Rick Redbeard / Adam Stafford Split 7"

The men behind Gerry Loves Records have a knack for getting money out of me. Despite having a barely function record or cassette player, they've managed to get me to buy everything they've released so far, all on those formats. With their latest split single they've got my hand in my pocket looking for a fiver again.

Rick Redbeard, who you may know better from The Phantom Band, takes on his side of the vinyl with Now We're Dancing. It's quite gentle, fragile and really rather pretty. Rick's deep, warm voice is a bit like the aural equivalent of a very welcome hug.

Adam Stafford takes the other side of the single, with Vanishing Tanks. Filled with his now trademark loops of guitar and vocals, with beatboxing thrown in. Add in a storming vocal on top, and a killer hook, and you've got one of the best pop songs I've heard all year. It's hardly a secret round these parts that I'm in love with Adam's stuff, this is just another reminder why, and I'll keep mentioning it until everyone listens to me.

To celebrate the launch of the single there's a few gigs on this week:
Thursday 21st June - Henry's, Edinburgh - Adam Stafford / Rick Redbeard, support from Wounded Knee Tickets
Friday 22nd June - Captain's Rest, Glasgow - Rick Redbeard / Adam Stafford, support from Yusuf Azak. Tickets
Saturday 23rd June - Cellar 35, Aberdeen - Rick Redbeard / Adam Stafford, support from Debutant. Tickets

The single is available to buy here now. The 7" comes with a free download, which includes an extra song from each artist.



More Information: Rick Redbeard - Adam Stafford - Gerry Loves Records

Loch Lomond - White Dresses EP

Loch Lomond have a Scottish sounding name, but come from Portland which is over there in that America. Their Scottish connections go further than the name though, it was a couple of releases on Song, by Toad that I first heard the band. Chemikal Underground released Loch Lomond's latest album over here last year, and now we have this EP, White Dresses, making up their first brand new material for Chemikal.

The songs on offer here share a gentle fragility, and a sense of melancholy. There's lush, rich instrumentation, but with a restraint that gives everything room to breathe. Allied with Ritchie Young's show stopping voice, constantly oozing emotion, this is just plain really good music. Rather than throw a bunch of adjectives at you as I try and fail to describe the EP any further, I'll just leave it at that.

Loch Lomond - Kicking With Your Feet

Loch Lomond make a rare full band visit to Scotland at the end of this week for two dates.
Friday March 9th - Glasgow, Captains Rest - TICKETS
Saturday March 10th - Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete's - TICKETS

White Dresses is out now, available from shops, straight from Chemikal Underground, Amazon and iTunes.

Dolfinz - Teenage Doom/Nosebleed

This has been out for ages, but it's good, so it's getting flagged up, even if I am dead late.


You might not have noticed, unless you paid attention to the amount of it that turned up in my end of year/start of year posts, but I've been wandering off into lo-fi scuzzy poppy rock. That's what Dolfinz make, and they do it rather well.

Both songs on this double A-side single are very rough around the edges, but a Hell of a lot of fun, and at around three and a half minutes each don't mess about. They make a lovely amount of noise for a two piece, and throw all sorts into their songs, there's a bit of surf, lots of pop, shedloads of distortion, and a good old handful of rock. Really raw, a bit messy, and really flipping exciting. The single is available from Tuff Wax Records on Bandcamp, you can have a listen below.



There's a load more songs available for free on Soundcloud too, so go have a listen. Much more interesting than whoever the latest cardigan wearing acoustic troubadour of the week happens to be.

Up next from Dolfinz is a cassette release, paying tribute to Mean Girls, on Cath Records, and they've also recently recorded a track for a split 12" for Song, by Toad Records. All of that sounds great to me, even though I regularly moan about buying tapes and vinyl. They are sickeningly young, but I won't hold that against them.

Dolfinz: Soundcloud - Facebook

Black Books - An Introduction To...

I'm pretty rubbish at this blogging lark, really. Case in point, this post is about an EP I got way back in July, and only now am I actually getting round to writing about it here.

Black Books come from Austin, Texas. How the heck they found me I don't know, but I'm really glad they did. It may have taken me five months to get round to posting about it, but in the time since first hearing it their An Introduction To Black Books EP has ended up on regular rotation round here, and been a go to recommendation every time someone has told me to give them something to listen to they haven't heard before. A lot of music hits my inbox, gets a listen, and goes no further, so I'll invoke the "better late than never" clause when it comes to this, since I'd rather be months late with it than let something I've fallen in love with a bit go entirely unmentioned on the blog.

Yeah, I'm making excuses for myself.

The four tracks on An Introduction To... fall pretty solidly into the dreamy pop territory, slow paced, a little bit psychedelic in places, but bit of a rock element bubbling just under the surface at time that pokes its head through the blissed out sounds here and there in the form of a jagged guitar line, or a thumping drum beat.
the whole EP is pretty much perfect for sticking on, putting your headphones in, and getting away from reality for 20 minutes, and let's face it, we all want to escape from time to time.

There's a full album on the way from Black Books sometime in the near future, but in the meantime An Introduction To provides exactly what it says, a quick taster of Black Books. Delicious, I say.

Black Books - The Big Idea


An Introduction To Black Books is available to download on Bandcamp, and also available as a limited edition 10" vinyl. UK/Europe readers, don't try and buy the vinyl from Bandcamp unless you want to have a heart attack when you see the shipping costs, instead we can order a 10" from Shifting Sounds.



Black Books: Blog - Bandcamp - Facebook

Rob St. John & Ian Humberstone - Split 7"

Split singles can be funny beasts. The Gerry Loves Records team have put out a trio of great ones, yet over in a box in the corner there's some shockers that I've clearly bought for just one of the bands. The Mogwai/Dweeb split seven particularly stands out.

This one though, this falls firmly into the "ace" category. The single features Rob St. John's Your Phantom Limb on one side, Ian Humberstone's House on the Hill on the other, neither artists that I'm as familiar with as I probably should be. Both songs have a haunted air about them that seems to make them particularly fitting to listen to as the rain batters off my bedroom window, but also a feeling of warmth that makes me glad I'm inside with them.

At a bit over two minutes each this is a quick listen, but a gorgeous one. Best sit near the record player to move the needle back to that start to listen again, and again, and again.

The split single is out now on Song, by Toad Records. The 7" is available from the Song, by Toad shop, and a download can be bought from iTunes and Amazon.

Rob St. John & Ian Humberstone Split 7" by Song, by Toad

Martin John Henry - The Other Half of Everything

Let's get it out of the way right now, as the founding member of De Rosa Martin John Henry is at least partly responsible for two of my favourite albums, Scottish or otherwise, of the last ten years. You can make it three albums if you count the De Rosa Appendices. With that in mind it would be quite a surprise if I didn't like The Other Half of Everything, Martin's debut solo album.

There's no surprises ahead then, I do like the album. Rather a lot in fact. Yeah, ok, let's throw measured critical analysis out of the window (Ha! as if that has ever existed at Aye Tunes!) and get to it, I bloody love this album.

Breathing Space starts the album off in a fairly mellow, gentle style, before Span comes along and quickly lets you know you are in for something a bit different. Span embraces the electro elements of the album, and ends up being something not far off a big disco floor filler. The album continues to switch between mellow and upbeat throughout, blending the acoustic and the electronic beautifully. If you can listen to current single Ribbon on a Bough without your head bobbing check your pulse, you might be dead.

There's not a bad song on this album, although since I've had various version of I Love Map since it popped up on an Off The Beaten Track compilation in 2007 it does by now suffer from over familiarity, and too many highlights to name. Closing track There's a Phantom Hiding In My Loft does deserve a special wee mention though, just because it wraps up an excellent album beautifully.

If like me you find yourself missing De Rosa on regular occasions you owe it to yourself to pick up The Other Half of Everything. It is not just one of my favourite things I've heard this year, it is one of my favourite things I've heard since, well, the second De Rosa album.

If this review was a photograph it would be one of me sitting stroking the album lovingly. I make no apologies. We don't do star rating at Aye Tunes, but Martin John Henry can have five of them anyway.

The Other Half of Everything is released through Gargleblast Records on October 10th. The album is available to pre-order on Bandcamp.

Before that there is a launch gig at Stereo in Glasgow on October 8th (oops, I'm cutting this review a bit fine) with support from Adam Stafford and The Seventeenth Century.

This Silent Forest - The Fight

Lost in the midst of my gig self promotion last week was this new single from This Silent Forest. It is too good to let pass by without mention, so I'm invoking the good old "better late than never" ruling to mention it this week instead.

Having recently completed the terrifying sounding task of writing and recording a song every day for 30 days  - I can't even knock out a blog post a day and this requires no creativity, unlike songwriting - This Silent Forest have a new single out now through Never Make Friends Records.

The Fight is a grand sounding number. A slow build and storytelling lyrics teamed with rich layers of instrumentation build to a huge climax, resulting in a song that is sweeping and epic, without falling into the trap of sounding contrived that can often follow such things. Straddling the pop and modern folk camps, The Fight is pretty excellent really. The single is backed with a couple of alternative versions.

The Fight is available to download from iTunes and Amazon. A remix by Oh You Dancer is also available at iTunes and Amazon. The 30 songs in 30 days can be found on the band's Youtube page.

The Fight by This Silent Forest

This Silent Forest: Facebook - Youtube

New Release: Lovers Turn To Monsters - Pandas, Hearts, Blankets & Birds

Back in June Lovers Turn To Monsters, or Kyle as he's also known, released his first "proper" album in the shape of Beyond Glasgow Howls. It was really very good, but at the time I forgot to say much about it. It seems only right then that I give a proper mention to the new Lovers Turn To Monsters release then.

Recorded between June and September, Pandas, Hearts, Blankets & Birds is yet more proof that you never have to wait a long time for a new Lovers Turn To Monsters song. Unlike many Kyle seems to produce countless songs a year, and none of them are ever something that feels like it was dashed out in an afternoon to pass some time. The ten songs on Pandas, Hearts, Blankets & Birds are very much in the lo-fi indie pop ilk, and much less polished than a "proper" recording would be, but the home made feel to them holds a certain charm for me. Besides, it isn't as if they sound like they've been recorded in a shed with a cheap tape recorded, the sound is lo-fi, but still sounds fab.

10 tracks of indie pop loveliness then, available to download for free. What more do you want? Crudely recorded samples from The Simpsons you say? Well you're in luck, the album has them too!



Download Pandas, Hearts, Blankets & Birds for free from Bandcamp, or pay next to nothing for a home made CD. While you are there poke around the Bandcamp page a bit more and you'll see what I mean about Lovers Turn To Monsters being prolific, there's a ton of music up there, lots of it for free.

Lovers Turn To Monsters: Facebook - Bandcamp

Single Review: Cancel the Astronauts - Seven Vices

Edinburgh(ish) five piece indie popsters Cancel the Astronauts are back with a new single. Since they hold the dubious honour of having had me review all their releases to date, all two of them, I better keep up my perfect record and talk a bit about Seven Vices.

Seven Vices is a bright and breezy wee pop number. The intro is a wee bit Frightened Rabbit, before the pace picks up and some gorgeous harmonies kick in. The song does what Cancel the Astronauts often display a fine knack for, just when it seems like it is sailing along enjoyably, but inoffensively, you find that it has sneakily wormed into your brain, and you are still humming the hooks long after it finished. That seems like a bit of a backhanded compliment, but it isn't meant to be. I like it when a song digs its claws in like that, and it is exactly what I want from a pop song. Not everything has to be complicated or a challenge.

Something Approaching starts off with a lovely downbeat bit, just vocals and a sparse piano refrain, before picking up pace gradually. Sweet, charming, catchy and done in three in a half minutes, once again doing wonderfully on the hypothetical "what Jim wants from a pop song" checklist.

Rounding off the single is Playing Hard to Get - no word on whether this is related to the stalker theme of first release I Am the President of Your Fanclub or not - which doesn't break from the trend of the first two tracks, but since I enjoyed those that's just fine with me. Some surprisingly funky bass in there, along with another one of those stuck-in-my-head hooks, and an ending that feels a bit like a hidden track on an album. Splendid.

The single is probably the best I've heard Cancel the Astronauts on record. I'm clearly already a fan, and enjoyed the previous two EPs, but it all just sounds a little crisper and sharper here, which is rather pleasing. When I reviewed Funny For a Girl in June 2010 I said "hopefully we don't have another year for more new material", 14 and a bit months on I'll just keep my mouth shut this time eh?

Seven Vices is released on September 12th, pre-order it now from Bandcamp.
Cancel the Astronauts are off on a UK tour to launch the single. They play The Captain's Rest in Glasgow Friday (the 9th), with support from Over the Wall and Poor Things, tickets are available here, Troon Concert Hall on Saturday, then on Sunday, the 11th, they play in Edinburgh at The Electric Circus, with support from My Tiny Robots and The Bad Books. More dates follow, see their website for details.

Cancel the Astronauts: Website - Bandcamp - Facebook

Album Review: Comply or Die - Depths

We love a bit of noise here at Aye Tunes, so today we are taking the short hop across the Irish Sea for some. Comply or Die are a three piece hailing from Belfast, Depths is their second album, and I'm going to try and get through this without an obvious horse joke.

Depths kicks off with an all out assault in the form of Official Secrets. Loud, frantic and frenetic, it sets out the stall nicely for the rest of the album. The first few tracks on the album keep up the million miles a minute approach, ferocious riffs bludgeoning the ears and rushing the adrenaline, and that's just how I like it.

After the short sharp shock of the opening three songs comes the sprawling 11 minute long Vermin, which breaks away from the formula set down so far. More doom than thrash in pacing, Vermin uses every bit of its lengthy running time wisely, retaining the skull pounding riffs, but giving them more time to build and breathe. It takes a turn to the dark and sinister, before building up to an aggressive conclusion, and sounds excellent.

After that I'm Sick (of This) and Motives resume the frantic pace, with buzzsaw riffs, filthy bass and pounding drums back to the fore.Viscera rounds off this little trilogy with enough power to rattle teeth, and comes out as my favourite of the albums 6 shorter tracks.

Final track DMT follows the lead of Vermin, not least in run time, clocking in at an epic 12 minutes. At times it is almost dreamy, somewhat apt given the psychedelic it presumably takes its name from, then bursting into a wave of distortion followed by even more juddering riffs, DMT has more hooks than a cloakroom, and brings the album to a glorious close.

All in all Depths is a pretty mighty album. One that will leave you gasping for breath, ears ringing, and in my case grinning in approval. The short tracks that make up the bulk of the album provide good, loud, entertainment, while Vermin and DMT that show off the full range of Comply or Die and make me want to come back for more.

All hurdles cleared and across the finish line, and Depths comes out as a winner. I knew I couldn't resist a horse reference.

Depth is out now, available from Bandcamp, Amazon and iTunes.

Shanghaied by Comply Or Die

Comply or Die: Website - Facebook - Bandcamp

New Release: Skies Fell - The Kite

Skies Fell, fresh from headlining King Tut's on Saturday, release their new single The Kite this week.

Good wee single this. The Kite is a big, sweeping, epic sounding number, with a great we sing along ending. B-side Stolen Lung is a darker, more low key affair, which actually floats my boat a bit more than the A-side does. Both good songs though, and worth a purchase.

The Kite is available to download from iTunes.

Wandering Off...

(I don't know where this is)

Not everything I listen to comes from Scotland. I'm not that insular, believe it or not. It is rather the point of the blog to focus on the Scottish stuff, but today we are going off on a wee wander to talk briefly about some stuff that comes from elsewhere that I've been enjoying recently.

Monster Island

Quite messy sounding, occasionally shouty, Mancunians, meaning by law I have to reference The Fall. I've never really liked The Fall that much though, so we'll move on quickly. I do like Monster Island though. Most recent release The Green Room EP is as lo-fi as Hell, thumping drums, guitars alternating between jangling and buzzsaw, and vocals that are spoken or shouted than sang. Albums Sunken, Public, Squares and The Anchor have a bit more variety in the songs and are probably better starting points than The Green Door. Loads of fun if you like things chaotic and noisy. I do.

You can get quite a lot of Monster Island from their Bandcamp page for free.

Baaneex

London based, and a bit strange. Weird Dance 2 from their debut EP Weird Dance is essentially garage rock, but draped in as many odd noises as seemingly possible to come out with a less than straightforward result. Other songs on their Soundcloud page go through as many styles as Baaneex could think of, it seems. Picnic Swan is quite gorgeous, a bit post-rock, a bit shoegaze and just really good, while Sandwich Song is shouty fun and Coool Count is just gloriously daft. I've still not quite decided what to make of this lot, but what I've heard has certainly left me interested, and entertained.

Debut EP Weird Dance is available from Odd Box Records.

Colonics

Colonics are a three piece hailing from Brighton, with a fine line in instrumental post-rock, with a bit of shoegaze slung in for good measure. Debut album 1.0 is available as a name your price download from Bandcamp, and well worth a listen. The songs are mainly short and sharp, lots of noise, with good hooks and melodies mixed in, with Hessian 2.4 a particularly ferocious example. In between there are a couple of ten minute plus epics that play around with being a bit more experimental, building up sounds as they go, with the odd dash of weirdness added on top. For me the first long song Learning To Speak Microbe does this better than the second, Peresphone. Learning To Speak Microbe feels like it builds a bit more organically and sounds more interesting, while Peresphone wouldn't have suffered from being half as long, more in line with the other punchier tracks on the album. Final track Meateor is presented as a live version and shows promise, though I'm not sure the live recording does it much favours. I'd like to hear it properly recorded, so it has done it's job in getting me interested at least. Plenty good things going on on 1.0, and worth a listen if you like things loud.

Rumour Cubes

Londoners, and a bit more in the instrumental post-rock style. Debut EP We Have Sound Houses Also is a bit more restrained and less messy than the other bands mentioned here so far, with the three tracks within having a more lush, cinematic feel. Opener The University Is A Factory sets the tone nicely, with strings adding flavour as the song goes for a slow build before exploding into a burst of noise, then fading away to nothing just as gradually. Exactly the kind of thing that I like, really. The rest of the EP follows a similar formula, but with plenty variety in the execution. So much so that three songs really doesn't feel like enough by the end, but being left wanting more is hardly a complaint, is it? Really quite glorious in places, and deserving of a listen.

We Have Sound Houses Also is available as a free download from Bandcamp.

Tiny Birds

Debut album Hymns For the Careless was recommended on Twitter a while back by DC of The Waiting Room, and by the swell A Sweet Unrest blog, which was more than enough to get me to listen. I gave the album a wee mention then, but since I'm venturing out of Scotland for this post it is worth bringing the band and album up again. Tiny Birds are a London five piece and on a quick listen Hymns For the Careless is a collection of short and sweet, bright and breezy folk-pop songs. A better listen reveals that the sweet jaunty pop tunes are allied with less than cheery lyrics. Folk tinged happy pop songs with sad lyrics is a wee bit of a lazy round up, but not that far off I think. The album is really quite lovely, and available as a free download from Bandcamp.

PRIS

Wrote about this lot just a couple of weeks ago, but the novelty hasn't worn on yet, so all I said there still applies. In between causing trouble with Guillemots and Ellie Goulding fans on Twitter Pris are gearing up to release a single, The Bret Easton Ellis quoting "The Better You Look The More You See". The single is due out soon, and is a whole heap of fun. Half shouty, half sweet, their inspirations and references are all fairly blatant, but since the song left me with a big daft smile I'm completely ok with that. Fun punky pop that doesn't need to be analysed deeply, it just breezes by and sticks in your head. Check out the video for The Better You Look The More You See here.

Album Review: United Fruit - Fault Lines

Almost two years to the day since the release of United Fruit's debut EP Mistress, Reptile Mistress! comes the time to unleash their debut album, Fault Lines. Unleash is the right word for it, as Fault Lines is a rampaging monster of a record.

Opener Kamikaze sets the tone for a thirty something minute thrill ride, all distorted guitar, snarled vocal and pounding rhythm section. Once it has been set at frenetic the pace doesn't dip until Three, half way through. Three offers a bit of a breather, slowing things down a tad, although it is still far from gentle. From there on in the album rockets off again with Confuse Her Now, which manages to be even more ferocious than what preceded it.

The album ends with the fittingly titled Wrecking Ball, which pretty accurately sums up the destructive, take no prisoners approach of Fault Lines. Sometimes you hear a song and immediately picture yourself sweat drenched, leaping around in a packed room as the band play it live. Fault Lines has a couple of those, but none more so than Wrecking Ball.

I'm pretty sure every time United Fruit are mentioned anywhere the names And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead and At the Drive-In crop up too, but they are decent reference points. Considering how much I love some of the music made by those bands being compared to them is no bad thing either. Make no mistake either, United Fruit are no second rate copyists either. The influences aren't hidden away, but serve to add a bit of extra flavour to their sound, which is all their own.

The half hour and nine tracks of Fault Lines fly by, the album short enough to keep your attention throughout, but long enough to leave you wanting more, with an increased heart rate and sweat on your brow.
Noise and distortion is all well and good, but without bringing something else to the table it gets old fast. Thankfully then United Fruit don't just know how effects pedals work, they know how songs work too. Amongst the carnage is a fine ear for melody, with riffs and hooks that stick in the mind

We're always advised to include more fruit in our diets, on the strength of Fault Lines you'd be foolish not to make sure there's a healthy chunk of United Fruit in your diet too.

Fault Lines is released on May 30th. The album is available now from HMV.

United Fruit: Facebook - Bandcamp - Twitter

Single Servings

Submissions are piling up again, so I'll attempt to batter through as many of the singles and demos as I can here. These will be quite short, but would most likely go without reviews if they weren't lumped together. More of these later, since it is 2am and that seems like a good time to stop writing.

Aspen Tide: From The Strong Came Forth/Quiver

Got quite a lot of time for Aspen Tide, even though they make music that I usual feel is aimed at people a good ten years or so younger than me. Happy to report that their new single is a good one then. From The Strong Came Forth mixes things up a bit, changing direction a few times as it goes, inspiring bouncing around one second, then slipping into something more gentle and restrained the next, with a good old bit of screaming to round things off. B-side Quiver is a bit poppier and more melodic, and hits the spot too. Aspen Tide are still a wee bit rough around the edges, but that's fine with me, there's a risk that with too much polish to the songs they'd lose their character.

The single is out now, available from iTunes.

Poor Things: Innocence/18

Hm, time for me to eat my words it would seem. My only previous experience of Poor Things was seeing them support French Wives a while back. I was so disinterested that I wandered off halfway through their set for a fag/pee/beer without feeling that I was missing anything good. This single though, well it isn't half bad. Not particularly revolutionary maybe, but well crafted, with good hooks and melodies and roughly a million times more engaging than I found them live. there's more than enough on show over two tracks to make me revisit the band, and look forward to catching them again soon. I'll be the guilty looking guy in the corner.

Innocence/18 is released by Red Hat Records on May 30th, with a launch gig at Bloc on May 26th.

Plastic Animals: Maybe Tomorrow/Test

These are a pair of free downloads on the band's Bandcamp page, an EP follows in July. Two tracks isn't enough to get too worked up about, but they are both rather promising ones. If the point of putting out a couple of freebies was to stir up a bit of interest in the upcoming EP it has worked on me at least. Maybe Tomorrow is very dreamy and hazy, with delicate wee bits of vocals and melody poking their heads out from behind a wall of sound just long enough to make themselves known. Test is even more dreamy, trotting along at a pace the average snail might consider leisurely, and is a wee bit lovely. Ones to keep an eye on, I reckon.

Salute Mary: Pacifying Hungry Ghosts/Rubella Rubatta

Promising until the fella starts singing, then it feels like Eddie Vedder has escaped the time stream and somehow found himself in an Edinburgh post-rock band. Please, someone set him free. Minus the vocals it might not be so bad, but with them I just want to never hear this again.

The single will be available as a free download from May 23rd.

PRIS: Soundcloud Stuff

I had no idea we were due a Shampoo revival. Surprisingly to some of you, I'm completely fine with it if we are. That is who PRIS immediately remind me of, along with a bit of the swagger and snarl of Kenickie, and they've got all the self awareness Powder and Pearl Lowe were lacking. So far none of this makes sense to many of you, to which I say - stop making me feel old. Normally when Londoners email me out of the blue it is to tell me about a gig I've no chance of making it to, and little interest in, but PRIS's shouty email didn't ask me to go to anything, and warranted further investigation, partly because it came with a picture. Probably not in the slightest bit cool for a 30 something Scottish indie snob to be listening to, but this is ridiculously fun and catchy. God help them when the NME chews them up and spits them out, but until then enjoy the band and know that the World is a little less boring and po faced with them in it.

Nothing out, but have a listen on Soundcloud.

Album Review: You Already Know - Petrol Money

What's that, You Already Know's second album - Petrol Money - is out today? That can't be right, that would mean I'm incredibly late with a review. Oh, balls. Yes, once again I thought I had loads of time to write about an album before it was released, then got lazy. My apologies.

Now, this is going to be tricky. You see, I bloody love You Already Know. Debut album Stop Whispering was one of my top albums of 2009. I think I've been at every gig they've played in Glasgow since this time last year. The opening track from Petrol Money already made it into my favourite songs of last year. I put it on a mixtape (well, mix CD) and everything. Yeah, it would be fair to say I'm a fan. What's more is that nearly exactly a year ago (Record Store Day 2010, fact fans) I was handed a CD with demo versions of around half this album, so now a year on they've been listened to over and over, giving me plenty of time to fall in love with a lot of the songs here. After all that, can I write a fair review of Petrol Money, or will this just turn into a mildly embarrassing love letter to a band from a fan with a blog?

Can I do both? Petrol Money is, quite simply put, excellent. From the preamble above you could probably guess I'd say that, but I'm not making it up.

The album kicks off with the family friendly Let's Fuck, and instantly makes it's intentions clear. There will be huge, meaty riffs. Drums will pound and cymbals will crash. Things will get loud, make no mistake. Let's Fuck hardly seems like an offer, more like a demand. In case there was any doubt it is followed on the album by Goliath, which is every bit as massive as the name implies. For a moment things almost then get too literal, as The Stride comes along like a big swaggering beast, but that doesn't last long.

Amber Lamps feels like a breather compared to the relentless riffs that precede it. It is still a beast of a song, but one that plays more with melodies, wandering more into post rock territory. There's a return to the thrashier element on The Gush which in both name and song sounds filthy. The Gush probably describes this review too, doesn't it?

Meatshield is probably the pick of the album for me. Clocking in at around twice the length of the rest of the album, Meatshield is less immediate than the full on tracks, and much gentler than you might expect from the name, it is something quite glorious. The extra length allows the song to start off almost stripped back to nothing and slows the pace right down, before building gradually through the most blissful melodies. You know it will explode at some point, and after a few teases it does. It explodes gloriously, retaining those melodies, but allying them a wall of noise and fury that gives me goosebumps. Another change of pace gives a moment to recover, another moment of bliss, as the song builds to a dreamy conclusion. If you only listen to one thing on Petrol Money make it Meatshield. But why would you only listen to one thing?

Into and Over You keeps things a bit more restrained, while It Comes In Waves ends up being almost hypnotic, acting as a bit of gentle foreplay before Business Class rounds out the album by bringing back the noise in riotous style, blending funk, metal, and everything else they can think of until it reaches a furious climax.

Difficult second album? How do you follow a great debut? YAK make it look easy, by simply making an album even better than Stop Whispering. Oh, and once again they do it without a word. By the time you are a song or two in the lack of lyrics is an afterthought. The songs themselves are attention grabbing and engaging, even for someone like me who has spent far too much time learning the words to their favourite songs.

Petrol Money is a loud, shameless instrumental rock album, but crucial YAK know that making this kind of music is no excuse for turning out something stupid. In amongst the bludgeoning riffs there's a perfect understanding of rhythm and melody keeping things balanced and interesting. YAK know exactly what they are doing, and they do it oh so well.

I warned you I liked the album...

Petrol Money is available now, with a launch gig at the Cathouse on April 22nd.

You Already Know: Website - Facebook - Bandcamp

Gig Review: Wide Days - Letters, PAWS, Rachel Sermanni, Withered Hand, Capitals, GoGoBot

I never made it along to Wide Days the other week. However, Fraser Doig did, and kindly sent over his report on the showcase gigs that took place in the evening to share. You can find more of Fraser's writing here.

In the wake of an informative, yet exhausting day at the seminar-laden Wide Days festival in Edinburgh, I donned my notebook and pen and set off into the throng, the smell of anticipation filling the air to the start of what promises to be a thoroughly canorous evening in the heart of Scotland’s capital city.

The first port of call is the amorously secluded Sneaky Pete’s. Snuggled in between the glowering, dark appendages of the Cowgate, the venue, despite it’s tiny 100 (barely) capacity, manages to mop up a swab of endless Scottish talent on a regular basis, and has bags of character. Tonight, it plays host to festival openers LETTERS, and the behemoth-driven scuzz trio, PAWS.

After a bit of a futz around LETTERS shuffle on to the stage (if you can call it that), eyes filled with the sight of a packed crowd, off-duty and ready to let loose. The quintet certainly didn’t digress from the task, providing punchy pop tunes and feisty summer jangles, soaked with clamorings that were resonant with inclinations of veteran Scottish indie maestros We Were Promised Jetpacks.

Next on the bill were Scotland’s answer to Dinosaur Jr. PAWS, who have been making (very loud) noises in the underground grunge movement of late, with impressive slots supporting heroes of the genus Yuck, Ty Segall and Wavves. From the moment Phillip Taylor’s fingers touched the strings of his cherry red “pussy-strat”, full on carnage was released, resulting in a barrage of sonic buzz that literally shook the walls and had my heart pumping. They hit the crowd for sixes by producing a scrummy torrent of fuzzy distortion out of their living,

breathing instruments. Powering through an electric body of some melodic tasters such as “Salem” off their ‘Mermaid’ EP, augmented by some visceral, face-numbing angst-y riffs, their feedback nourished set was a resounding success, leaving everyone exiting the club looking as though they’d just had the best sex of their lives.

The dying April sun finally making its bed behind the captivating architecture of Edinburgh city as I made my way along to our second venue in the twilight, eager to arrive at the penultimate Wide Days haunt, Cabaret Voltaire.

First to grace the stage in this 450 capacity stronghold was Highland-based songstress RACHEL SERMANNI. The 19 year old has already racked up a scorching resume; travelling the States at SXSW, supporting slots with KT Tunstall and Newton Faulkner, and peaking the interest of contemporaries Mumford and Sons to name a few of her accolades. It’s almost impossible not to

fall completely in love with Rachel, her sharp collection of lyrical, folk-infused ballads lay bare the soul of a genuine performer, who’s intricate finger-plucking radiates around the room creating a warm glow in everyone present.

Buzzed from his return from America and finally at liberty to put all that “visa crap” behind him, the tumultuous congregation greet Dan Willson, better known under the moniker Withered Hand on to the stage for his first post-SXSW appearance. Rather than opting for the more familiar lone performer guise, he is accompanied by several of his friends and colleagues, providing a grumbling bass line, adventurous bluegrass influences and subtle classical flavours to his euphonious endeavours. Those accustomed to his more weathered appearance may have been confused as to his newly groomed, clean shaven look, but these questions were soon buried as he unearths a story explaining that his former-self was “the spitting-image” of his US manager’s ex-wife. Withered Hand proved to be a strong favourite with the baying audience,

his quivering, spritely vocals turning heads from the back of the room, his whispered, clandestine lyrics delivered with all the intensity of a raging bonfire, cementing claims that this man’s songwriting abilities can be regarded in the same esteem as some of the other great enigmatic lyricists such as Daniel Johnston, who’s shadowy stylings have had more than a marginal influence on Mr. Willson.

Third stop off of the night was Electric Circus, a grimy looking bizarre-o club that was perfect for closing acts CAPITALS and GOGOBOT and a suitable finishing line to the evening’s palpable good-natured festivities.

A surprisingly minimal set-up commandeered by electro-pop group CAPITALS comprised of synths, guitar and vocals, that defied the dynamic and enriched sound they produced. Taut drum loops churned in with clobbering bass lines paved the way for Angus Carbarn’s ethereal vocals to gleam through, with a little touch of the Brandon Flowers inflection to it.

Now, if Glasgow-based GOGOBOTS know much about anything, the one thing they can do beyond a shadow of a doubt, is party. Taking their cues from the likes of LCD Soundsystem and Pendulum, they deliver a bombastic, emotionally driven wave of pure energy that floods the dark confines of the club inviting even the cynical naysayers to allow themselves a cheeky nod of the head.

The Wide Days festival is a great way for musicians and friends to share their knowledge and create a community of talent, a noble cause if ever there was one. Definitely pencilled in for next year.

Review by Fraser Doig.

PAWS photo by Tiffany Barber

More Info:

Wide Days

Letters

PAWS

Withered Hand

Rachel Sermanni

Capitals

GoGoBot

Gig Review: How Garbo Died

How Garbo Died.

Pivo Pivo, Glasgow.

April 9th 2011.

I'd already been to a gig on Saturday night, but an early finish there offered me the chance to make the short walk from The Admiral to Pivo Pivo just in time to wrap my eyes and ears round How Garbo Died. This late arrival meant I missed Audiodeluxe and It Girl, so don't read anything into the lack of comment on them, I just didn't see them.

How Garbo Died are a pretty uncompromising pair of men at the best of times. When confronted with the two main things that blight almost every gig I attend in Pivo Pivo - ropey sound and endless chatter - they react with the kind of level headedness you'd expect. That is, none at all.

If there's any kind of rules about treating an audience with the respect they deserve then the poor crowd in Pivo Pivo can't complain about the contempt How Garbo Died dished out. They opt for a tactic something along the lines of if people won't listen, deafen them.

When not lost in muddy sound, or when trying to leave lasting mental scars, How Garbo Died do get to show they have songs to back up the attitude though. Jagged guitars, occasionally beaten out of a seemingly failing instrument allied with loops and soaring vocals give things a certain post apocalyptic feel at times, and you get the idea they wouldn't be all that bothered if a large slice of humanity was wiped off the face of the Earth either.

An attempt at silencing the talking hordes - a venomous holler unrepeatable on a family blog - backfires slightly, as it sends me into waves of laughter, adding to the crowd noise, but means this is a gig I'm not likely to forget in a while.

More chaos follows, with excursions off the stage taking place, perhaps an attempt to personally deafen the ignorant before How Garbo Died close things with My Life In Statistics. Imagine Arab Strap in a really bad mood and you are in the right ballpark.

This was one of those gigs that sounds nightmarish when written down, but was something quite thrilling and brilliant to witness. Uncompromising and brutal, but brilliant.

How Garbo Died certainly aren't easy listening and may well scare off more people than they convert, but this is no bad thing. They certainly stand out a mile from the legions of jangly guitared matching shirts and haircuts crowd. I just hope when the apocalypse does come they let me stick around with them afterwards.

How Garbo Died: Facebook - Bandcamp

Gig Review: Bombay Bicycle Club, FOUND, The Seventeenth Century

Miller Filtered Music: Bombay Bicycle Club, FOUND, The Seventeenth Century.

Oran Mor, Glasgow.

30th March 2011

Due to public transport being rubbish, then getting stuck outside in a queue, we join The Seventeenth Century already in progress. Entering a room to the familiar swell of the band and Mark Farmer's distinctive vocals is no bad thing at all really, and thankfully I haven't missed much. Having seen The Seventeenth Century umpteen times before, and having hosted them at one of my own gigs, I know what to expect from them by now, but that doesn't make it any less thrilling. Their on stage energy is infections, and when everything, the almost military drumbeats, violin played as if Mark's life depends on it, blasts of brass, tender guitars and the soaring, sweeping vocals and harmonies - oh especially those harmonies - combine, most notably tonight on set closer, err, Notes a tingle runs down the spine and hair stands on end. This is a band that still gives me goosebumps when I hear them. A recent jaunt to Holland seems to have kept them sharp too, as they remain an incredibly tight band live.

The Seventeenth Century - Young Francis (Live at The Mill 28.01.2010)

Next up are FOUND, just a few weeks after the last time I saw them (also the first time I'd seen them) launching new album Factorycraft to a packed Captain's Rest. Over a short six song set we get edited highlights of that album, something that just flags out how good the album is. More straightforward than some of their previous material the songs from Factorycraft the "new" (FOUND have been playing these songs for so long that the tag doesn't really apply) material goes for smart, catchy indie-rock. FOUND are never a band short on ideas though, so just because the songs are more straightforward doesn't mean they are even close to dumbed down. Ziggy Campbell's voice has a homely, charming rough edge to it, which when wrapped round some of the cheeky, mischievous lyrics (a choice example being I'll Wake With A Seismic Head No More's "I only ever wanted to put my tongue in your dimples") can't fail to put a smile on my face. Coupled with guitar, bass, and all sorts of percussive and glitchy noises coming from Kev Sim's toys, FOUND make music that practically commands at least an involuntary bobbing of the head, it not a full on excursion into dancing like a loon. Nothing ever outstays it's welcome in the set, where some other bands would milk a song for all it is worth FOUND have a fun habit of coming to a stop on this material, keeping you on your toes. The Phil Spector-esque drums of recent single Machine Age Dancing make a play for being highlight of the night, but that honour falls to You're No Vincent Gallo, a song I've had stuck in my head for roughly 24 hours now without minding a bit. It took me long enough to catch FOUND live, now I find myself wondering how I'll cope without seeing them every few weeks.

FOUND - You're No Vincent Gallo (Toad Session)

They say that familiarity breeds contempt, but on this night the opposite is more appropriate.
Headliners Bombay Bicycle Club aren't well known to me, and unfortunately nothing they do makes me want to delve into their back catalogue to become better acquainted. Opening song Magnet, from debut album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose, was bouncy and fun enough, but to my ears the rest of their set could have been the same song played repeatedly. Capable musicians, but it all got to feel a bit one dimensional and samey, very quickly.
The young and sizable audience seemed to be having a swell time of it, but this grumpy old man left not offended - Bombay Bicycle Club weren't awful - but unimpressed.

Photos by Claire Thomson

Miller Filtered Music

The Seventeenth Century

FOUND

Bombay Bicycle Club

Catthouse

Gig Review: Admiral Fallow, Olympic Swimmers

Admiral Fallow, Olympic Swimmers.

The Arches, Glasgow.

2nd March 2011.

The anticipation for the Admiral Fallow gig has been building for a number of months now with regular twitter updates and pub chats, have you got your tickets yet was the talk. The gig was so popular it was moved to the Big Arch and eventually sold out on the night with a lucky few managing to get the last tickets on the door.

The night opened with Glasgow based band Olympic Swimmers, a new band to me but I had been reassured that they were right up my street. Named in Radar as band to watch in 2010 the band didn’t disappoint. This five piece is headed up by Susie Smillie on vocals provided a great set to warm up the night, the arch busy with an appreciative audience. The other members of the band providing a great backdrop for her vocals, playing a mix of mellow arrangements to more indie rock. The only criticisms I have is one not being able to see the band due to the amount of smoke and dark lighting on stage, and not being able to hear the vocals clear over the top of the rest of the band, but I will be looking out for their next gig and hunting down their two EPs recordings.

After a quick dash to the bar at approximately 9.30pm on Wednesday the 2nd of March I fell in love with a whole band, well to be honest I was a fan before but this confirmed it. The cheers went up as Admiral Fallow took the stage and opened with ‘Dead Leg’ from their first album ‘Boots Met My Face’. The band fronted by Louis Abbott on vocals and guitar were instantly on top form for their hometown gig. The band had the amazing The Admiral Fallow Brass section; any band with live brass gets me every time providing beautiful harmony to back the songs. As well as playing through the tracks from their debut album the guys took the opportunity to introduce some new material for their Glasgow audience, starting off with new song Paper Trench and then the fantastic The Way You were raised later on in the set. Fans of the album will not be disappointed with the new material. The lovely Sarah Hayes took the lead vocals to sing the stunning ‘Bomb Through The Town’, when the audience hushed to listen closely was just another highlight of this performance.

The band built up the audiences anticipation finishing their set with ‘Squealing Pigs’ that confirmed itself as the bands anthem with the whole room singing the chorus back to them and dancing along. But of course that was not the end as after much enthusiastic applause Louis returned to the stage with his guitar to do a solo cover of the Elbow classic ‘Switching Off’ executed beautifully just before the rest of the guys rejoined him on stage for one final set ‘Old Ballons’ before sending the audience off buzzing with excitement, or maybe that was just me...

Review by Jennifer McGlone of Glow Arts for Aye Tunes.

Photo by Claire Thomson for Catthouse.

Admiral Fallow

Olympic Swimmers

The Arches

Glow Arts

Catthouse

Album Review: The Great I Am - Real Capital

Well now, here's an album that will send those that like their music to fit into a category easily into conniptions. For the rest of us though, it is a wee belter.

Real Capital is the debut album by The Great I Am, AKA Graham Crossan, who called on a few of his friends, including members of Dirty Keys, Punch and The Apostles and Miaoux Miaoux to put it all together.

The presence of Julian Corrie (Miaoux Miaoux) is particularly noticeable, with him lending all sorts of electro bits and bobs to the odd numbered tracks. The even numbered tracks? Well, that's where things get really interesting. The beats and synths are left aside on these, on some occasions for a more full band treatment, on others for a stripped back guitar and vocals take.

Each style has it charms, and all are very well executed. Le Quark stands out as a highlight on the electro side, while Do Your Best, Pal is a good old fashioned rollicking, foot stomper, with fiddles adding a gorgeous folky feel. Vocally The Great I Am isn't the strongest, but enthusiasm, warmth and charisma comes across in spades, which is always more pleasing to my ears than being technically excellent.

Real Capital is all over the place musically, in the best way possible. The dramatic switch in styles from song to song works well and more importantly feels natural when it could have come across as gimmicky. Clocking in at around 20 minutes in length there's no risk of Real Capital outstaying its welcome either.

People who like their music to fit into a genre pigeonhole might be left scratching their head, but those of us who just like our music good, with a side helping of fun and a lack of pretensions, regardless of style are in for a bit of a treat.

Real Capital by The Great I Am is out now. Listen to and buy it on Bandcamp.