We're Only Afraid of NYC - zero.four [Free Download]

Time to sneak in a quick plug for something that isn't draped in tinsel and glitter, I think!

We're Only Afraid of NYC - AKA one of our favourite bands in Scotland - have a new EP out now. As ever Team NYC are being far too kind to us by offering the EP for free. You can get zero.four - and their previous three EPs - for no cost at all over on Bandcamp.

We're Only Afraid of NYC are a band I've been stalking for ages, ever since I caught them supporting Mitchell Museum way back in the early days of this blog, and I'm always pleasantly surprised that every time I see them or they release something they've improved again. They were hardly poor in the first place, I wouldn't have kept following them if they were, so that they can continue to up their game every time round is getting a bit frightening, frankly.

Anyway, listen before and get stuck in over at Bandcamp.



We're Only Afraid of NYC: Bandcamp - Facebook

Keeping It Peel - World of Twist #keepingitpeel

Time for a request. I don't really know much about World of Twist, but I stuck a call out on Twitter the other week asking if anyone had any sessions they'd like to see posted, and this was one of the ones asked for, so here it is. Service with a smile from Aye Tunes! Well, as close to a smile as you'll get out of my naturally grumpy looking face anyway.

World of Twist - Peel Session 25.06.1991
1.Untitled
2. St Bruno
3. Kick Out The Jams
4. Blackpool Tower

New Release: We're Only Afraid of NYC - We Lived Here [Free Download]

I don't know, you hear nothing from We're Only Afraid of NYC for about a year then all of a suden you get a flurry of activity.

Back in August the band released Walls as a free download and played King Tuts as part of Rock 'n' Roll Damnation, and this week they have another new single our.

We Lived Here is, as always with We're Only Afraid of NYC, a free download, available now from Bandcamp. Consistently a band that I enjoy, We Lived Here is no change there. Quite downbeat and mellow for the most part, with explosions of furious noise breaking out just when you are sitting comfortably, We Lived Here is another welcome reminder that while We're Only Afraid of NYC might not have been terribly visible for a large chunk of the last year, they haven't been wasting their time.





We're Only Afraid of NYC: Bandcamp - Facebook

New Release: We Were Promised Jetpacks - Medicine

This week sees the release of the first new material from We Were Promised Jetpacks in a good seventeen months, with the single Medicine.

Medicine is taken from the band's second album, In The Pit Of The Stomach, which is released next Monday, backed with a new b-side, Building Buildings.

Medicine is available on 7" and download from Fat Cat, and download from iTunes.

We Were Promised Jetpacks: Website - Facebook

We're Only Afraid of NYC - 0.3

We're Only Afraid of NYC's third EP, cunningly titled 0.3, is available right now, for free, from the band's Bandcamp page.

Now, given that We're Only Afraid of NYC are playing a gig for me on Saturday I've got a bit too much bias right now to write an objective review of the release, so I won't try at the moment.
What I will say is that just like 0.2 was a step up from the already good 0.1, 0.3 is another leap forward. Go get it then come along on Saturday, please?

Download 0.3 here.

Buy Aye Tunes Vs Peenko II tickets here.

We're Only Afraid of NYC - Zero Point Two EP Review

Ever since stumbling across the band supporting Mitchell Museum in the middle of last year we've been rather fond of We're Only Afraid of NYC round Aye Tunes way, so much so that they got on the list of bands worth watching this year, so the news that their Zero Point One EP would be followed up quickly with this release was very welcome.

Of course, after all that I really hoped the EP would be good. Is it? Well, it's a free download, so you can easily go and find out for yourself. If you need a bit of convincing though, I'll have a go.

The opening salvo of Where We Go At Night and It's Tidal is loud and insistent, all guitar but with no shortage of melody. It might come as a surprise then when the following track, Leader, is gentle, with melodica and vocals rather than guitar driving the song, but it's a very welcome change, and gives the band a chance to show off a different style, one which works just as well as the more indie rock style on some of the songs.
With Bullets brings those driving guitars back, but keeps them balances with quiet parts, giving a nice contrast, before everything builds to a crescendo, before fading out softly.
Finally, Run With Heart is another change of gears. Out with the electric guitars and distortion, in with the acoustic guitar for a song stripped back to it's bare bones. With just vocals and acoustic guitar on show, both have to be strong or everything falls apart, happily both are rock solid, closing the EP out with a soft, tender song.

To answer the is it good question then? As that wee nodding dog likes to say, oh yes.

Zero Point Two is available now as a free download from We're Only Afraid of NYC's Bandcamp page. Previous EP Zero Point One is still available there too.

We're Only Afraid of NYC: Bandcamp - MySpace - Facebook

We Sink Ships Radio Launch Gig

Still trying to drag myself out of the Christmas and New Year slump with regards to getting back to regular postings at the moment, bear with me.

Until I force myself to write something more, here's a plug for the gig I'm heading to on Friday.
The line up is The Second Hand Marching Band, Benni Hemm Hemm and Euan McMeeken (of The Kays Lavelle, but promising to play non-Kays material). Also beneath us, the waves DJing. If you click the poster above it should be more readable, but if you can't be bothered then the gig is at The 13th Note on Friday, kicks off at 9pm, and costs £4 to get in.

The gig is to celebrate the launch of the new We Sink Ships podcast on Radio Magnetic. The first podcast should be available some time today update, it's available now here, but in the meantime you can hear a teaser for it here. Head over to Radio Magnetic for full details on what you can expect from WSS Radio.

While on the subject of We Sink Ships I should really point out that their new (and quite gorgeous looking) website is now online at http://www.wesinkships.co.uk/, with two new exhibitions available for viewing.

I'm risking turning into a Second Hand Marching Band stalker, I've seen them quite a lot recently, but since they have been threatening to take a break from gigging for a while I may as well pack in as many as I can before they take a time out from playing live. Benni Hemm Hemm impressed me quite a bit last time round, and I'm interested to see what Euan gets up to on his own. See you at the bar then?

Christmas Songs - Day 11

It seems every time I schedule these for a few days in advance, something new turns up in my inbox. Like tonight, just after I'd set up posts to take us through the weekend, I got an email alerting to me something else.
That isn't a complaint, it is huge fun getting new Christmas songs, it just means I'm often not sure what I have scheduled for when by the time I'm done!

Today's last minute entry comes from Withered Hand, Dan Willson.

Go over to the Withered Hand Website to grab It's A Wonderful Lie.

‘It’s A Wonderful Lie’ was recorded by Benni Hemm Hemm and features Rory from Broken Records and Chris from Meursault.

The Withered Hand album Good News is likely to feature on many people's Top 10 albums of the year lists. It missed out on mine mainly because I didn't get round to buying it until just recently. It is really good though.

Gig Review: The Whisky Works, Trapped In Kansas

Thursday, December 3rd 2009.
The Whisky Works and Trapped In Kansas, The Mill at Òran Mór, Glasgow.

I did say I wasn't going to review every single gig I go to, but I could do with a break from writing up my favourite albums - lots of half finished posts and headaches - so last night's gig is getting a quick write up.

I'd been looking forward to this gig for a while, I think I'd grabbed tickets almost immediately after the became available on The Mill website. I hadn't counted on my poor financial planning meaning it would use up every bit of my remaining cash to get there, although by this point I should have known better. Happily it was worth it, it was even worth the long walk home from the centre of Paisley to the arse end, where I live.

I hadn't seen The Whisky Works before, but I did pick up their debut EP when it was released. To be honest, I wasn't completely convinced by it. While it was mostly enjoyable, there were a few bits that left me cold. Nonetheless, they were a band I'd fancied catching for a while.
I'm very glad I caught them now. Having not seen the band before, I can't say what effect the recent addition of a new bassist, Ross Jenkins - also of Hey Vampires, but the band sounded fantastic. Energetic, moledic, engaging and loud. All those issues I had with their songs on the EP were gone live too. Really very impressed.

Incidentally, I've just realised one of the reasons I wasn't completely sold on the EP, Deficit Attention Program, that The Whisky Works released earlier this year is that the copy I got from eMusic skips all over the place. What I though were weirdly arranged and repetitive bits are actually screwed up mp3s. Oops!

I could have sworn I'd written about Trapped In Kansas before over here, but looking back it seems that other than mentioning a few of their gigs, I haven't. I'll rectify that more fully sometime soon. Last time I saw them, a while back in The Flying Duck, I was shaking off a cold, so wasn't in the best of form for judging bands. However what I heard that night, along with the songs I'd heard previously and since, were more than enough to rocket them up my bands to keep an eye on list. Thus, getting to see them again last night was something I was rather excited about.
I wasn't alone in that either, there were a whole score of familiar faces in the crowd last night. I dare say none of us went home disappointed. Well, except perhaps the member of Team PodcART who wanted five more songs, but if you ask me being left wanting more is far, far better than a band that outstay their welcome.
Trapped in Kansas make songs that are all at once complex and intricate, yet crowd pleasing and catchy, showing that you don't need to dumb things down to get the audience singing along.
A special mention also has to go to Finn Le Marinel's vocals. They are distincive, beautiful and are one of many things that helps this band, for me, stand out from the pack.

At a few recent gigs at The Mill I've noticed a few issues with the sound, but happily there were none noticable last night, both bands sounded great. Good night? As that wee nodding dog off the telly might say, oh yes.

The Whisky Works MySpace
Trapped In Kansas MySpace

Waves Below

Messing up my one feature a day plan since I wanted it finished the day before the gig, Waves Below will be joining the line up of Sunday's New Artists Showcase gig, so today there's a double dose of spotlights.


Neil Milton is a man with his fingers in a lot of pies. Along with Heidi Kuisma he is one half of We Sink Ships. We Sink Ships is a photographic and musical project between Heidi and Neil. I couldn't possibly describe their work and do it justice, instead I urge you to check it out for yourselves. Their latest project, Masquerade, can be found here.

Additionally Neil takes his musical side further as beneath us, the waves, making ambient soundscapes. Originally formed to provide music for We Sink Ships, the music started to gain as much attention as the photography did and was spun off into beneath us, the waves.

Waves Below is a spin off from beneath us, the waves set up to differentiate Neil's DJing and remixing work, with a more electro basis, from his own musical projects.

In addition to all that Neil was formerly a member of the band Troika, ran the too many fireworks record label, releasing singles by Troika, Findo Gask, Errors and more, and for two years ran the club night fire: works at Barfly.

You can get a taster of Waves Below's DJing at SoundCloud.