I quite often record things then forget how to play them later, so live shows might be a problem. Lyrics are easier. Usually I start with a title. There's a song on this album called All I Wanted Was To Be A Gangster, just because I thought that was a funny title and wanted to write a song called that. I wrote it by singing the words 'all I wanted was to be a gangster, now I work in a libary' repeatedly while playing random notes on the piano. If you listen closely you'll notice the tune is basically I Should Be So Lucky by Kylie Minogue.


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

None that I'm particularly aware of, except that I've always enjoyed putting Scottish place names into songs, the main reason being that I like it when people from other cities or countries put evocative place names in their songs - like Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega, or Coles Corner by Richard Hawley, or Mario's Cafe by St Etienne. It makes those places seem quite romantic, even if they're probably not. So there are, for example, Swimmer One songs called Largs Hum and The Erskine Bridge, And Seafieldroad is named after a road in Edinburgh that Hamish, Laura and I find ourselves travelling along quite often, usually by bicycle, on the way from Leith to Portobello, or to our studio in Granton. But I suspect I'd write similar songs if I'd stayed in Carlisle, where I grew up. I'd just be called Stanwixbank instead of Seafieldroad.


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

Me singing and playing piano, and possibly telling bad jokes. Laura singing too maybe, if she's up for it. And a string quartet, if I can afford them. If you're a promoter and this sounds like a mouthwatering prospect, email seafieldroad@gmail.com.


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

There's actually a second Seafieldroad album already recorded. So the plan is to put that out early next year. It's quite similar to the first one, so if you like the first one you'll like the second one too. And if you don't you probably won't. How's that for a sales pitch?


Seafieldroad - There Are No Maps For This Part Of The City


Seafieldroad's debut album 'There Are No Maps For This Part Of The City' is out now on on Biphonic Records. You can stream the album in full here and download on their Bandcamp, it comes highly recommended.

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My series of Scots Way-Hay interviews will begin again in the New Year. Next week I will be running a wee feature asking some of the bands that have done interviews for me to give me their albums of the year.