The Scottish BAMS Award 2012 (The Scottish Blogger And Music Sites Award)

Regular visitors to this site will more than likely already know all about the BAMS, but for any newbies out there I'll you a quick intro. For the past 4 years I have been running an annual poll entitled the Scottish Bloggers and Music Sites Award or Scottish BAMS for short, in which I ask an array of bloggers, DJs and folk who run music web sites to vote for their albums of the year. I then take all these votes and tally them up to see what the most popular of the last 12 months has been. Past winners of the BAMS have included The Phantom Band, The National and Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat, who later went on to win the inaugural SAY Awards.

This year we had a whopping 41 entries, which included votes from the following bloggers, music sites and DJs:
Scots Whay Hae!,  Jim Gellatly, Detour, Jock N Roll, Houdidontblog, Rave Child, Fusion New Music, Fish In A Sub, Manic Pop Thrills, Kowalskiy, 17 Seconds, Net Sounds, The Steinberg Principle, Songs Heard On Fast Trains, Peenko, Hercules Moments, Dauphin Mag, JockRock, Play That Song For Me, The Spill, The Tidal Wave of Indifference, HP, Inverness Gigs, Elba Sessions, Fresh Air, Scottish Fiction, Tenement TV, Marion Scott MFR, Last Years Girl, Dear Scotland, Blues Bunny, The Pop Cop, Vic Galloway, Ally McCrae, Glasgow PodcART, I Hate Fun, Avalanche, Edinburgh Man, Everything Flows, Nicola Meighan, Aye Tunes and Song, by Toad.

Anyway, without further ado here's a selection of the top Scottish BAMS albums of 2012...

Joint 9-12th

Chris Devotion and The Expectations - Amalgamation & Capital 

Paul Buchanan - Mid Air 

The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know

 

We Are The Physics - Your Friend, The Atom

8th

Admiral Fallow - Tree Bursts In Snow

7th 

 

Sharon Van Etten – Tramp

6th 

Miaoux Miaoux - Light Of The North

5th

Errors - Have Some Faith In Magic

4th

RM Hubbert - Thirteen Lost & Found

3rd

PAWS - Cokefloat!

2nd

Django Django - Django Django

And the winner is...

1st Place

Meursault - Something for the Weakened

I managed to catch up with Neil from Meursault at Kid Canaveral's Baubles III event yesterday, where I also got to present him with the much coveted BAMS Buckie!

Pic by Mike from MPT

Congratulations Neil, you are this years' winners of the Scottish BAMS award, how do you feel?        

I feel like the chubby lad at school after being picked first for the football team. I fear that any minute now I'm going to be told it's all a joke and you're going to burn my shoes and flush my head down the toilet.        

It seems to have been a pretty exciting year for the band, what with European tours supporting Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to headlining the Queen's Hall back in July, aside from winning this years BAMS, what's been your personal highlight of 2012?   

My highlight is probably the QH gig. I've wanted to play that venue since I was 18. Feels nice to have ticked that one off.             

Last years the BAMS was won by Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells, who later went on to win the SAY Awards. Have you allowed yourself the thought that you might potentially be in with a shout at next years SAY Awards?   

What? I thought this was the SAY awards? You ARE still giving me £10000 though right?  (whip round anyone? - Peenko)          

I noted that once again you've decided not to head over to Austin for next years SXSW, is not something that interests you or are you just keeping our friends on the other side of the pond waiting?   

It's not something that appeals to me to be honest. I get really tired of the competitive aspect of playing music and do my best to avoid it. I've no interest in travelling halfway round the world (at great expense) to peddle my music to pissed up strangers in laminates  . Playing in the states is something that I'm keen to pursue but not that way.      

       

How important do you feel that the support of music blogs has been to the band?   

It's been hugely important for us. After all it was a blogger (song, by toad) who put out our first 3 records.              

Seeing as we are on the subject of albums of the year, what have been your personal favourites of the last 12 months?        

I've not sure if all of these came out this year but I'm going with them anyway...  

Chad Vangaalen- Diaper Island 

Youth Lagoon- The Year of Hibernation 

Charles Latham- Fast Loans 

Grouper- alien observer 

Paws- Cokefloat   

Cheers!

Pic by Mike from MPT

Thanks to Neil for taking the time to do that for me and for producing my favourite album of 2012. 

"Something For The Weakened" is out now on Song By Toad Records

Thanks to all of the music sites, blogs and DJs who took part in this years BAMS, I don't know about you guys but I am already pretty damn excited about what 2013 has in store for us.

Peenko Writers Albums of the Year 2012

It's that time of the year when blog's are pretty dominated by end of year lists, this blog is no different. I love a good end of year list so I do, more often than not it acts as a guide to albums that I might have overlooked. In past years I have discovered amazing albums by the likes of St. Vincent, Beach House and more recently Beth Jeans Houghton. As well as having my own selection of albums, I also run the Scottish BAMS, in which I ask all of Scotland's top music sites and DJ's what's been taking their fancy over the past 12 months. The results of which will all be revealed very shortly, I am just waiting to hear back from our winners.
I should hopefully have my favourite albums of 2012 up in the next few days, for now here's the choices from the Peenko team, Mike, Boab and Steve. There's some right corkers in here...

Mike's Top Five

5. French Wives - Dream of the Inbetween   

Its pretty fantastic to see a band you’ve championed, watched from the touchlines, laughed with and cried with, finally getting a debut album out. While some of the re-recorded versions of earlier songs here lack the edge and punch of their rougher cousins, this record is testament to the dizzying songwriting ability which French Wives have at their disposal. Its a proper pop album, in a year of improper pop.

4. State Broadcasters - Ghosts We Must Carry   

There are few records which have moved me more this year than this one. A wide-angle, beautifully written, luxuriously orchestrated sweep through the cold, autumn months in the company of this saw record saw me shifting uncomfortably in my bus seat to pretend there weren’t any stray tears. Some genuinely challenging lyrical themes to test the ducts here.

3. Chris Devotion & The Expectations - Amalgamation & Capital   

Sometimes a record really doesn’t sound great when you first hear it. “Hmm, this sounds like a pastiche of early 80s Stiff Records releases” I thought when I first slipped this on. A week or two later I’d decided that was far from a bad thing, and this haunted me for weeks during the summer. Imagine Elvis Costello never met Jools Holland and didn’t calm down.

2. Meursault - Something for the Weakened   

It was evident as far back as Homegame in 2011 that Meursault were going to be getting louder and angrier on record sometime soon. This collection of sometimes mournful, sometimes angst-ridden, always strident tunes matches Neil Pennycook’s howl of despair with some snarling guitar lines, amid the more familiar folk overtones.

1. Randolph’s Leap - As Fast As A Man   

The rate at which Adam Ross generates miniature epics is matched only by the speed with which the size of the band multiplies. But here, its mostly just Adam and some songs which grew and changed during live outings during the year. I listened to this a lot, and I get the sense that even if big, brassy polished versions of these tracks appeared tomorrow, this simple, heartfelt songwriting would still be getting a spin.

Boab's Top Five

5. PAWS - Cokefloat 
Noisy bastards PAWS demonstrated with Cokefloat that they are so much more than just noisy bastards. Emotive, heartfelt lyrics combined with catchy, memorable riffs make this a thrilling, although not always easy, listen.

4. RM Hubbert - Thirteen Lost and Found 
I wondered where R.M Hubbert was going to take his music following his debut album. His brand of flamenco is all very lovely but I genuinely had no idea how he could develop on it. I needn't have worried. Thirteen Lost and Found took all those lovely elements and expanded a little, with some more instrumentation and collaboration with many other Scottish artists. Car Song, with Aidan Moffat and Alex Kapranos is one highlight among many. My favourite track however is one of only three entirely solo songs on the album, For Joe, which was written following the death of one of Hubbert's good friends. An album for headphones.

3. Killer Mike - R.A.P Music 
Killer Mike is one of the smartest rappers around just now. One track, Reagan, is a devastating and damning analysis of the long term societal effects of neo-liberal economics. I wouldn't necessarily agree with every word he says but he certainly puts his thoughts across rather adeptly. It's a classy album. Even when it looks for a second like he might be veering into 'money and hoes' territory on Southern Fried, he says - and I paraphrase - you can take all your strippers and easy sex but his wife comes first for him. Aww. As Mike says himself at the beginning of Untitled, 'you are witnessing elegance'. He's correct.

2. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!

By the time I'd got into Godspeed they were on their long hiatus period (I'm only a wee young thing, see). So when I eventually did see them live, the albums I'd been listening to throughout that dormant period were suddenly brought to life, a stunning explosion of sound that physically as well as emotionally moves the listener. But Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! sort of turns things round the other way, as the bulk of the album is made up of two tracks which have featured regularly in live sets since the early 2000s. I was a little sceptical of how they'd do it, but all I can say is that they captured the intensity of the live versions superbly.

1. Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know

I remember interviewing The Twilight Sad over two years ago and discussing with them the direction they were heading in following their second album, Forget The Night Ahead. Thankfully the answer they gave me on that occasion ("it's sounding a bit...Jason Derulo") was not how things actually turned out. In fact, things turned out bleak as fuck, with tons of menacing keyboards and industrial drum beats - a bit like how the offspring of the Holy Bible-era Manics would sound when you mated them with the Pet Shop Boys. I'm glad this is how it turned out.

Steve's Top Five

 

5. The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know. 

Embracing a change in direction can sometimes kill a band and alienate their audience. When The Twilight Sad decided to bring on board Andrew Weatherall and go down the industrial, synth-led path, it was a bold move. It also paid off handsomely with No One Can Ever Know. A driving urgency lent James Graham’s vocals are more menacing edge. The essence of what makes them a great band is still there, it just has a new facet that takes them onto the next level.



4. Easter – Innocence Man. 

Short at six tracks, but lengthy with only two under six minutes. These songs bucked the trend of indie guitar bands and were epic, guitar led treks along dark paths. It’s intense at times and as much about instrumental passages as meaningful lyrics. It also has a nice feel on the production, letting the listener feel as though they are right there as this is being recorded.



3. Jonas Carping – All the Time in the World. 

Another album that was filled with hidden depths and a darkly beautiful quality. Carping’s voice manages to convey a lifetime of experience in a few short seconds. The arrangement if subtle and complex and the accompanying vocals of Sigrid Nilsson could melt the hardest heart. It seems a fairly straightforward singer-songwriter’s album at first glance, but peek beneath the surface and you’ll get a pleasant surprise.



2. Linden – Bleached Highlights. 

Like a warm summer’s breeze, no matter the weather. The return of Joe McAlinden to the musical landscape was very welcome. Vocals that lift your heart to the heavens. Melodies gently caress your soul. An album of beauty from start to finish, this is one to reach for during those dark winter months when you just need some warmth and light. Joe McAlinden’s voice can deliver that in spades.   

 

1. PAWS – Cokefloat! 

Energetic, fresh, inventive and downright great fun. From the moment it starts you’re hooked by the great riffs, thumping bass guitar and driving drums. Lyrically complex and heart-breaking, it was easily one of the highlights of 2012. It manages to capture the energy of the lives shows, but polish it slightly and deliver it in a tighter package. 



Hopefully you'll find something new and exciting in these lists, tune back in a few days time and I'll let you know what's been floating my boat in 2012.

We've Got It Covered #101

This week I have decided to plump for three Scottish artists that you can catch at today's Stag & Dagger Festival which is taking place across various venues in Glasgow. Showcasing a wealth of local talent alongside an array of touring acts, it looks like it could be a cracking day out. Personally I am not going as I'd already arranged to meet friends to watch the Champions League Final, but hey if you are going make sure you check out Miaoux Miaoux and Adam Stafford, they're both braw!

The Phantom Band - Fujiyama (Moondog cover)

Conquering Animal Sound-Dancing On My Own (Robyn cover)

Adam Stafford - Walking For Two Hours (The Twilight Sad cover)

What's New Pussycat?!

I think it's been a few weeks since I posted up a news post, so without further a do here's another news post. This time round the post has a bit of a feline touch to it, mainly because I am going to ramble about bits and bobs from the Scottish contingent on FatCat Records.

To kick it all off we have some new live dates from The Twilight Sad. The band are currently mid way through their European tour and they've just announced a couple of UK dates in May and June, which includes an appearance at this years Great Escape show, full details on all of the shows can be found here. To tie in with this announcement the band have posted up a video of their new single, 'Dead City', which sees them playing to a bunch of OAPs. It really is as surreal as it sounds, check it out below.

Continuing on with the FatCat theme, their most recent addition, PAWS have announced that their first release with the Brighton label. The Glasgow based 3 piece, are going to be releasing a five-track cassette, entitled 'Misled Youth'. Limited to just 250 hand-numbered copies. With their debut album due for release some time in the Autumn, the EP should be a good indicator of what we can expect to hear from arguably the most exciting band in Scotland at the moment. The EP is available to pre-order now from FatCat's website, if you are looking to get hold of a copy you'd best be quick as these aren't likely to be around for long. The band are going to be playing a very intimate in store this Saturday at VoxBox in Edinburgh, alongside Neil Pennycook (Meurasult) as part of this years Record Store Day celebrations.

Completing the trio of FatCat band news, we couldn't go leave We Were Promised Jetpacks out, so if you've got a wee bit of time on your hands then why check out the bands full set from this years Coachella Festival. The band were also recently selected for the long list in this years SAY Awards.

Continuing on with the feline theme, Chemikal Undeground have posted up a preview of the new Miaoux Miaoux album, Light of the North. Having been sent the album at the end of last week, it's pretty safe to say that this album is going to blow a lot of folk away when it comes out in June. You can hear for yourself by checking out this wee sampler on SoundCloud.

I think that's enough rambling for one night...

The Twilight Sad - KEXP Session (13/03/12)

Track Listing

1. Kill It In The Morning
2. Don't Move
 3. I Became A Prostitute
4. Reflection Of The Television
5. Alphabet
6. Cold Days From The Birdhouse
7. Nil
8. And She Would Darken The Memory

Download

Stream

The Twilight Sad - Blueprint Session (23/02/12)

Track Listing

1. Don't Move

2. Kill It In The Morning

Download

Stream

The Twilight Sad - Marc Riley Session (07/02/12)

Track Listing

1. Don’t Move
2. Alphabet 
3. Another Bed

Download

The Twilight Sad - Vic Galloway Session (06/02/12)

Track Listing

1. Don't Move

2. Alphabet

3. Another Bed

Download

We've Got It Covered #86

When it comes to these weekly over posts I often find myself in a bit of a quandary as to what to write about, quite often I find myself just rambling about things that I have been up to during week. More often than not I just use these posts as a platform to mention a gig or a release that's coming up and other occasions it's all about me me me. If you're expecting something different this week then you're going to be a bit disappointed, which is also how I felt this morning to find out the news that BBC Scotland are planning to axe Janice Forsyth’s Saturday morning show. Once again the big wigs at the beeb are planning on scrapping yet another outlet for good music. What with everything that's gone on with 6Music and the current issues facing BBC Introducing, this is yet another kick in the proverbials for music fans and even importantly for the Scottish music scene. So if you could spare two minutes of your time to go and sign this petition to save the show from being replaced by more news and sport, it would be really appreciated.

On a more happier note the new Twilght Sad album, No One Can Ever Know, comes out on Monday, and even more importantly for me, I am getting to see them at the Grand Ole Opry in Glasgow. It's been an age since I last saw Kilsyth's favourite sons in action so I am really looking forward to this one. As if that wasn't enough the next night myself and The Pop Cop are heading through to Edinburgh to catch the Frabbit boys. Anyway, that's enough of ramblings for one week (don't say you weren't warned), here's the Sad's take on the INXS song Never Tear Us Apart, which if memory serves me right, the boys recorded after having watch Donnie Darko umpteem times.



The Twilight Sad - Never Tear Us Apart (INXS cover)

Running late...

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

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.

We haven't had one in a while...so here's a news roundup

As I am sure that most of you will already know, the axe is very much hanging over Ally McCrae's BBC Introducing Scotland show on Radio 1. If you're reading this blog then I guess it's safe to say that you're already a big supporter of Scottish music and that the loss of this show would be a major kick in the teeth. As part of the campaign to save the show my friend the Pop Cop and promoter Paul from Pelemet Nites have organised a get together thus Sunday afternoon 1pm outside the Pacific Quay building. The afternoon will involve live performances from Blochestra and Aerials Up, with the theme definitely being aimed at being a fun, family event. If you're passionate about Scottish music please do come down, we need all the support we can get! Further information on the event can be found here.

Ally McCrae - a face for radio...

The Phantom Band have announced a series of festive gigs at Stereo in Glasgow on Friday the 16th and Saturday the 17th of December. The nights which are being billed as 'A Phestive Phantomime' (did you see what they did there?), see the Phantom Band select a whole bunch of their favourite bands to come and play with them, in what I have been told their hope is to be like their very own ATP type gig. Anyway, joining them over the two days they have Holy Mountain, Tut Vu Vu, Take A Worm For A Walk Week, Jacob Yates And The Pearly Gate Lockpickers, plus more guests to be announced. Further details on ticket details and the like can be found here.

Those lovely folk up in the Highlands have announced the dates of next years goNorth festival, the event which returns to Inverness for it's twelfth edition, will take place on the 6th and 7th of June next year. For any of you who have been reading this blog fairly regularly, I guess you'll already know how much I love this festival/music industry shindig. As always, all panels, workshops and live showcases will be free and open to the public, with industry and media requested to register. If you are in a band and you want to learn a bit more about the industry, then I would urge you to get yourself along. It's a great place for being able to have the opportunity to talk to industry folk you might not normally get to meet. Plus it's also a good excuse to get smashed out your tits for a couple of days (you can see why I might like it then). Further information on the event can be found here.


To finish off with here's a new video from The Twilight Sad for their new single 'Sick' and, which is taken from their forthcoming album which is out in February next year....

Twilight Sad Music Video from Mallard Productions on Vimeo.

The Twilight Sad - KEX Hostel, Reykjavik, Iceland (14/10/11)

Track Listing
1. Intro
2. The Summer At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy
3. Don't Move
4. I Became a Prostitute
5. Alphabet
6. Cold Days From The Birdhouse
7. Outro

Download

We've Got It Covered #71

Waiting. It really can be a total pain in the arse, thankfully though that old proverb "good things come to those who wait"can be pretty apt at times. This morning I have awoken to the good news that my little sister has given birth to a baby boy. Saturday mornings don't get much better than that. Plus if you chuck in England getting pumped by France at rugby and that fact that I am off work all of next week, then the next 7 days are looking pretty bright.
Something else that's exciting me a lot at the moment is the imminent return of the Twilight Sad. Kilsyth's finest have just confirmed plans for a new single and a nationwide tour, which includes the following Scottish dates in November: 13th- Dundee Doghouse, 14th Aberdeen Tunnels, 15th Inverness Ironworks, 16th Edinburgh Bongo Club, 18th Glasgow Nice N Sleazys (sold out) and 25th Stirling Tolbooth.
Having recently made new song 'Kill It In The Morning' free to download, the band have given as a good indication of what to expect from their third album which is due out in the new year. The bands new single 'Sick' seems to be a good indication that the band are moving towards a much darker electronic sound. If these tunes are anything to go by then I can't wait to hear a full album. Which brings me to this weeks cover version which of course comes from the Sad and their take on Radiohead's 'Climbing Up Walls', enjoy...


The Twilight Sad - Climbing Up the Walls (Radiohead cover)

Friday Freebies

The Twilight Sad
It really feel likes ages since we last heard anything from Kilsyth's finest, fear not though as they are set to release their third full-length album, ‘No One Can Ever Know’, ‘Kill It In The Morning’ in February next year. As a taster of what to expect they've made new song ‘Kill It In The Morning’ free to download from the band’s website alongside a wee trailer. Personally I think if this is the direction that the new album is going to take then it's quite a bold step, there's still a lot of noise going on. It still sounds dark and atmospheric, but with bits of electronic in there, personally I am looking forward to hearing more.

Sparrow & the Workshop
The clothes brand Penguin seem to be the latest fashion brand to have decided to jump on board with bands. All you really to know is that you can download ''You don't trust anyone' from Sparrow & the Workshop for free here. There are also tracks from folk like Young Legionnaire and Bad Bad Lazarus, plus an array of other stuff that I have never heard of.

Sigur Rós
In November Sigur Rós are set to release their first ever live album, 'Inni', which is also being released as a live documentary film. Released on an array of different formats, ranging from Blue-Ray to vinyl, the whole thing was recorded over two nights at the Ally Pally in London. In anticipation of its release they've made the track 'festival' free to download.

Odd Box Records
If you haven't come across Odd Box Records before, then now's a good time for you to do some much need catching up. The London based DIY label have made a 32 song compilation available for free download, it's a great way to get yourself acquainted with some awesome new music that you probably won't have heard before.

Luke Leighfield and Jose Vanders
If you missed it earlier in the week, The Pop Cop posted up a blog about Jose Vanders which is well worth checking out. All you really need to know from me is that Jose duetted with Luke Leighfield to record a this beautiful cover of Bon Iver's Blindsided which is free to download on Bandcamp.

Pronto Mama
If you like your indie pop to be catchy with a touch quirkiness, then Glasgow 5 piece, Pronto Mama should be right up your street. What I presume must be there debut self titled single is free to download on their Bandcamp, do yourself a favour and get it downloaded.

Chin Yi
It used to be that I was pretty clued up on music from all over the world, however, since I started this blog almost 3 years ago, my knowledge of anything that isn't Scottish is now pretty piss poor. Every so often though I dare to step out of my comfort zone to see what else is out there, after a tip off from a friend I somehow found myself listening to Chin Yi, a dark psychedelic band who hail from Granada in Spain. Surprisingly I found myself actually getting quite into their new EP which is free to download on their Bandcamp page. Fans of Nick Cave should hopefully find this is right up their street.

The Ugly Club
Talking of bands outwith these shores, New Jersey outfit The Ugly Club have just made their new Visions of Tall Girl EP free to download on their Bandcamp. Fans of Broken Bells and My Morning Jacket might want to check this one out.

The Mademoiselle
Glasgow trio, The Mademoiselle, have made their self titled EP free to download on their Bandcamp.

Mata Macdonald
If you like your Americana/Country then Mata Macdonald might be the man for you, hailing from Stornoway, the singer songwriter has just released his debut EP. You can get a taster of it by downloading his song '3 Men' for nowt via his Soundcloud.

Flying MaN sHARK
The Edinburgh alt-pop rockers have made their self titled debut album free to download on their Bandcamp page.

Lovers Turn to Monsters
Not one to rest on his laurels, Kyle Wood aka Lovers Turn to Monsters is one prolific fella, having released his last album 'Beyond Glasgow Howls' back in June of this year. He's now recorded a new album, 'Pandas, Hearts, Blankets & Birds' which he's posted up for free download on Bandcamp.

Wild Beasts
Fresh from playing at The Electric Frog festival in Glasgow a couple of weeks back, Stereogum have posted up new track 'Thankless Thing' from Wild Beasts here.

Friday Freebies

This weeks Freebies is pretty sparse I am afraid, mainly because I haven't come across that much, that and I am having to write this up on a Wednesday night as I was/will be out the Pensioner album launch on Thursday/last night. Here's some wee treats for you to enjoy anyway...

Twilight Sad
Their new album might is not due out until later in the year, but Kilsyth's finest sons haven't forgotten about us. They've very kindly made an Acoustic EP available for free download to keep us all going. You can nab yourself a copy in exchange for your email address over on the bands blog.

Okkervil River
You can download Okkervil River’s “Wake And Be Fine,” from their forthcoming album I Am Very Far, for free over on RCRD LBL.

We See Lights
There are three words that are pretty guaranteed to grab my attention, 'twee', 'folk' and 'Scottish'. Edinburgh outfit We See Lights tick all of these boxes. So it came as no surprise that I found myself really enjoying their new EP, which funnily enough is called Twee Love Pop. You can make your own mind up though by downloading the first two tracks from the EP for free from their Bandcamp page.

Pinky Suavo
I must admit that I had never heard of Pinky Suavo until this week, the only reason I came across them was because they were supporting Pensioner at their Edinburgh leg of their album launch tour. You can download 'Hooks' from their forthcoming EP, 'Go For The Gills', or free on their Bandcamp. Those of a rock persuasion should lap this up.

Kid Karate
Random rubbish fact for you, last Saturday rather than get myself along to Tuts for some Bronto/St. Deluxe/PAWS- action, I found myself on babysitting duties, and ended up watching the Karate Kid. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, honest. I appreciate that was a very tedious linkage to this freebie, but hey it's the best you're going to get. Kid Karate are from Dublin, they have an EP called Heart out at the moment. It's very good, you can download the lead track, Black & Beige from it for free here.

Mimas
Glasgow Podcart were raving about this tune earlier in the week, bloody beautiful it is too. Nice find Ms Rifai! You can download their song Relationship on Soundcloud for free.

Milk Maid
If you sign up to the Milk Maid mailing list you will get yourself a free MP3, demo version of 'Dead Wrong'.

The Robot Heart
The Brighton band are offering a free download of their song 'Singing to the ghost' on their Myspace

We've Got It Covered #35

This weeks cover comes from Kilsyth's finest sons the Twilight Sad and their version The Wedding Present's 'Suck'. Originally featured as a b-side to 'Seven Years Letters', as opposed to the usual wall of noise that we've come to expect from the 'Sad, this little acoustic number is a cracking wee cover.

The Twilight Sad -Suck (the Wedding Present cover)

The 2010 Boab Awards

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The Twilight Sad - 6Music Session (31/10/10)

Track Listing
1. I Became A Prostitute

Download

The Twilight Sad - BCB Radio Session (27/10/10)

Track Listing
1. The Wrong Car
2. And She Would Darken The Memory
3. Cold Days From The Bird House

Download