tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54929999314832862062024-02-20T00:31:54.057+00:00KowalskiyKowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.comBlogger462125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-18473991198116843102012-12-16T09:15:00.000+00:002013-02-04T20:12:56.892+00:00Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kowalskiys-free-monthly-scottish-ep-30" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/37/37/3737312290-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ignore that heading! Since it's getting close to Christmas, I've not got the usual five tracks for you. Instead, there's SIX songs for you to make all that last-minute shopping a bit more bearable. None of them are particularly festive, but they're all crackers nonetheless. They are...<br />
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1. <a href="http://immigrant-music.com/">Immigrant</a> - <b>Love, Sweet Love </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is <span style="font-size: x-small;">the stunning <span style="font-size: x-small;">opener from former Fen<span style="font-size: x-small;">ce-r Immigant's 2012 album <b>Talisman</b>. <span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">One of my standout <span style="font-size: x-small;">r<span style="font-size: x-small;">eleases of the year. Buy it <a href="http://www.normanrecords.com/records/132563-immigrant-talisman">here</a>.</span></span></span>)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"</i><i>I think it was this track that convinced me of the need to make the next album a simple, two-track affair! I'm up in the twenties with this one and it got a bit ridiculous, but it was a lot of fun to put together. As the title suggests, the song's largely a celebration of love, albeit with a slightly bittersweet coda. Clocking in at over four minutes, it's an Immigrant epic - another state of affairs I was keen to rectify on the new platter!" - </i>Graeme McNab <i>a.k.a.</i> Immigrant<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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2. <a href="http://www.uptheflutes.com/">Flutes</a> - <b>Ironmonger (Demo)</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Auld Archie</b> and <b>Sand</b> were two of my favourite songs <span style="font-size: x-small;">this</span> year. <span style="font-size: x-small;">B</span>oth came from th<span style="font-size: x-small;">is</span> band. It goes without saying I'm chuffed to bits to have this <span style="font-size: x-small;">brilliant </span>non-album demo on this EP. Speaking of album... get theirs <a href="http://uptheflutes.bigcartel.com/product/pre-order-flutes-album-vinyl-12">here</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span>)</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"</i><i>Back in the spring of 2011, we recorded a set of demos with a friend of ours in his small studio in South West London. The output of these recordings went on to become our debut album (released 6th December). 'Ironmonger' didn't quite make the cut on the record. But having finally completed the album process, we listened back to some of the work from last year and this track is one which still sounded pretty good. So much so that we're now looking at working it back into the live set."</i> - Rob (Flutes)<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">3. Beta -<b> Stutter/Eck (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/cursecursecurse">CUR$ES</a> Remix)</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;">My <i>favourite</i> song of the year<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">was actually <span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Urge</b> by this man<span style="font-size: x-small;">. You can get that <a href="https://soundcloud.com/cursecursecurse/urge">here</a></span>. Here's a remix <span style="font-size: x-small;">by the wonderful Mr. Morris.</span></span></span></span></span>) </span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"I did a remix for a friend, that has completely disappeared from the internet. It was when I was booking gigs etc. through The iAm booking agency; the guy Ross who ran it decided to put out a track under his DJ moniker, and the B sides to it were remixes from a few of us on the booking roster." </i>- Niall Morris <i>a.k.a.</i> CUR$ES</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
4. <a href="http://thekinghats.com/">The King Hats</a> - <b><span style="font-size: small;">U<span style="font-size: small;">s</span></span></b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;">One of the first, and now last, bands I featured in 2012</span>. This is a demo which didn't quite make the cut for t<span style="font-size: x-small;">heir <b>First Light EP</b>. <span style="font-size: x-small;">God know<span style="font-size: x-small;">s why! <span style="font-size: x-small;">They're just fussy I guess<span style="font-size: x-small;">.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span>You can get that EP <a href="http://thekinghats.bandcamp.com/album/first-light">here</a></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span>)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The King Hats<span style="font-size: small;">' s<span style="font-size: small;">piel will be with us in due course!</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
5.<span span="span" style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://insectheroes.bandcamp.com/">Insect Heroes</a> - <b>King Fabulous (Alternate Version)</b></span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I raved about this album, and this song <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/12/k-with-insect-heroes.html">earlier in the week</a>. <span style="font-size: x-small;">The brothers Thomas have been kind e<span style="font-size: x-small;">nough to contribute this alternate version of th<span style="font-size: x-small;">is</span> f**king f<span style="font-size: x-small;">a</span>bulous album track.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"</i><i>This version was done in the first session for the album in 2011. I'd always conceived of it without the guitar as the main instrument though (like our version of a Timbaland production or something,) which was why we re-did it for the final album. When we were listening back to the things we were discarding though we realise we quite liked this take on it. It's actually closer to how we're playing it live at the moment. The song itself was inspired by Kelis's full set of gold false teeth, which I once saw her displaying on a talk show, with the explanation that 'sometimes you've just got to show people that you're fabulous.'"</i> - <span style="font-size: small;">George Thomas (Insect Heroes)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">6</span>.<span span="span" style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/LittleThingsLikeKiwis">Little Things Like Kiwis</a> - <b>Oscar Wild</b></span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This may<span style="font-size: x-small;"> well be the first <span style="font-size: x-small;">track from the wonderfully<span style="font-size: x-small;">-named Little Things Like Kiwis to appear online. If that<span style="font-size: x-small;"> i</span>s the ca<span style="font-size: x-small;">se, <span style="font-size: x-small;">I'm chuffed to bits it's on here. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Expee<span style="font-size: x-small;">ct to hear th<span style="font-size: x-small;">eir name a lot more in 2013</span></span></span>.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span> </span></span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"</i><i>The track is just my take on writing a fast moving indie/rock song with a hint of a surf vibe (so we've been told). We haven't finalized the name yet but as we have called it this for so long now <span style="font-size: small;">I</span> can't see myself changing it haha!"</i> - <span style="font-size: small;">Callum Hickie (Little T<span style="font-size: small;">hings Like Kiwis</span>)</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I don't have a <span style="font-size: small;">favourite one of these EPs, but even I<span style="font-size: small;">'<span style="font-size: small;">m m<span style="font-size: small;">ore chuffed than usual<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>with</span> that line-up! I really hope you like it. Each <span style="font-size: small;">artist on there has <span style="font-size: small;">really </span>impressed me this year. </span></span></span></span></span> A huge thanks to each of the<span style="font-size: small;">m<span style="font-size: small;"> for contributing</span></span>. All you have to do to get your FREE copy is to click the artwork above, or <a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kowalskiys-free-monthly-scottish-ep-30">here</a><span style="font-size: small;">... whichever takes your fancy</span>. While you're there, there's another 29 of them for your listening pleasure. <br />
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Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. See you again in the New Year if not before.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-52713273750857460972012-12-13T15:06:00.000+00:002012-12-13T15:07:09.758+00:00Battle Of The Bands: Round 11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With the Festive Season fast approaching, this is the final round of Battle Of The Bands of the year. Going into Round 11, Team Kowalskiy held a one point ahead in the series, and with that pesky Neil from <a href="http://scottishfiction.blogspot.co.uk/">Scottish Fiction</a> on home turf this time around, I'd be lying if I said a shock away win would not make for a great early Christmas present. The full tweet-by-tweet summary can be found on twitter using the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23battleofthebandsround11&src=hash">#battleofthebandsround11</a> hashtag, but here's the short version...<br />
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Thanks to my victory in the <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/11/battle-of-bands-round-10.html">last round</a>, courtesy of my seasonal choice lovely <a href="http://www.thewintertradition.com/">The Winter Tradition</a>'s narrow win over <a href="http://shamblesmiller.wordpress.com/">Shambles Miller</a>, I opened up a one point lead meaning I couldn't be behind going into 2013. I'm not one to rest on my laurels though, so I recruited the wonderful Glasgow duo <a href="http://tmtatc.tumblr.com/">The Mouse That Ate The Cat</a>. You could say I was... <i>feline</i> lucky going int this duel. Unknown to me, on the other side of the virtual, musical ring, was fellow acronym lovers <a href="http://wherewelayourheads.bandcamp.com/">Where We Lay Our Heads</a>.<br />
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Before we see how they shaped up, here's the all-important rules. You can of course read them in full over <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/06/battle-of-bands.html">here</a>. This round, we were on Neil's turf, so he picked the three stats. For each of the three, the person with the highest value gets one point. Both get a half-point if the stats are the same, and losers get absolutely nothing! He plumped for <b>Band Name Scrabble Score</b>, <b>SoundCloud Tracks</b>,<b> </b>and<b> Number of Members</b>. All stats were correct at the start of battle.<br />
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Right, here's the all-important stats. <i>Ding, ding</i>, Round 11...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsJ7-K-2DLw_kWMQa29X1E_vrSYeZOB_oFwAHmtBcTpcEOBgSF-nypUlGFk5IzxFo4bcTByl2pxp0G9kwfr3jxGAinIHNLflcjq2loRQaYJ6aztLK-xxbY0Di2rksyXW4535dk1ezeBg/s320/Bandcard-TMTATC.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsJ7-K-2DLw_kWMQa29X1E_vrSYeZOB_oFwAHmtBcTpcEOBgSF-nypUlGFk5IzxFo4bcTByl2pxp0G9kwfr3jxGAinIHNLflcjq2loRQaYJ6aztLK-xxbY0Di2rksyXW4535dk1ezeBg/s320/Bandcard-TMTATC.png" width="204" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ie9iozwpOL7QJ_O00Ir0qvwwHi42PcABt_79U_YDGXwZ2Cn-LM2LqcXd4pi52f_RFZYkXs14Qc8VUTrFAedsm3i_QQR9XztrhBrfmKhRu85qN1C3rzt7srCQq-67I3gxiAgmUhEK7R4/s320/Bandcard-WWLOH.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ie9iozwpOL7QJ_O00Ir0qvwwHi42PcABt_79U_YDGXwZ2Cn-LM2LqcXd4pi52f_RFZYkXs14Qc8VUTrFAedsm3i_QQR9XztrhBrfmKhRu85qN1C3rzt7srCQq-67I3gxiAgmUhEK7R4/s320/Bandcard-WWLOH.png" width="204" /></a></div>
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And would you believe it, the away team jinx is over! It's a DRAW! It was always on the cards (pardon the pun) after Neil's first stat choice. Both bands proved the Scrabble equals of one another with a whopping 34 points. My TMTATC boys' superior <b>SoundCloud Tracks</b> threatened an unprecedented upset until Neil's WWLOH tied the contest on account of their better man, and woman, power.<br />
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A draw is fine by me though. It keeps my one-point lead intact going into the Winter break. Expect that to be stretched to 2 points after Round 12 on the 9<sup>th</sup> of January. <br />
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But... you've guess it, it's not about me or Mr. Scottish Fiction... it's all about the music people! So let's kick off the pre-Christmas plugging with my boys, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/tmtatc">The Mouse That Ate The Cat</a>, who I've just noticed have added yet another track to their SoundCloud as part of their daily Advent giveaway. If you've missed it so far, you can catch up <a href="http://www.bit.ly/tmtatcadventcalendar">here</a>. It's full of acoustic versions, demos, videos... you name it! Here's the latest, an acoustic version of <b>I Am The Hottest Fire</b>.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F71000678&color=ff0000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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If that's not enough to tide you over until Christmas, Bri and Col will be at <a href="http://kingtuts.co.uk/gig-info/?gig=3981">King Tuts</a> this Friday. Those boys are well-and-truly showering you with goodies at the moment!<br />
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On to <a href="http://wherewelayourheads.bandcamp.com/">Where We Lay Our Heads</a> now. It's been a wee while since they've featured on here... too long in fact. Last year they released two EPs, one conventional in <b>From The Roots, We Grow Limbs</b>, and one not-so in <b>wwloh</b>, a collection of acoustic demos. You can get those both <a href="http://wherewelayourheads.bandcamp.com/">here</a>. If you check out their SoundCloud though, there's some teasers from their next release for you. Here's my pick from them, the brilliantly-titled <b>Keanu Leaves</b>. Enjoy!<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F41108562&color=ff0000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div>
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And that's your Battle Of The Bands fill for 2012. We'll be back on the 9<sup>th</sup> of January. I hope you'll join us as I ritually humiliate Neil and extent my lead to a massive two points. See you then!<br />
<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-14227858901213707822012-12-12T21:56:00.000+00:002012-12-12T21:58:14.224+00:00K&A with Insect Heroes<div style="text-align: center;">
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Chances are I'm not gonna get around to doing my usual Album of the Year rundown. I did submit my usual quota to this year's BAMS Award though. Typically, it was only a day or two after I fired off that email, that I came across this absolute beauty of an album from Glasgow's premier tropical pop brothers, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Insect-Heroes/128288870648917">Insect Heroes</a>. Both the album<b> Apocalypso</b> and the duo themselves have seemingly come out of nowhere. So the curious sort I am, I asked them a few questions about the band and their incredible debut album. First up though, here's one of the many, many standouts from it.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Who are Insect Heroes?</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>George:</b> We are brothers George and Evan Thomas, and we stay in Glasgow. George is me and I'm at the computer answering these questions. I sing and play guitar and make keyboard type noises. Evan plays drums. On the recordings we've done so far Emily Maclaren and Stuart Evans at Green Door Studio in Glasgow have helped us with production. <span style="color: red;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> You've seemingly sprung from nowhere with your debut album <b>Apocalypso</b> (which is incredible by the way). Tell us how the band came about and how you've kept things under wraps this long?</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>George:</b> I'd done bits of solo stuff at home for a few years, and then when I moved to Scotland we just started making music together. That was a couple of years ago, and it took us a little while to get to a point where we were making something we were happy with and wanted other people to hear. <span style="color: red;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> As I said, the debut album is out on <a href="http://insectheroes.bandcamp.com/album/apocalypso">Bandcamp</a> now. How'd you describe it? </span> <b> </b><br />
<b>George:</b> It's just a record that's full of weird pop songs really. It sounds like being in space. Or a jungle. It would probably be top of the charts in a parallel world.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy: </b> There's a nod to Kraftwerk, a bit of The Beta Band about the artwork and one or two other subtle comparisons come to mind, but who'd you say most influences your music? </span><br />
<b>George:</b> Yeah, The Beta Band were incredible! That was the first music I got into, and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Super Furry Animals. We really like the way old records sound too, particularly weirder stuff like Joe Meek. More recently I think Ariel Pink, MGMT (<span style="color: red;"><b>K:</b> one of my subtle comparisons!</span>) and Gnarls Barkley are doing interesting things. Any given song though is more likely to be inspired by something much more different to what we do. Most of the time really I just want to make R 'n' B records, or minimal techno, or whatever.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> With the vinyl version out in February, are there plans to tour the album?</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>George:</b> Yeah, we'd like to, but we're just taking things as they come. Our name's not really out there at the moment, so it'll probably just be a case of seeing who'll put us on, and whether we can get a crowd together. We're going to try our best because we like the album and we've got a live set that we enjoy as well, but promotion's never really been our thing! <span style="color: red;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> What would be the ideal Insect Heroes gig? </span><br />
<b>George: </b> So many to choose from! We grew up near Manchester, so maybe a joint headline with The Stone Roses in the arches under Piccadilly station around 1989. I used to have a video of the history of the Stone Roses and it looked pretty exciting back then. <span style="color: red;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> It's getting to that time of year, so who's your tip for 2013?</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>George:</b> We live in a bit of a bubble in Glasgow so I don't really know what's happening elsewhere but I think <a href="http://northamericanwarmusic.bandcamp.com/">North American War</a> are going to put out a really original, inventive album that's somewhere between Sonic Youth and the Velvet Underground, and Golden Teacher are putting out their first EP of African inspired disco on Optimo in February. We've all been waiting for Fur Hood to release something too, so hopefully that might happen as well.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> And last of all, what can we expect from Insect Heroes in the new year?</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>George:</b> As I say, we're hoping to play live more, and get the record out to more people. We're always writing bits of new stuff but we haven't sat down and talked about where we'd like to go with it yet. We'll only release more stuff if we feel like we've got something interesting to contribute. Personally I've got something more groovy on my mind, but something that still takes people further off into outer space at the same time.<br />
<br />
So there we go. <b>Apo</b><b>calypso</b> is quite possibly my unexpected highlight of 2012, and from it<span style="color: #0000ee;"> <span style="color: black;">comes </span></span>one of my favourite songs. I defy you to say this is anything less than '<i>fucking fabulous</i>'. Get your copy over <b>here</b>. The vinyl is a must in February!<br />
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<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-586638611513507822012-12-10T19:03:00.000+00:002012-12-16T11:49:37.179+00:00Kowalskiy Singles Club #19<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://kowalskiy.blogspot.com/search/label/Kowalskiy%20Singles%20Club" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9Ck9W78N32jRCZ8_dpvk01LQ0ER4UUPJtC3NoC4g0Docn1vVqDTKRto-Wgeaf1nAWqgUOBMQtYeTICSiLE6WzG0A8UWWWMtDDSqqmiG6KBTnR0iZ70M18nDHAcxTng8_cTn4bSI89TjN/s400/KowSingClub.png" width="400" /></a></div>Nobody wants to be single at Christmas... unless you're a miserable, Scroogey cheapskate! Kowalskiy doesn't care much for them though. So with those <i>single</i>tons in mind, it's time for the final meeting of the Singles Club this year. It's your last chance of 2012 to have your world well-and-truly rocked and who knows, maybe even a wee bit of aural... who knows where one click could lead! Without much further ado, here's my latest batch of harpless romantics...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://safehouses.bandcamp.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Safe Houses - Human Behaviour"><img alt="Safe Houses - Human Behaviour" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/31/13/3113215138-1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Human Behaviour </b>by <a href="http://safehouses.bandcamp.com/">Safe Houses</a></div><i>"New Glasgow duo seek open minded electronic music loving people, must have a computer and speakers and own opinions' Check out our <a href="http://safehouses.bandcamp.com/">bandcamp</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SAFE.HOUSES">facebook</a>...."</i> - Safe HOUSES<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A late entry into our final Singles meet of the year. This is a belter from new Glasgow duo Safe Houses. Get it while it's hot.</span></span></span></span><i><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></i></div><i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://softpowerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-dont-know-you-dont-know-we-all-dont-know-the-spook-school" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="The Spook School - I Don't Know, You Don't Know, We All Don't Know The Spook School"><img alt="The Spook School - I Don't Know, You Don't Know, We All Don't Know The Spook School" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/27/57/2757967036-1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I Don't Know, You Don't Know, We All Don't Know The Spook School</b> by <a href="http://thespookschool.com/">The Spook School</a><i> </i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i>"Are you sitting at home alone? Have you ever found yourself longing for a partner? How about four partners? If conventional one-on-one relationships seem too easy why not try juggling four lovers at the same time! Ever get angry that your partner only has two hands? We have eight! Imagine closing your eyes and pretending to be love-wrestling an octopus! Please call us...we're not allowed in the aquarium any more...</i>" - The Spook School</div></div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Strictly speaking, this isn't a single... but it's my blog, so my <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">rules</span>! It's in fact a 5-track cassette EP which is out on <a href="http://www.softpowerrecords.co.uk/">Soft Power Records</a> on the 17<sup>th</sup> December. </span>You can listen to all the tracks by clicking the artwork above, and y<span style="font-size: x-small;">ou<span style="font-size: x-small;"> can pre-order </span></span>it to... in <span style="font-size: x-small;">fact you can't<span style="font-size: x-small;">. It's<span style="font-size: x-small;"> sold out! So yeah... <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">good luck getting a copy</span>!</span></span></span></span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Battleships/dp/B009JEOPYK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353319802&sr=8-2" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Michael Cassidy - Battleships"><img alt="Michael Cassidy - Battleships" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOUa2XGXlb7_RHwUXl5Rz3AAT4PhwEiAltVqgR-IQi4LtA82Ii3M61cnIXbaC01TixRP61U37GyGe0l8zCMot2pzB1etwyR_MPtbmYR6Va-dZjQ34xBzspSF8nVLdFQuUNPrhZZMWgN0/s400/Battleships.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Battleships </b>by <a href="http://www.michaelcassidymusic.com/">Michael Cassidy</a></div><i>"Young/old singer songwriter looking for appreciative audience for good time. Audience must be willing to clap and have money to spend on lavish presents for singer songwriter. Like a wedding list for presents the young singer songwriter has attached a list of acceptable presents or treats. Singer songwriters new single battleships must also be listened to and a full critique written about all the qualities that single possesses. Mainly though said singer songwriter looking for love/somebody to phone for good quality time/30 mins a week and dates must be low cost /free. Chat topics include George Osborne s latest budget but no x factor."</i> - Michael Cassidy<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hard to believe it, but this is SINGER SONGWRITER (in case it's not clear from his ad) M</span>ichael Cassidy's debut release. <span style="font-size: x-small;">And Paisley's finest hasn't <span style="font-size: x-small;">disappointed</span></span>! As <span style="font-size: x-small;">always, click the artwork to go download it.</span> </span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://middletonhallband.co.uk/album/so-thats-where-i-left-my-self-respect-no-way-home-single" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Middleton Hall - (So THAT'S Where I Left My) Self Respect/No Way Home"><img alt="Middleton Hall - (So THAT'S Where I Left My) Self Respect/No Way Home" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueut_FsTwPZ2LE0d6cxy3atOwa7tdpQ0slIgAXL_QXImFppEHMwco9dqvT85VTNFpxnibt4uhZIc7rOWNLdIzWI-zB94dTqAGngVXpLr9qxB2lbNttknBGF6xuNx8v-GK74ztOeJA6SM/s320/MiddletonHall.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>(So THAT'S Where I Left My) Self Respect/No Way Home</b> by <a href="http://middletonhallband.co.uk/">Middleton Hall</a><i> </i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i>"</i><i>Older and slightly overweight male WLTM lovely lady of similar age and waist size for well earned romantic break beginning 26th Dec. Fondness for mince pies and whisky would be an advantage. Must be keen on animals, flying and facial hair. Ho Ho Ho!</i><i>" - </i>Gordon Helm (Middleton Hall)</div></div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How very festive from the man at the... Helm... of Middleton Hall. This is the second single f<span style="font-size: x-small;">rom the Dunfermline la<span style="font-size: x-small;">ds<span style="font-size: x-small;">, and once again it's a FREEBIE! Talk about an early Christmas present!</span></span><b> </b></span><b><br />
</b></span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://madisonband.bandcamp.com/track/crimson" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="M A D I S O N - Crimson"><img alt="M A D I S O N - Crimson" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/40/97/4097957799-1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Crimson</b> by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/madisonlikethedance">M A D I S O N</a><i> </i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i>"</i><i><i>Lonely quartet of lads in search of love. Must be able to cook crystal meth to a high quality like in Breaking Bad and must enjoy Instagram. We're not looking for women who're going to pull and snap our heartstrings, we're looking for someone to play them delicately. Think you can be of assistance? Then please don't hesitate to contact. Be quick, we're on the verge and running low on meth.</i>"</i> - Russell Ferguson (M A D I S O N)<i><br />
</i></div></div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">M A D I S O N are responsible for one of the finest singles of the year... <b>Armbands</b>. <span style="font-size: x-small;">This <span style="font-size: x-small;">follow up's been a while in coming but I'm assured there's much more to come soon! I<span style="font-size: x-small;">f that's half as good as <b>Crimson</b>, then 2013 could be <span style="font-size: x-small;">off to a <span style="font-size: x-small;">red hot s<span style="font-size: x-small;">t</span>art.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gums.bandcamp.com/track/new-year" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="GUMS! - New Year"><img alt="GUMS! - New Year" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/70/41/704198199-1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>New Year</b> by <a href="http://gums.bandcamp.com/">GUMS!</a><i> </i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i>"Imaginary 4 piece WLTM delusional taxi driver type for Hogmanay shenanigans Must enjoy long freezing walks, lengthy attempts at lighting cigarettes in the rain and cramped nightclubs where attempts to relive your glory years end in the 9am realisation that you’re the only person awake in an unfamiliar flat where the CD player's been skipping since 2006. You try to leave but the pile of jackets on the bed is the size of an ASDA...and they all look like yours. GSOH inessential.</i>" - Martin Smith (GUMS!)</div></div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">From the men that brought you The Plim<span style="font-size: x-small;">ptons, comes </span>GUMS! This <span style="font-size: x-small;">FREE festive-ish</span> single is taken from their upcoming release <b>Antipathy</b>.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> So if you enjoy smoking in the rain and like your musicians 'imaginary' then what are you waiting for?!! </span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/tides-and-telegrams-single/id571585908" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="The Winter Tradition - Tides and Telegrams"><img alt="The Winter Tradition - Tides and Telegrams" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://a3.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/075/Music/v4/07/4f/51/074f515c-da61-bddd-5302-79687e551cab/887396531994.170x170-75.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Tides and Telegrams</b> by <a href="http://www.thewintertradition.com/">The Winter Tradition</a><i> </i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i>"Shortarse seeks a warm towel and a better Director. Get in touch if you like picking seaweed out of places it should never be. The people at the bottle bank fucking hate me."</i> - Stuart Breadner (not of The Winter Tradition, but of Shootback Productions)</div></div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fre<span style="font-size: x-small;">sh from whoooooping Scottish Fiction's beeehind in <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/11/battle-of-bands-round-10.html">Round 10</a> of Battle Of The Bands, The Winter Tra<span style="font-size: x-small;">ditio<span style="font-size: x-small;">n have released this new single</span></span> </span></span></span>from debut album <b>Gradients</b>. They're a shy<span style="font-size: x-small;"> bunch though, so they've let the director of the </span>video <span style="font-size: x-small;">write their ad. Speaking of the video... you can watch that </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDR3IoX8F2U">here</a>.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://napoleonsdogs.bandcamp.com/album/windom-earle" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Napoleon's Dogs - Windom Earle"><img alt="Napoleon's Dogs - Windom Earle" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/13/73/1373374499-1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Windom Earle</b> by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/napoleonsdogs">Napoleon's Dogs</a><i> </i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i>"Easily excitable band looking for male or female companion. Must like walks in the park, be accurate at throwing sticks and not mind having to pick up poo in little black bags. Expertise in Napoleonic tactics not necessary, but an advantage.</i>" - Chris (Napoleon's Dogs)</div></div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Picking up poo... these boys are spoiling you l<span style="font-size: x-small;">o</span>t!! If <span style="font-size: x-small;">you're into that kinda thing, then this may be right up your street. <b>W</b></span></span><b>indom Earle</b> is out NOW<span style="font-size: x-small;">...</span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">g</span>o fetch boy! You can catch the <span style="font-size: x-small;">dogs in the 13<sup>th</sup> Note on the 17<sup>th</sup> December too.</span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://theprisonlibrary.bandcamp.com/album/no-fireworks-ep" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="The Prison Library - Lovesick"><img alt="The Prison Library - Lovesick" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsh7Bcz1ThAYloBfn1UAqT8_j-jaUWPT97a4cr7KUc0Dj9prvg2awnnSH3r8IRPOVzt1W937bcE8litwpoDs7rXdKJ1rBevNHumce67AdMvcbvB2S3MCV_CW2Eb3DAOa7ClCOPaBWZELk/s400/Lovesick+artwork.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Lovesick</b> by <a href="http://www.theprisonlibrary.com/">The Prison Library</a><i> </i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i>"Unlucky in love Newcastle five-piece seek breathy vocaled soulmate to make us feel high and world-safe. Is your love often rejected or unrequited? We're sure to fall in love and waste poison forever more."</i> - Joe Frankland (The Prison Library)</div></div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Newcastle!! I know... they're not Scottish! Imposters the lot of them.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> I'm willing to turn a blind e<span style="font-size: x-small;">ye when it comes to Mr. Frankla<span style="font-size: x-small;">nd and</span> Th<span style="font-size: x-small;">e Prison Library though. This is a great s</span></span></span></span>ingle featuring the lovely Sarah Hall on backing vocals. It's from their upcoming debut EP so keep an eye out for that! Oh, and there's a video for it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VkopBuOXto">here</a> too.</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://the1004s.bandcamp.com/track/lights-out" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="The 10:04's - Lights Out"><img alt="The 10:04's - Lights Out" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwniqbg-V6b0TANOVN7zo5E7M9DLRinuGidcwW8aVbP6jLIw4v9J50FnNcMmKyKnqnySz9-mxwtWp2pD0jSQ4ob7QPAEju5u6Gie5pDVRBkvA67zO-cyif3KjlDx5jtXe06HbMVfOovg/s400/LightsOut.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Lights Out</b> by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/the1004s">The 10:04's</a><i> </i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i>"Four desperate, lonely egomaniacs (musicians) seek someone, ANYONE!!! Personality not required, looks not essential. Questionable morals a must!!!! Must be interested in naive career paths, enjoy being skint and pretending to be everyone's good friend on gig nights. LOVE YOU XXXXXXXXXX</i>" - The 10:04's</div></div><div style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">OK, is <span style="font-size: x-small;">i</span>t just me that seems to alwa<span style="font-size: x-small;">y<span style="font-size: x-small;">s look at my phone a<span style="font-size: x-small;">t</span> </span></span>10:04<span style="font-size: x-small;">?! Well, it's always been a reminder to feature this bunch on the blog. If you've got questionable morals and fancy some fun with the 'lights out', then you're well in here! The single <span style="font-size: x-small;">is out </span>now for FREE along<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span>with previous single <a href="http://the1004s.bandcamp.com/track/sos"><b>SOS</b></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span> </span></div><br />
</i>Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-67550701336820008212012-11-29T14:38:00.001+00:002012-11-29T14:38:56.507+00:00Battle Of The Bands: Round 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIH_Yk3pRxjr3mMz3BcrXVv_s2JosXfS71Z7pWE-BzvI6i62XZCeCQ5dXlpXQ-giTGec2WGrRuLA9hTzvqnyWRkPA4yQ4XCqG6JSN_nLSWN-_KhiP1Eq5AQoius-JPElb06Sd3epswOw/s400/BattleOfTheBands-WhiteBg.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIH_Yk3pRxjr3mMz3BcrXVv_s2JosXfS71Z7pWE-BzvI6i62XZCeCQ5dXlpXQ-giTGec2WGrRuLA9hTzvqnyWRkPA4yQ4XCqG6JSN_nLSWN-_KhiP1Eq5AQoius-JPElb06Sd3epswOw/s400/BattleOfTheBands-WhiteBg.png" width="400" /></a></div>Welcome to the blow-by-blow summary of last night's tenth round of Battle Of The Bands, the Scottish music contest with more staying power than Ricky Hatton. Going into this latest duel, Neil from <a href="http://scottishfiction.blogspot.com/">Scottish Fiction</a> and I were once again neck and neck. You can see the full, tweet-by-tweet slogging that went on using <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23battleofthebandsround10&src=hash">#battleofthebandsround10</a> on twitter. <br />
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With Neil's victory in the <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/11/battle-of-bands-round-9.html">last round</a> courtesy of the lovely <a href="http://www.teencanteen.co.uk/">TeenCanteen</a> the series was once again level at four wins apiece. My lone wolf <a href="http://www.arranarctic.com/">Arran Arctic</a> can hold his head high though. He fought hard... and has a superb new album called <b>Like Lovers</b> out now... <a href="http://arranarctic.bandcamp.com/album/like-lovers">here</a>! This time around, I went for strength in numbers and roped in <a href="http://www.thewintertradition.com/">The Winter Tradition</a>. I later found out that Neil had gone down the lone wolf route with his choice <a href="http://shamblesmiller.wordpress.com/">Shambles Miller</a>. Could the shambolic duo's alliance conjure up the first away win of the series? <br />
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You'll find out soon enough, but first, here's a quick recap of the rules. You can of course read them in full over <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/06/battle-of-bands.html">here</a>. This round, I had home advantage and picked the three attributes we'd be using. For each of the three, the person with the highest value gets one point. Both get a half-point in the event of a draw and losers get a big, fat zero! I chose <b>SoundCloud Tracks</b>, <b>Twitter Follow Ratio</b> and <b>Band Name Scrabble Score</b>. As ever, all stats were correct at the commencement of battle.<br />
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Right, here's the all-important stats. Seconds out, Round 10...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaibKC81BCckiE-DrMoRx6hoLG6yGZRwmeEg2727RvMq7ivXmcIT7m2lnLAgLYLHJAIVZLfkOGcMyNKxRI8ihVfQTkM42jAZ9RNgmVDFuoce-QEMwS97Axdybh0MtCfWOKW09fj0k6uhE/s400/Bandcard-TheWinterTradition.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaibKC81BCckiE-DrMoRx6hoLG6yGZRwmeEg2727RvMq7ivXmcIT7m2lnLAgLYLHJAIVZLfkOGcMyNKxRI8ihVfQTkM42jAZ9RNgmVDFuoce-QEMwS97Axdybh0MtCfWOKW09fj0k6uhE/s400/Bandcard-TheWinterTradition.png" width="204" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUY3R-IZBXh7RqUW0kTZR94F5wf-Hfs7wzfeO1M5fuLvlkLLmN_nJ8E3hCYkSCKxSppwUxtLpH3iX2JKNAdzMv4l_i2vkfeN0O8culqKq4qoGtaz5uDWngvMQMrI0nfNGsX6UHXuoEGT0/s400/Bandcard-ShamblesMiller.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUY3R-IZBXh7RqUW0kTZR94F5wf-Hfs7wzfeO1M5fuLvlkLLmN_nJ8E3hCYkSCKxSppwUxtLpH3iX2JKNAdzMv4l_i2vkfeN0O8culqKq4qoGtaz5uDWngvMQMrI0nfNGsX6UHXuoEGT0/s400/Bandcard-ShamblesMiller.png" width="204" /></a></div><br />
Home turf proves crucial again! Despite the early slip-up with the <b>SoundCloud Tracks</b>, Team Kowalskiy ran out 2-1 victors thanks to The Winter Tradition's impressive <b>Twitter Follow Ratio</b>, and the fact that, much to Neil's disgust, an 'L' is only worth 1 point in Scrabble. With that, the series I've opened up a one-point lead in the series once again. And that was without me using the contentious fact that my guys have technically been together for 10 years albeit in their previous incarnation The Void. <br />
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But, by now you know it's not about who wins... it's all about the two artists taking part and the lovely music that they make! So let's kick off the gratuitous plugging with my boys, <a href="http://www.thewintertradition.com/">The Winter Tradition</a>. Earlier this year they released their debut album <b>Gradients</b> (which you can buy <a href="http://thewintertradition.bigcartel.com/product/gradients">here</a>!), and they've just released the video for one of the album standouts <b>Tides and Telegrams</b>.<br />
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There's two more chances to catch them live this year. On the 29<sup>th</sup> and 30<sup>th</sup> of December they'll be playing with <a href="http://floodofred.tumblr.com/">Flood of Red</a> at The Third Door, Edinburgh and Broadcast, Glasgow respectively. Tickets for both can be bought <a href="http://floodofred.bigcartel.com/product/live-show-tickets">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://shamblesmiller.com/">Shambles Miller</a>-time now! He's long been a friend of the blog, and will continue to do so (even though he's in league with the enemy) if he keeps producing songs like his new topical gem, entitled <b>Chris Brown is a **** (and Mike has some issues)</b>. Which you can of course download for free. As well as that, you should all go and <a href="http://shamblesmiller.bandcamp.com/album/confessions">buy</a> his most recent single <b>Confessions</b>. It's well good!<br />
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In two weeks time, prepare yourselves to witness the first away win. That includes you Neil!!<br />
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Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-28776149017200013142012-11-16T16:52:00.000+00:002012-11-16T16:55:31.657+00:00K&A with The Colourful Band<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg80K5Gcsywwo0tYFJzjPfqktwE455VgVp001UlKMUQL2o4ct94FCmQ11TOuBIiQKBiF9GE17wW9x1aQ6JznRllhBOc8mbMPUCNikEr7-bxPfQH0Cdd4f4tIWgUsb4JKFw8IoBmRQpCu8/s1600/TheColourfulBand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg80K5Gcsywwo0tYFJzjPfqktwE455VgVp001UlKMUQL2o4ct94FCmQ11TOuBIiQKBiF9GE17wW9x1aQ6JznRllhBOc8mbMPUCNikEr7-bxPfQH0Cdd4f4tIWgUsb4JKFw8IoBmRQpCu8/s320/TheColourfulBand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Now that's some stellar artwork there! This is of course the debut album from Edinburgh's <a href="http://thecolourfulband.com/">The Colourful Band</a>. It's been just over two years since the release of <i>The Colourful EP</i> with only (I say <i>"only"</i>, it was a belter though) a solitary <a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kowalskiys-free-monthly-scottish-ep-7">new song</a> on one of my free monthly EPs in the meantime. But, for the last month or so, the man behind the band, Ian McKelvie has been sowing the seeds of anticipation ahead of this album's launch with regular, teasing updates by email or <a href="https://twitter.com/McKelvie_Ian">Twitter</a> regarding it's release. So when it did finally appear in my Inbox, I was itching to hear it. <br />
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The album is a sheer delight from start to finish, and given the cold, grey days we're experiencing at the moment, the songs on it give that little, welcome blast of warmth and colour. The album title (and I guess the band name too) couldn't be more apt. <i>Always The Summer</i> and personal favourites <i>Into the Bright Sun from Shadow</i> and <i>New Town Girls</i> should all serve to prove my point. The latter track also appears on their previous EP, as do just under half of the songs on offer here. But whether you already have that or not, you're in for a treat. In both the old and the new, it's apparent to all that Ian himself is a master storyteller. Throughout the album you get a strong sense that in each and every song, he's reflecting on past experiences, such are the little intricate details. Some of those, and the odd little <i>'pop culture reference' </i>can't help but put a smile on your face. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F58331803&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F58331803&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/the-colourful-band/new-town-girls">New Town Girls</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/the-colourful-band">The Colourful Band</a></span></div><br />
Anyhoo, it's about time we heard from him, so here's what Mr. McKelvie had to say when I asked him a few questions.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Who are The Colourful Band?</span><br />
<div dir="ltr"><b>Ian:</b> The Colourful Band is the name of the music project I started about 4 years ago. I tend to write, record and then play either solo or with a band. For the full band set-up its me on acoustic guitar and vocals, Steve Tonge (<span style="color: red;"><b>K:</b> he of <a href="http://www.supermarionation.co.uk/">Supermarionation</a> fame</span>) on bass, Jon Tyler on electric guitar, and Fraser Stewart on drums. We spent most of last year playing as a band, but with Dave Curry or Dave Steele sitting in on drums. Steve and I are going up to Aberdeen on Saturday to play Cellar 35, just as a two piece as that's who is available, but that's how we do things in TCB. The next thing we have to do is play in Edinburgh again, as its been two years since the last time, then it would be nice to go play Newcastle again or somewhere new. We played The 13th Note in Glasgow on Sunday as a four piece and it was our best performance so far.</div><br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> You've about to release your self-titled debut album. How would you describe it?</span><br />
<b>Ian:</b> The new album has been a long time coming. I picked my strongest material from the last few years and decided to put out an album. I would describe it as indie pop singer-songwriter for the most part, there are some folk songs as well. <br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> It features tracks from your EP which came out in late-2010, along with a fair few new ones. So how do the new tracks compare with those from the EP?</span><br />
<b>Ian: </b> The new songs were written either in a flat in Glasgow or a little cottage outside Edinburgh where I was living last winter. I think some of them are very like the earlier tracks, but according to some the lyrics are post-modern. Which I had to look up. What did you think? <br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Would that make them futuristic?? OK, I have no idea what that means. Anyway, some of the songs and stories on the album take you on a wee tour through Scotland, from Glasgow to Edinburgh and up the East Coast. How influential are your surroundings when it comes to writing your songs?</span><br />
<b>Ian: </b> The songs are shaped by whatever I'm doing in real life at the time of writing. When I'm pissed off I usually write on the electric guitar and the song comes out as indie or even late 70s PUNK. If I'm blue I will usually end up writing a folk song on the acoustic. So its hard to write the same kind of song every time, its more about externalising and therefore dealing with whatever is going on. In many instances it has been work and the hours, driving about, and general shit that life throws at you. For example, I was driving home from Manchester with a song in my head one night, and wrote the lyrics down on my mileage form when I got back to Glasgow. Then when I was doing my tax return I found the lyrics, and just wrote the music when I was taking a break. That's the second song on the album. It was originally called <i>"Are You Waiting For Someone To Take You Home?"</i> but I thought it sounded a bit like The Buzzcocks, so I shortened it to <i>"Are You Waiting?"</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F66905409&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F66905409&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/the-colourful-band/are-you-waiting">Are You Waiting?</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/the-colourful-band">The Colourful Band</a> </div><br />
Another song I wrote when I was freezing in my flat in winter was going to be called <i>"Because The Heating Does Not Work In This Flat"</i>, but I settled on <i>"I Want To Go Home"</i> because that's the chorus and it sounds a bit pretentious the other way, and less like a title. There's another song called <i>"Getting Famous Is Easy"</i> which basically is my take on being a grassroots singer songwriter, and the lifestyle that goes with it. I guess this is sounding fairly self-referential. But its basically a case of write about what you know. And I just went for it. My mate Andy says I sound like a spokesman for how disaffected your average early thirties male is with modern Britain. You do the exams, get the degree, get the job, and then life is just boring. Or maybe I'm just in the wrong job. That's why I write music. In a nutshell, if you feel like this, you're not alone. That's where most of it comes from. That, and the fact I travel around the UK a fair bit with my job.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy: </b> What would be your ideal gig? </span><br />
<b>Ian:</b> Ideal gig, I would have to say with the band, CBGB, Ian Dury opening, then Neil Young, The Sex Pistols, then us, ha ha!<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> What can we expect from The Colourful Band in the future?</span><br />
<b>Ian:</b> The future? Next album will be classic country rock I promise. Can't tell you more than that.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy: </b> Last one so it's a wee bit topical... and I'm taking a bit of a punt given one of your tracks is called <i>Easter Road</i>, but you're a Hibs fan yeah? If so, can the Hibees win the SPL this year?</span><br />
<b>Ian:</b> I'm not a Hibs fan, but there is every chance they could.<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Nae chance mate! </span><br />
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So, the album is out this Monday, the 19<sup>th</sup> of November. You can get your copy in Avalanche if you're in Edinburgh. If not, then it'll be on all major download sites soon after. Also, as Ian said above, on Saturday (<i>i.e. </i>tomorrow) him and Steve will be playing Cellar 35 in Aberdeen. So if you're at a loose end tomorrow night...<br />
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Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-49289455203463123362012-11-16T11:56:00.000+00:002012-11-16T11:56:55.631+00:00Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #29<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Time now for the 29<sup>th</sup> of these free monthly EPs. I hadn't noticed, but there's been a few wee themes developing recently... my artwork is making less and less sense, there's been a few more cover versions than usual, and I've been including a fair amount of previously-released singles to give them a well-deserved extra plug. So, I hope you've been enjoying that wee mix of tracks, because this EP is no different. We even have a repeat offender who you may remember from last month...<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/saintdeathmusic">Saint Death</a> - <b>El Metro </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hot off the press!! This <span style="font-size: x-small;">beauty was recorded last week<span style="font-size: x-small;"> and mixed last night. Hope you all appreciate the lengths the<span style="font-size: x-small;">se guys went <span style="font-size: x-small;">to for you!</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span><br />
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<i>"El Metro by Saint Death. a post-rock instrumental roar from the grimy suburbs of Glasgow. This track was created for this months Kowalskiy release; for even more melodic whitenoise like this, go to <a href="http://soundcloud.com/saintdeath" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saint Death</a> or <a href="http://facebook.com/saintdeathmusic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">facebook.com/saintdeathmusic</a>. Thanks for listening." - </i>Ivan (Saint Death)<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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2. <a href="http://www.plumtunes.com/">Plum</a> - <b>Smile (Early Version)</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(This<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">is<span style="font-size: x-small;"> an early version of the lovely Plum's new single which is out on the 19<sup>th</sup></span></span></span> of November. Hopefully this will <span style="font-size: x-small;">keep you entertained until that's out, along with it's Teklo collaboration B-side.</span>)</span><br />
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<i>"</i><i>Smile was an important track from the start. The subject matter of the track is really dark, so I needed the production to match that. The earlier version was sadder than the final, but I really wanted it to have a lot of aggression. At the same time, I wanted the vocals to remain fairly passive. I sampled a music box to capture the childlike nostalgia to give it a creepier edge, and the early version used strings and samples from a crowd at a comedy gig. I worked with Ben Phaze (<a href="http://www.tunnelsounds.com/">www.tunnelsounds.com</a>) on drum production for the earlier version, using some of his field recordings from the London Underground. We used to work together quite a lot when I lived in London, and used to play together under the band Plaze (Plum & Phaze). He's not only a great producer, but an accomplished DJ too, having masterminded the Beat Feast Collective. I like the clumsy chopped vocals being very static, but when I got the chance to work with Kyle MacKenzie (Dirty Disco/El Hatred) I grabbed it with both hands. Kyle is an incredible producer, and we chatted through a few ideas, and he had some fantastic ideas for co-production, so I'm really really pleased with the final result. This is the heaviest track on the album, but it suits the track perfectly."</i> - Shona Maguire <i>a.k.a.</i> Plum<br />
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3. <a href="http://thankyousonice.blogspot.co.uk/">Thank You So Nice</a> -<b> Hurry Home Tonight</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(A<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>cracking non-album <span style="font-size: x-small;">track from their recent debut album sessions<span style="font-size: x-small;">... that make sense?!</span></span>) </span></div>
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<i>"</i><i>This was one of the first songs we recorded during the sessions for our album Make Friends Not Money and I guess you could call it a rarity as it didn't make the cd and we've only played it live once, I think. We tend to refer to it as 'the 50s song' even though it's probably nothing like a 50s song. I've been listening to the 50s doo wop band the Flamingos lately and they have a song called 'Hurry Home Baby', so from now on I can pretend the track's real title is a reference to that."</i> - Alex Hendrikson (Thank You So Nice)</div>
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4. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yaya-Club/165025540194012">yaya club</a> - <b>House Of The Rising Sun</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Touch of <span style="font-size: x-small;">d</span>eja vu here... yes, he's back for a second month in a row with another sublime cover.<span style="font-size: x-small;">.. this time, Darren takes on The Animals' classic.</span>)</span></div>
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<i>"Recently I conducted an experiment to see what happens when you don't drink or smoke for a whole month. On the seventh day, I found out that you get bored so I decided to record some acoustic tunes. This one here is an Animals cover, after which I went out for white russians."</i> - Darren Vincent <i>a.k.a.</i> yaya club</div>
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5.<span span="span" style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://whiteheathmusic.com/">White Heath</a> - <b>In A Glasshouse</b></span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;">This BEHEMOTH of a track <span style="font-size: x-small;">was released by the <span style="font-size: x-small;">wonderful White Heath earlier this year. It's we<span style="font-size: x-small;">ll overdue a extra plug!<span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<i>"You can explore the world of the song further at <a href="http://glasshouse.whiteheathmusic.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">glasshouse.whiteheathmusic.com</a> and see White Heath live on the 16<sup>th</sup> November at Broadcast, Glasgow in support of Bwani Junction; the 30th November at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh; the 21<sup>st</sup> December at King Tut's Wah Wah Tent, Glasgow."</i> - White Heath</div>
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How's about that!? Hope you all enjoy it. A huge thanks to each of the artists involved in this month's EP. All you have to do to get your FREE copy is to click the artwork above, or <a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kowalskiys-free-monthly-scottish-ep-29">here</a> if you can't be arsed scrolling back up. While you're there, there's another 28 there crying out to be downloaded for FREE. <br />
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Now to get cracking on December's EP. If you fancy making my life that wee bit easier, and contributing a track to one of these, then send me a wee email (<a href="mailto:kowalskiy2@gmail.com">kowalskiy2@gmail.com</a>) and we'll see what we can do! </div>
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Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-30405227772675334162012-11-15T10:20:00.002+00:002012-11-15T10:21:08.103+00:00Battle Of The Bands: Round 9<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday, on our new fortnightly Wednesday slot, my blogging, musical Moriarty (a.k.a. Neil from <a href="http://scottishfiction.blogspot.com/">Scottish Fiction</a>) and I slogged it out in the ninth round of Battle Of The Bands. You can read the entire blow-by-blow if you look at <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23battleofthebandsround9&src=hash">#battleofthebandsround9</a> on twitter. Or just read this summary... you're here now.<br />
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Having won the <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/10/battle-of-bands-round-8.html">last round</a>, rather convincingly, with the help of the mighty <a href="http://www.facebook.com/IndianRedLopez">IndianRedLopez</a>, I knew Neil would be out to avenge his artist's (<a href="http://loversturntomonsters.bandcamp.com/">Lovers Turn To Monsters</a>) defeat. This time, he'd have the pick of the three attributes, which has proved successful in 7 out of the opening 8 bouts. So he went into Round 9 as the favourite... but that's why I rolled out my secret weapon... <a href="http://www.arranarctic.com/">Arran Arctic</a>. Sure, he may be one man, but he's been around for the best part of a decade, has an impressive <a href="http://soundcloud.com/arranarctic/">SoundCloud</a> presence, and those two Cs make for a very decent Scrabble score. I went into this round confident of an upset.<br />
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Unbeknownst to me, Neil had plumped for a quartet of lovely ladies to fight his battle for him. Hear that people... he let four girls do his dirty work for him. Shame on you! I must say though, it was four very talented girls... <a href="http://www.teencanteen.co.uk/">TeenCanteen</a>.<br />
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Here's a quick recap of the rules for those who, after 8 rounds, still don't have a clue what's going on. You can read them in full over <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/06/battle-of-bands.html">here</a>. This round, Neil picked the three attributes. For each of the three, the person with the highest value gets one point... apart from the TOTAL attribute where the lowest score wins... just to mix things up. Both get a half-point in the event of a draw and losers... get sod all! Neil went for <b>Average Age</b>, <b>Twitter Follow Ratio</b> and there was a welcome return for this rule-bending <b>TOTAL</b> attribute not seen since the first round. Disclaimer time... all stats were correct at the time of battle.<br />
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Right, here's the all-important stats. <i>Ding ding</i>, Round 9...<br />
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Things were looking promising when Arran pipped the girls' in the <b>Average Age</b> department by a slim, one year margin. First blood to Team Kowalskiy... but then it all went downhill from there. After scores were levelled thanks to the <b>Twitter Follow Ratios</b>, Neil's <b>TOTAL</b> masterstroke paid off in style and he won the round by 2 points to 1. In the end it was my high-scoring secret weapons, Arran's SoundCloud presence, 8 years of Arcticness and his two Cs, that proved to be my downfall. Crafty Neil!<br />
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And with that, the series is once again tied. <br />
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I say this every time, but it's not about who wins... it's all about the music! Unless I win of course, then it's a wee bit about who wins. Anyhoo, I'll start off the latest bout of plugging with one of my favourite artists I've had the privilege of covering on Kowalskiy... the wonderful <a href="http://www.arranarctic.com/">Arran Arctic</a>. His brand new album <b>Like Lovers</b> is out on the 18<sup>th</sup> November. It's by far his best release to date, with <b>Covers</b>, <b>Armies</b>, and some of the gorgeous instrumentals up there as his finest moments. Now, let me qualify that by saying I'm a huge fan of his previous five albums (all repackaged and for sale over <a href="http://arranarctic.bandcamp.com/">here</a>). They're all good, but this one is just brilliant. Throughout, he's made a lot of use out of his clarsach (a small harp apparently) and that sound is as refreshing as the ice-cold Arctic itself. The biggest compliment I can pay the album though, and Arran himself, is that at times I could swear I was listening to the musical maestro Get Well Soon. On the 18<sup>th</sup>, you'd best look <a href="http://arranarctic.bandcamp.com/">yonder</a>!<br />
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And now, onto this round's winners. If you cast your minds back to the early days of Kowalskiy, you might recall I featured a band called <a href="http://retrochamps.bandcamp.com/">Futuristic Retro Champions</a> a fair number of times. Well, out of their ashes, <a href="http://www.teencanteen.co.uk/">TeenCanteen</a> sprung earlier this year. And from what I've heard so far, which is pretty much just <b>How We Met (Cherry Pie)</b>, they sound like they'll be every bit as good as those retro champs. <br />
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If my snooping serves me right, they'll be at <a href="http://www.thegladcafe.co.uk/">The Glad Cafe</a> in Shawlands ('tis a lovely wee venue) this Friday (<i>i.e.</i> TOMORROW) supporting Duglas T. Stewart of BMX Bandits fame. And that's about it until Round 10 in a fortnight's time! I'm off to sign up my next member of Team Kowalskiy before Neil gets his grubby hands on him/her/them. <br />
Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-70902862348584325742012-11-05T19:40:00.001+00:002012-11-05T19:40:18.429+00:00K&A with We Are The Physics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNHdGVS9Sld1bPAHO6sps-RoO56wvXqCqcHvn50xvNRVqdk1xM7iMTHXJZY8ZIHLQmHlu09Qkw4wELLt2uSh1sRXUsuTBapbVcqzdcSsEVk6JHWRNo9SpLPfiiyeUICUnnVYC8vUZRJY/s1600/we-are-the-physics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNHdGVS9Sld1bPAHO6sps-RoO56wvXqCqcHvn50xvNRVqdk1xM7iMTHXJZY8ZIHLQmHlu09Qkw4wELLt2uSh1sRXUsuTBapbVcqzdcSsEVk6JHWRNo9SpLPfiiyeUICUnnVYC8vUZRJY/s400/we-are-the-physics.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Five years ago, it was impossible to be a physics student in the West End of Glasgow and not be intrigued by the strange <a href="http://www.wearethephysics.com/">We Are The Physics</a> posters popping up here and there. I did anyway. Shortly after hearing, literally, <i>Less Than Three</i> of their tracks, I quickly developed an unhealthy obsession with them. Then the years pass by, they slip off the radar and my musical taste takes a distinctly folky turn... until one day... I find <i>Goran Ivanisevic</i> in my inbox... <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F51483487&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F51483487&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wearethephysics/goran-ivanisevic">Goran Ivanisevic</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wearethephysics">We Are The Physics</a></div>
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...and my geeky love affair begins again! Since then, they've released another two cracking <i>"mutant punk"</i> singles in <i>Applied Robotics</i> and <i>Napoleon Loves Josephine</i>, and one of the albums of the year to boot. Certainly one of mine anyway! <i>Your Friend, The Atom</i> was released at the end of October so I caught up with the band via the very scientific medium of The Internet and asked them some questions about it. To be honest, I'm not actually sure who answered my questions, but given I have 75% chance of being correct, I'll give Michael the credit. Take it away Michael...<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> At the risk of asking something you've answered hundreds of times already... are any of you actually physicists?</span><br />
<b>Michael: </b> No, none of us are actual physicists, but we are all genuine physics. Michaeldrum is a pilot.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> It's been a few years since your debut .<i>..Are OK at Music</i>. Do you think you've gotten better at it, or is OK still a fair assessment? </span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> I think we're still okay. People always want to hear of some journey when it comes to a second album, a maturing or an evolution, so I'm going to say we're exactly the same. Might even be a bit worse. No bands want to say the truth which is that they're probably still shite.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> How do you think <i>Your Friend, The Atom</i> compares to it?</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> I think as much as it's still us, it's a lot more thoughtful than OK At Music was. We spent less time just hammering at our instruments and more time hammering at other people's instruments. OK At Music consisted of the first songs we wrote, and it was a case of throwing everything we had on one record, whereas we could pick and choose more carefully this time. <br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Are you going to make us wait four-and-a-half years for the follow up again?!</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> We didn't make you wait, you're perfectly capable of inventing a time machine and skipping ahead to hear the next one. Actually, if we'd had our way, this one would've been out in 2010. Unfortunately, banks don't respond well to us running in and asking for money. By asking I mean demanding. And by running I mean driving through the window with a van. Actually, none of that happened, we're law-abiding citizens.<br />
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</b> <span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> My interview standard... what would be your ideal gig?</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> This is going to sound really unambitious, but I think we play ideal gigs a lot. When we first imagined doing gigs and what they'd be like, they were the ones we loved growing up - small, intimate and rowdy. A bit like Dudley Moore. So, we get to live out our ideal gig fantasy every time we play. We've done bigger gigs and they're always just a bit dull.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> How geeky are you... give us your best physics joke.</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> A particle walks into a bar and the bar man says nothing of interest because, ultimately, everything we do is completely futile.<br />
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And on that positive note, I also asked them a few song-specific ones. In actual fact, they have very little relevance... but here's what they had to say anyway.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Your opening track <i>Go Go Nucleo -> For Science</i> and the album title itself, both seem to suggest that Nuclear and Particle are your preferred physics fields... but which is better... and why?</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> It's not a competition - only the foolish reduce brilliance to lists. (That's how we get out of not answering that questions due to lack of knowledge)<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> The correct answer was of course, nuclear. Tut tut! On the subject of physics fields, I've been in and around physics for 11 years now and I've never come across <i>Applied Robotics</i>. Explain! </span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> That's not a question, we refuse to answer.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F53256247&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F53256247&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wearethephysics/applied-robotics">Applied Robotics</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wearethephysics">We Are The Physics</a></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy: </b>Other than not being a Kevin Bacon film, what else is Apollo 11 an example of? This is of course referring to your non-HTML-friendly track entitled <i>&<sup></sup>nbsp;(e.g. Apollo 11)</i>.</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> Apollo 11, as you well know, sir, took Stretch Armstrong and Buzz Lightyear to the moon. Apollo 11 was an example of how, suddenly, the human race took a massive artificial evolutionary step in removing themselves from the planet and landing on the moon. The song's about how fusing technology and humanity can lead to the singularity and the ultimate technological evolution of the human body into a machine or, at least, a posthuman entity that requires technology to function. NBSP with its semi-colon and ampersand is HTML and causes a non-breaking space, a wee bit of blankness in between two pieces of text. So, Apollo 11's successful mission is an example of a non-breaking space between the old world of natural humanity, and the possibility of the reality of a new world where technology allows humanity to exist outside the natural limitations of the body and the planet. We were going to call it HTML On Earth though, which is dead dead funny and wouldn't have required me to drone on and on here. TL;DR - doesn't really matter.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> For your latest single <i>Napoleon Loves Josephine</i>, you chose to immortalise this love story in musical form. How comes? </span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> We always liked how that wasn't actually Josephine's name and how Napoleon just decided to call her that, so it echoes the point of the song which is about mutual manipulation. It's more about how people use each other for their own personal gain, with Napoleon and Josephine as examples of that.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F62578347&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F62578347&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wearethephysics/napoleon-loves-josephine">Napoleon Loves Josephine</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wearethephysics">We Are The Physics</a> </div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> <i>And So Now We're Wrestling With The Body Politic.</i>.. which politician would make the best wrestler?</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> David "The Rock" Cameron. Can you smell what The Rock is cooking? Possibly the NHS.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> On to <i>There Is No Cure For The Common Cold So Don't Expect A Cure For Cancer </i>now... I don't mean to contradict you when you're in one of your more deep and philosphical moments, but haven't you heard of the Vicks' Bullring!? </span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> That's true. And also carefully cutting your own skin off can cure acne.<br />
[Don't try any of these at home kids!]<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Track 7... this is more of a curious one about the video... what's going on?</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> Which video, damn you? Are we talking Goran Ivanisevic here? I just had to check the tracklisting on my own record. I think the whole plot of the video is thH3HCVV-39ERRROR LINE 9122.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy: </b> Yeah, again... never heard of this <i>Dildonics</i> field. </span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> I've always had a personal hang-up about Teledildonics - I remember reading a chapter about it in a book once on the way to college and this girl I thought was really pretty sat down next to me. We'd never talked because I was me, and she glanced over just as I turned the page to reveal a picture of a massive mechanized penis. Needless to say I had the last laugh. She still never spoke to me.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Right... Scottish music <i>Cluedo</i>. Who done 'it', where and with what? I'll leave the 'it' up open to interpretation. Don't get me sued!</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> Professor Green, in the TITP campsite, with the Benzo Fury.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy: </b> Not really related to your song <i>Eat Something</i>, but what's your opinion on the recent findings that chocolate consumption is directly related to your chances of becoming a Nobel Prize winner? SUBQUESTION... if there were to be a Nobel Prize awarded for music, who'd win this year?</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> My opinion is that if it were true, I'd have all the Nobel Prizes. We should win the Nobel Prize for music because we've successfully managed to be awful for many years with only the truly enlightened noticing.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> <i>All My Friends Are JPEGs</i> seems to be a dig at various aspects of social media. Care to go into more more detail, and also explain why constant Farmville requests from people you never even spoke to at school wasn't mentioned in the song? </span> <br />
<b>Michael:</b> It's not so much a dig, I just don't enjoy going out and having every moment captured on camera. You see groups of people emulating having a good time for the camera rather than actually, you know, having a good time. It's all become a bit like our online personnas are the ones that truly count and it's more important to show that we've had a good time on Facebook than to genuinely have one. It's a worry that eventually these online lives will be the ones that we're working in our real lives to maintain, the digital image of ourselves being more important than the physical. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, but we're in a rubbish transition stage where nothing's validated until it's been liked on Facebook.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Given the recent Scottish interest in The Great British Bake Off, what's your recipe for the perfect <i>Junkie Bun</i>?</span> <br />
<b>Michael:</b> Sugar. HUNNERS OF SUGAR, MATE. AW THE SUGAR, MATE. CHEERS, PAL.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Are you planning a John Travoltage counterpart to <i>Olivia Neutron Bomb</i> for the next album?</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> You're the one that I watt. You are the one I watt. Ooh ooh ooh frazzle.<br />
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Powerful stuff! So, I hope that gives you a bit more insight, not only into their warped minds, but into the album too. It's frenetic, fast-paced and offers very little in the way of respite. And I'm pretty sure a lot of the subject matter violates the laws of physics themselves (should've known they weren't physicists!). But all that is what makes it such an outstanding album... which you can of course buy <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Friend-The-Atom/dp/B00954NZQI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1352144046&sr=8-3">here</a>. <br />
<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-16756932942523351132012-10-31T22:10:00.000+00:002012-10-31T22:10:19.041+00:00Battle Of The Bands: Round 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIH_Yk3pRxjr3mMz3BcrXVv_s2JosXfS71Z7pWE-BzvI6i62XZCeCQ5dXlpXQ-giTGec2WGrRuLA9hTzvqnyWRkPA4yQ4XCqG6JSN_nLSWN-_KhiP1Eq5AQoius-JPElb06Sd3epswOw/s400/BattleOfTheBands-WhiteBg.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIH_Yk3pRxjr3mMz3BcrXVv_s2JosXfS71Z7pWE-BzvI6i62XZCeCQ5dXlpXQ-giTGec2WGrRuLA9hTzvqnyWRkPA4yQ4XCqG6JSN_nLSWN-_KhiP1Eq5AQoius-JPElb06Sd3epswOw/s400/BattleOfTheBands-WhiteBg.png" width="400" /></a></div>It's a week and a day later than first billed, but here's the round-up of Round 8. Going into this latest musical melee, it's been level pegging with 3 wins apiece ever since that opening round draw. Last time out, Neil (the nemesis) from Scottish Fiction drew the series level with some help from the <span class="st"><i>crème de la Croy</i></span>... <a href="http://www.facebook.com/CampfiresInWinter">Campfires In Winter</a>, who toyed with my Edinburgh trio <a href="http://toymachene.com/">Toy Machene</a>. The ball's back in my court this time, and I've got an Aberdonian ace up my sleeve...<br />
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...for joining Team Kowalskiy this round is the mighty <a href="http://www.facebook.com/IndianRedLopez">IndianRedLopez</a>. Another favourite around these parts, and some impressive stats to boot! I went into our latest bout confident I'd regain the lead once again. Unbeknownst to me, I was doing battle with another favourite of mine... the prolific <a href="http://loversturntomonsters.bandcamp.com/">Lovers Turn To Monsters</a> <i>a.k.a.</i> Kyle Wood. <br />
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Before I give a blow-by-blow account of what happened, here's a quick recap of the rules for those who, after 8 rounds, still don't have a clue what's going on. You can read them in full over <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/06/battle-of-bands.html">here</a>. This round, it's my turn to pick the three attributes we're playing with. For each of the three, the person with the highest value gets one point, with both getting a half-point in the event of a draw. Losers... don't get a thing! I banked on my guys' <b>Band Name Scrabble Score</b> (they have a Z!), their <b>Twitter Follow Ratio</b> (anything bigger than 1 is impressive in my book), and I also played the age card and went for <b>Average Age</b>. Disclaimer time... all stats were correct at the time of battle.<br />
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Right, here's the all-important stats. <i>Ding ding</i>, Round 8...<br />
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Oh yasss! That 'Z' came in very, very handy as I took a 1-0 lead after the first attribute. Next up, was the Twitter factor, and my boys narrowly pipped it... and I mean narrowly! A 5-second purge of who he follows and Kyle would have levelled the round. But, as it stood, Team Kowalskiy took an insurmountable 2-0 lead. I didn't even have to play the age card, but I thought it best to give you plenty of time to look for five 30th birthday presents for my boys. That completed a Round 8 whitewash, and edged me out in front AGAIN in the series. <br />
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Once again, he who is in charge of the attributes, wins! I've got 2 weeks to find a band to help me buck that trend in Round 9. <br />
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As much as I enjoy these little triumphs in this yo-yoing duel, it's all about the music! So I'll start off the plugging with the victors <a href="http://www.facebook.com/IndianRedLopez">IndianRedLopez</a>. Their debut album <i>Empty Your Lungs And Breathe</i> was undoubtedly one of last year's highlights, and if their new track <i>Break Us Both</i> is anything to go by, the follow-up may just be better still! You can watch the video for it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgjd-3RdAXw">here</a>, or listen to it below... and no doubt they'll be playing it at The Arches in Glasgow on the 16<sup>th</sup> November (get tickets <a href="https://uk.patronbase.com/_Arches/Productions/PBEA/Performances/">here</a>). They then head down to London for two nights at Surya (21<sup>st</sup>) and Proud Camden (22<sup>nd</sup>). <br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F41746168&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=ff0000" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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And now, onto the man who's very much more of a lover than a fighter, it's <a href="http://loversturntomonsters.bandcamp.com/">Lovers Turn To Monsters</a>. It's difficult to know what to plug since Kyle always seems to have something new out! In August he released his own take on Withered Hand's entire <i>Good News</i> album, and good it is too. You can get that <a href="http://loversturntomonsters.bandcamp.com/album/lttm-presents-withered-hands-good-news">here</a>. But as it's his latest offering, and 'cos it's Halloween, I'll pop up a track from <i>This Horror Movie is a Metaphor for Puberty...</i> which you can pay-what-you-want for <a href="http://loversturntomonsters.bandcamp.com/album/this-horror-movie-is-a-metaphor-for-puberty">here</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" data="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=2108087941/size=grande/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=000000/" height="100" type="text/html" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=2108087941/size=grande/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=000000/"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="allowNetworking" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never"><object data="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=2108087941/size=grande/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=000000/" type="text/html" width="300" height="100"></object></object></div><br />
So that's it for another fortnight! Until then, I'll quietly bask in my one point lead in the series...Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-19203607739392775722012-10-25T20:42:00.002+01:002012-10-25T20:44:43.262+01:00Coastal Skid Spy Wok v23.0<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEUlvE5RMkeIO4ZotrYF6lvPNBpiokKfKZgkZUyzbWjeMjfnIUe5cdqS_FNghyphenhyphen9lcm0tQTJhbyRd44XisPIIH6BDM80-xttTMD4rwtw9lE0R4qZCBPisaZeV89AbDXxv1J8Rm-38pvQ-3/s1600/CoastalSkidSpyWok.png"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEUlvE5RMkeIO4ZotrYF6lvPNBpiokKfKZgkZUyzbWjeMjfnIUe5cdqS_FNghyphenhyphen9lcm0tQTJhbyRd44XisPIIH6BDM80-xttTMD4rwtw9lE0R4qZCBPisaZeV89AbDXxv1J8Rm-38pvQ-3/s400/CoastalSkidSpyWok.png" width="400" /></a></div>
The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted that these at-one-time-weekly round-ups of what's been taking my SoundCloud fancy have been getting increasing less frequent. To be honest, with the exception of my <a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/">free monthly EPs</a> and my <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/search/label/Battle%20Of%20The%20Bands">bi-weekly duel</a> with a certain Mr. Fiction (Round 8 on Tuesday by the way!), there's not much time these days to blog. So you're gonna have to make do with a threadbare Kowalskiy for the time being. <br />
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With all that in mind, I've been neglecting more bands than usual recently. It's not intentional folks... honest. So what better way to say a big "SORRY" than to give a bunch of them a well-deserved plug! First up, is a man you may know better as Gav Prentice from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/weareoverthewall">Over The Wall</a>... it's <a href="http://www.facebook.com/gavprentice">Gav Prentice</a>. His debut solo album <i>The Invisible Hand</i> came out on the 15<sup>th</sup>. You can snap it up over <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Invisible-Hand-Explicit/dp/B009PBAIXO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351188552&sr=8-1">here</a>, but first... my favourite track from it.<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F58278972&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F58278972&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/gav-prentice/how-are-you-sleeping-1">How Are You Sleeping?</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/gav-prentice">Gav Prentice</a></span></div>
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How's about that then?? Next up, and staying in Glasgow, here's <a href="http://www.facebook.com/twowings">Two Wings</a> with the title track from their <a href="http://www.tinangeltickets.co.uk/index.php/action/item/id/465">debut album</a>. They've recently made a video for it too, which you can watch over <a href="http://vimeo.com/50058959">here</a>. Prepare to be taken on a slightly weird, but wonderful musical journey!<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F34957170&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F34957170&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/twowings/loves-spring">Love's Spring</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/twowings">Two Wings</a></span></div>
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Two down, three more to go! I've been aware of this band for some time, but never actually gotten around to having a listen. In my defence, there's sadly just not enough hours in a part-time blogger's day to listen to everything that's sent. Anyhoo, I've been hearing some very good things about <a href="http://facebook.com/vukoviband">Vukovi</a>'s upcoming <i>Sweet Swears EP</i> (listen/buy it <a href="http://vukovi.bandcamp.com/album/sweet-swears">here</a>) so I had a listen. Ooft... she can sing! All SoundCloud have of it, is an acoustic version of the opening track... so here it is!<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F57289434&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F57289434&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/vukovi/he-loves-me-not-acoustic">He Loves Me Not (Acoustic Alternative)</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/vukovi">Vukovi</a></span></div>
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The penultimate, neglected band is none other than ol' favourites <a href="http://www.facebook.com/trappedmice">Trapped Mice</a>. It pains me I'm not able to give their debut album <i>Winter Sun</i> the attention it deserves. So far, it's on a 5 album shortlist for the coveted 'Kowalskiy Album Of The Year' award. It's <b>that</b> good! So much so, look... I bolded the 'that'. It's actually not officially out until the 5<sup>th</sup> of November, but you can pre-order it <a href="http://trappedmice.bandcamp.com/album/winter-sun">here</a>. Let this whet your appetite!<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F41765852&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F41765852&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/trappedmice/trapped-mice-arthurs-seat">Arthur's Seat</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/trappedmice">Trapped Mice</a></span></div>
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Last of all, it's a first-time appearance for <a href="http://www.facebook.com/vasaband">Vasa</a> on Kowalskiy. Chances are it won't be the last going by their debut <i>Never Have Dreams EP</i>. It's out soon, but the lovely folk over at <a href="http://overlookrecords.com/">Overlook Records</a> are giving away the lead track <i>Cynthia</i> for FREE. Here it is. Enjoy!<br />
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F63282842&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/overlookrecords/cynthia">Cynthia</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/overlookrecords">Vasa (courtesy of Overlook Records)</a></span></div>
<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-72814651015791531022012-10-22T21:18:00.002+01:002012-10-22T21:19:06.137+01:00K&A with Thank You So Nice<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Photo by <a href="http://annadphotography.com/">Anna Drobczynska</a></span></span></td></tr>
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Regular readers of this blog should be well aware of this well-mannered Edinburgh-dwelling trio. So far, <a href="http://www.thankyousonice.blogspot.co.uk/">Thank You So Nice</a> have already bared their lonely, <i>"socially-awkward"</i> souls to me <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/06/kowalskiy-singles-club-15.html">in their pursuit of their musical other half</a>, and revealed their geeky admiration for a certain French philosopher when they kindly donated their album track <i>Foucault</i> to <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/06/kowalskiys-free-monthly-5-track.html">KEP#24</a> a few months ago. Socially-awkward geeks... is it any wonder why I feel such an affinity with their debut album! <i> </i><br />
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<i>Make Friends, Not Money</i> was released last week on a very special day for the band. Well... two thirds of them, as I found out when I asked them a few questions. Here's what they had to say, plus a few of my favourite musical interludes from their brilliant debut. <br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Who are Thank You So Nice?</span><br />
<b>Rea:</b> Three stage awkward people.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Let's get the expected ones out of the way first... how would you describe <i>'your sound'</i>?</span><br />
<b>Alex:</b> Indie rock with krautrock aspirations/pretentions, depends how you look at it I suppose.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> And I'm sorry... but I'm curious... what's the story behind the name? Are you just that polite and appreciative?</span><br />
<b>Rea:</b> As well as being very nice people we are pretty big geeks, primarily when it comes to history and video games. The name comes from the new Nintendo DS Super Mario Brothers. When Mario finishes a level and has pirouetted off the flagpole, it’s what he says, or should I say what we think he says, either way we like it although increasingly we're going by the acronym TYSN so we don't get sued.<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Alex:</b> It has been described as "the worst band name in Edinburgh". When I read that half of me wanted to, yes, evolve to the acronym, but the other half of me thought, well, if we achieve nothing, at least there'll be that.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> You've just released your debut album <i>Make Friends, Not Money</i> featuring previous single <i>Let's Make Money</i>... mixed signals folks!! So what's the deal? </span><br />
<b>Rea: </b>Mixed message indeed, but <i>Let's Make Money</i> is more ironic criticism while <i>Make Friends, Not Money</i> is more sincere message.<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Alex:</b> I wouldn't take either of them at face value. I know it's a cop out, but I prefer to let the listener find their own meanings, if they really want to. We actually recorded a title track for the album but it didn't make the final cut. It probably would have made the whole thing make more sense.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> The album came out on Monday there, the same day as Michel Foucault's birthday... him from <i>Foucault</i> surprisingly. Remind us who he is again, and what inspired you to write a song about him? </span> <b> </b><br />
<b>Rea:</b> I let the boys geek out about that, despite being half-French<span style="color: red;"><b>.</b></span> <span style="color: #444444;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Niall: </b>Michel Foucault was a French postmodernist theorist who dealt with ideas of power and hegemony. While it's sort of grown that I am greatly acquainted with Foucaut's theories, my main admiration of him is that he was prepared to change his mind over almost anything, which is extremely unusual for an academic.</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>Alex:</b> What Niall, the Quiet Man of the group says. Foucault is an in house TYSN hero though. Whenever we rehearse or play live we put up a portrait of him on the bass amp. In a metaphysical sense.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Other than that, what else can you tell us about the album?</span><br />
<b>Alex:</b> We wanted to make something that was short, sharp, guitar based, and hopefully fun to listen to, with strange references if you really want to go looking for them. I find a lot of current bands, particularly in Edinburgh, po-faced and frankly dull (isn't pop music meant to be enjoyable?), so I wanted to do something that you don't have to take so....fucking....seriously.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Are there plans afoot to tour the album?</span><br />
<b>Rea: </b>We'd like to do a mini tour of Scotland, the smaller and intimate the venue the better. <span style="color: #444444;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Alex:</b> We'd like to tour the new towns of Britain. Playing outside of Edinburgh would be good... Our next gig is in Leith, so that's a start.</span> <span style="color: red;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> What would be your ideal gig?</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>Rea:</b> Ideal gig to watch would be somewhere where it's still warm at night and you can get close enough to the front but not be crush and have a good jump about with your friends into the wee hours of the night. I got pretty close to this when I went to Prima Vera Sound Festival in Barcelona years ago. But if I was performing, I'd want a small intimate venue, packed with friends and great fans; with them being as much as part of the performance as us and then we all go eat cheesy chips together afterwards. <span style="color: #444444;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Niall:</b> To watch? One of the 1979 Fabrizio De Andre concerts with PFM as the backing band. To play, I'd love to play any gig in Italy, either something huge like the Circus Maximus in Rome, or some little venue packed out.</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>Alex:</b> I'd like to play in Outer Mongolia c1200. If they didn't like you, you'd be in trouble though. I reckon they might be into Schlager so we'd probably do an hour long version of that. The roadies would take care of themselves and the rider would probably include some kind of highly alcoholic fermented milk drink. <span style="color: red;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Who's this Katie?</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>Rea:</b> I'll defer this answer to Alex <span style="color: #444444;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Alex:</b> Ah, Katie, a chance encounter on a London to Glasgow train over a decade ago. I thought she'd be a good subject for a public transport themed song with a semi-ironic ska bit. Her name wasn't Katie.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"> </span>
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Last one... what can we expect from TYSN in the future?</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>Rea: </b>More stickers. <span style="color: #444444;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><b>Niall:</b> A constant experimentation of sounds, directions and a willingness to repeat things if necessary.</span> <b> </b><br />
<b>Alex:</b> More repetition, more references to obscure leaders of the opposition, and a krautrock album.<br />
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I for one, can't wait! Their music may be fun, but despite what Alex said, they are very much a band to be taken very seriously indeed. <i>Make Friends, Not Money</i> is out now on a name-your-price download over <a href="http://tysn.bandcamp.com/album/make-friends-not-money">here</a>, with CD copies available from Elvis Shakespeare, Avalanche Records and <a href="http://www.thankyousonice.blogspot.co.uk/">their own website</a>. All that's left for me to say is Thank You TYSN!<br />
Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-46372624248180125332012-10-16T12:11:00.000+01:002012-11-15T20:46:35.575+00:00Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #28<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kowalskiys-free-monthly-scottish-ep-28" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/30/24/3024771519-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
See... told you this EP would be on time! This month's offering sees another five of the finest artists and bands in this wonderful country side-by-side in musical harmony. And that sentence is why I never send out any PR about these EPs. Anyhoo, here's the five artists in question, and what they each had to say about their track... apart from one shy lot for whom I've been at my paraphrasing best! <br />
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1. <a href="http://www.plasticanimals.co.uk/">Plastic Animals</a> - <b>Waking Hours</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Rescued from the cutting room floor, this little beauty is from Edinburgh's Plastic Animals <a href="http://plasticanimals.bandcamp.com/album/automaton"><b>Automaton EP</b></a> recording sessions. The EP will be re-released soon on the <a href="http://www.strangefishrecords.com/">Strange Fish Records</a> label.)</span><br />
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<i>"</i><i>The track is called "Waking Hours" and it's from the cutting room floor
of the recording session we did for our most recent EP "Automaton". It's
a bit more synth-y and "space pop"-y than our usual stuff but hopefully
you'll like it ok! Cheers."</i> - Dave Wark (Plastic Animals)<br />
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2. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Poor-Things/154212944593014">Poor Things</a> -<b> Pat Nevin Indie Disco</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(A cracking homage to their hometown... and a nod to Scotland's favourite, music-loving, diminutive No. 11.) </span></div>
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<i>"This song is basically a homage to our hometown Perth, and to friends
we've lost touch with. It's semi-fictional; I've been dabbling in
short-stories (they're really hard) and I'd written this brief tale
about a teenage guy who starts hanging out with 'a new crowd', (mostly
out of inevitable sexual curiosity) but in doing so he ditches this girl
who he's been friends with for years. So when I say 'semi-fictional', I
had a friend like that who I don't see any more, and I started thinking
about it recently and what a shame it is.
I played around with it a lot, and compressed it into this song -
through the reference to Cocteau Twins I thought it would be funny to
call it after Pat Nevin who famously got permission to leave a
pre-season friendly at half time to go and see some Cherry Coloured
Funk. What a bro."</i> - Craig Angus (Poor Things)</div>
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3. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/kittythelionmusic">Kitty The Lion</a> - <b>Duck! </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Goose! This fun-filled gem was your for free earlier this year for a retweet or a 'Like'. Now, it's yours for even less than that. It's also proof that my paraphrasing is crap!)</span><br />
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<i>"</i><i>We've just found out we've got funding to record our album!! Yayyy! Also planning a wee winter tour. Why don't we just put Duck! on it</i><i>?"</i> - Kitty The Lion<br />
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4. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yaya-Club/165025540194012">yaya club</a> - <b>The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Recorded just last night in his converted-wardrobe-vocals-studio, here's yaya club's cover of The Band's Americana classic. Get Darren's latest double A-side <a href="http://yayaclub.bandcamp.com/album/sometimes-these-eyes-of-mine">here</a> for free!) </span></div>
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<i>"</i><i>I'm a big fan of The Band. Levon Helm is my beard idol, and my favourite ever farmer."</i> - Darren Vincent <i>a.k.a.</i> yaya club</div>
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5. <a href="http://www.eugenetwist.com/">Eugene Twist</a> - <b>Halloween Drama Queen (Acoustic Demo) </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">A brand, spanking acoustic newbie from Mr. Twist. 'Tis fairly awesome if you ask me! As is his <a href="http://eugenetwist.bandcamp.com/">debut album</a>...)</span><br />
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<i>"</i><i>Mid - October hopefully validates this unleashing of new song 'Halloween
Drama Queen'. Acoustic demo recorded at the Old Hairdressers, Glasgow.
Dedicated to the unfortunate thousands each year who find themselves at
the mercy of a strange and growing phenomenon - getting dumped on
Halloween." - </i>Eugene Twist</div>
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And with that, I'm done for another month. A huge thanks to each of the artists involved in this month's EP. I hope you all enjoy it! All you have to do to get your FREE copy is to click the artwork above, or <a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kowalskiys-free-monthly-scottish-ep-28">here</a> if you can't be arsed scrolling back up. While you're there, there's another 27 there crying out to be downloaded for FREE. <br />
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Now to get cracking on November's EP. If you fancy making my life that wee bit easier, and contributing a track to one of these, then send me a wee email (<a href="mailto:kowalskiy2@gmail.com">kowalskiy2@gmail.com</a>) and we'll see what we can do! </div>
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Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-54569607542229422962012-10-10T20:33:00.000+01:002012-10-10T20:34:21.897+01:00Kowalskiy Singles Club #18<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://kowalskiy.blogspot.com/search/label/Kowalskiy%20Singles%20Club" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9Ck9W78N32jRCZ8_dpvk01LQ0ER4UUPJtC3NoC4g0Docn1vVqDTKRto-Wgeaf1nAWqgUOBMQtYeTICSiLE6WzG0A8UWWWMtDDSqqmiG6KBTnR0iZ70M18nDHAcxTng8_cTn4bSI89TjN/s400/KowSingClub.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Time for me to play matchmaker and try to set you up with another handful of hopeless romantics. If you like the sound of any of them, then click on the artwork and let the good times rock 'n' roll. Two puns is plenty this time 'round! Here you go...<br />
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<a href="http://thespookschool.bandcamp.com/album/here-we-go-cameraman" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="The Spook School - Here We Go/Cameraman"><img alt="The Spook School - Here We Go/Cameraman" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrFGqVcluBezuXLCz65ARvYGNiAQwbwtgtXGOoRszloPcWwSZ8gva99mn8KWdC6Z5uiPrysnHbFHSgY-oMMFg_RQi5srpAfRkuNUKvAVAGOem3JZMhTi8ou0ZTA5DcPPsYtfE0roWUDI/s320/HereWeGo-TheSpookSchool-artwork.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>Here We Go/Cameraman</b> by <a href="http://thespookschool.com/">The Spook School</a><i> </i><br />
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<i>"Lonely band of mixed heights seek tolerant individuals for unexpected nudity. Must have been naked at least once before in life. Holding hands is optional and back rubs will be expected. Must have own car or at least a young person's railcard. However, we are prepared to settle for second best.</i>" - The Spook School</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Spook School have a new single out!!! Today in fact. Happy days! You can get your download by clicking the artwork, or buy the 7" vinyl over on <a href="http://www.cloudberryrecords.com/">Cloudberry Records</a>. </span></div>
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<a href="http://yayaclub.bandcamp.com/album/sometimes-these-eyes-of-mine" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Yaya Club - Sometimes/These Eyes Of Mine"><img alt="Yaya Club - Sometimes/These Eyes Of Mine" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/25/60/2560257187-1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>Sometimes/These Eyes Of Mine </b>by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yaya-Club/165025540194012">Yaya Club</a></div>
<i>"Do you sometimes find yourself reminiscing in front of an open hearth with a teary eye and a fistful of single malt? And have you ever climbed a hill in the pouring rain, just because the view helps you remember? Then look no further: Old-fashioned country gent seeks old-fashioned country lady for long talks and even longer walks. Must look good in denim dungarees and a straw hat."</i> - Darren Vincent <i>a.k.a.</i> Yaya Club<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Can't say I've ever found myself doing any of those. I do however, look dashing in a pair of dungarees if I don't say so myself. This is one of those <i>pay-what-you-like</i> efforts from Yaya Club, and a great one at that! </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://shop.luxlisbon.com/album/get-some-scars-free-download" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Lux Lisbon - Get Some Scars"><img alt="Lux Lisbon - Get Some Scars" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/37/31/3731728653-1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>Get Some Scars</b> by <a href="http://luxlisbon.com/">Lux Lisbon</a><i> </i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>"Melancholic, wistful, see-saw swaying melody stuck in the past SEEKS - 4 sad souls joined in emphatic harmony to sing it's uplifting affecting refrain, and dance to it's serious yet elusive groove. MUST BE - big hearted without being loud, simple without being insipid. MUST LIKE - protests against a musical age known for robotic technological banality and pretending that, yes, it's all going to be alright after all. Oh, and the ill-fated middle Lisbon sister from the 1999 Sofia Copolla film 'Virgin Suicides'.</i><i>" - </i>Lux Lisbon</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lux Lisbon aren't strictly Scottish... in fact, they're not Scottish at all. But when someone emails you saying they were put onto you by their friend scrawling <i>"Kowalskiy"</i> onto a beer mat one night, how could you not have a wee listen?! Thankfully I did, cos this is great... FREE too!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.arranarctic.com/2012/09/23/free-single-covers/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Arran Arctic - Covers"><img alt="Arran Arctic - Covers" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvv_CrWMDuEBvXDIZphZentT84cAuhXwrY1ghAjN_neNp61OZU9v8n9uFahf8gkaczNIlu0opD3BTV1A2cQppOp-WyIgDlZ5_QTFXBuuANWzSBTtunVgdtluo1uanhINqFcsdnmVZhNhw/s320/Covers-Single-Cover.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Covers</b> by <a href="http://www.arranarctic.com/">Arran Arctic</a><i> </i><br />
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<i>"Misery guts seeks tortured soul mate to share king-sized double (mustn't hog the covers!). Enjoys wistfully caressing harps and pretending to be Joanna Newsom... and playing with torches in dark rooms. Call me! <a href="http://www.arranarctic.com/">www.arranarctic.com</a>"</i> - Arran Southall</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Arran Arctic is back! It's been a while ol' chum. This is <b>Covers</b>, the first single from his new, upcoming album <b>Like Lovers</b>. Ooh, that rhymes! He's a clever man that Arran, even if he is a misery guts!</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/napoleon-loves-josephine-single/id563692148" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="We Are The Physics - Napoleon Loves Josephine"><img alt="We Are The Physics - Napoleon Loves Josephine" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWB67GFKZ9k-oOT_kUySBzDN2e46NYv_UpNygmaCvAR-bp3IQrv9UZCGLBTvXP5qN2_1hxUgkA9hgEMGC1afMZX-ZVKgPS4E5AThkwcV6QkopvNDMI2ai0yA0jW-A8CgKagMjwm4Q8vr4/s400/NapoleonLovesJosephine.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Napoleon Loves Josephine</b> by <a href="http://www.wearethephysics.com/">We Are The Physics</a><i> </i><br />
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<i>"Four lonely sociopaths seek new host for parasitic lifestyle. Must be willing to alter name, appearance and gender as required. Good sense of humour unnecessary. Must enjoy long walks on the beach, movies, mutual manipulation and the ability to administer and receive emotional abuse over a period of many years. Bearded, lion-esque light entertainment TV presenters need not apply.</i>" - We Are The Physics</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My rekindled love affair with We Are The Physics continues. This is the third single to be taken from the four lonely sociopath's second album <b>Your Friend, The Atom</b>. With any luck, we'll be hearing a bit more from them about that album soon... I've said too much!</span></div>
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<a href="http://howtoswim.bandcamp.com/album/it-doesnt-even-have-to-be-you" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="How To Swim - It Doesn't Even Have To Be You"><img alt="How To Swim - It Doesn't Even Have To Be You" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/29/80/2980529435-1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>It Doesn't Even Have To Be You</b> by <a href="http://facebook.com/howtoswim">How To Swim</a><i> </i><br />
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<i>"Fun-loving miseryguts WLTM similar, different, or anything for protracted period of co-existence."</i> - Gregor Barclay (How To Swim)</div>
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<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Completing the lonely-hearted half-dozen are another firm favourite of mine, How To Swim. Short but sweet from our second misery guts of the day. It's the lead single from new album <b>Niagarama</b> and is yours to download on a <i>name-your-price</i> by clicking the artwork.</span></div>
<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-90472159076756914452012-10-10T18:45:00.000+01:002012-10-10T18:46:03.671+01:00Battle Of The Bands: Round 7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIH_Yk3pRxjr3mMz3BcrXVv_s2JosXfS71Z7pWE-BzvI6i62XZCeCQ5dXlpXQ-giTGec2WGrRuLA9hTzvqnyWRkPA4yQ4XCqG6JSN_nLSWN-_KhiP1Eq5AQoius-JPElb06Sd3epswOw/s400/BattleOfTheBands-WhiteBg.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIH_Yk3pRxjr3mMz3BcrXVv_s2JosXfS71Z7pWE-BzvI6i62XZCeCQ5dXlpXQ-giTGec2WGrRuLA9hTzvqnyWRkPA4yQ4XCqG6JSN_nLSWN-_KhiP1Eq5AQoius-JPElb06Sd3epswOw/s400/BattleOfTheBands-WhiteBg.png" width="400" /></a></div>So we have arrived, at last, at the great battle of our time... well Round 7 of it anyway! A fortnight ago, this musical battle between myself and Neil from Scottish Fiction tipped back into Team Kowalskiy's favour with my narrow victory over <a href="http://www.stanleyodd.com/">Stanley Odd</a> courtesy of Skye's finest <a href="http://www.thedeadmanswaltz.com/">The Dead Man's Waltz</a>. You can read the blow-by-blow account of that duel over <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/09/battle-of-bands-round-6.html">here</a>. For this round though, it's the Fiction camp's turn to choose which of the vital stats we'll be slugging it out over. But I've got an ace up my sleeve... <br />
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Joining Team Kowalskiy this time 'round is Edinburgh trio <a href="http://toymachene.com/">Toy Machene</a>. They're no strangers to the blog, and with their strong SoundCloud presence (including their entire debut album) and dare-I-say <i>advancing</i> years (as someone who's only 2 years off it, 30 is the new 20 though!), I was confident we'd have a fighting chance against whoever Neil had picked. Little did I know he'd picked the <span class="st"><i>crème de la Croy</i>, </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/CampfiresInWinter">Campfires In Winter</a>. <br />
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Here's a quick recap of the rules for those who don't have a clue what's going on. You can read them in full over <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/06/battle-of-bands.html">here</a>. This round, it was Neil's turn to choose which of the three attributes we'd be dueling with. For each of the three, the person with the highest value gets one point, with both getting a half-point in the event of a draw. Losers... get a big, fat ZERO! In the end, Neil went for <b>Years Since Formation</b>, <b>Twitter Follow Ratio</b> and <b>Band Name Scrabble Score</b>. As ever, all stats were correct at the time of battle, and were totted up before a last minute Twitter clean-up from those dedicated Toy Machene chaps.<br />
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Here's how they shaped up. <i>Ding ding</i>, Round 7...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEf-hiQ-TmVGr3eM88Wa1jZEsN21IcETjQ8Xsww6W3X3NRysBH2cm98NDgbwypYqZrN6FgvxmV8U404mjVbxIdoeIIip_RgdviDax5lEJ_HSy7WllO9Y9Nr77otgtm47ILnBZKNJwAtAA/s320/Bandcard-ToyMachene.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEf-hiQ-TmVGr3eM88Wa1jZEsN21IcETjQ8Xsww6W3X3NRysBH2cm98NDgbwypYqZrN6FgvxmV8U404mjVbxIdoeIIip_RgdviDax5lEJ_HSy7WllO9Y9Nr77otgtm47ILnBZKNJwAtAA/s320/Bandcard-ToyMachene.png" width="204" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOPihSiWjYfiU4QeMwwFI6rMk69BlV_k5FuAn-j_ipea4dpfks8gwsRF6FtzUPoRVkovostFI9XR9LNLSezfO2gplt_oWB8WCuexe0UcKDLIr8iojHY9Maf6SfSzc2pZ_PJzCq4pbj2g/s320/Bandcard-CampfiresInWinter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOPihSiWjYfiU4QeMwwFI6rMk69BlV_k5FuAn-j_ipea4dpfks8gwsRF6FtzUPoRVkovostFI9XR9LNLSezfO2gplt_oWB8WCuexe0UcKDLIr8iojHY9Maf6SfSzc2pZ_PJzCq4pbj2g/s320/Bandcard-CampfiresInWinter.png" width="204" /></a></div><br />
And the winner of Round 7, and fair play to them, is... <b>Team Scottish Fiction</b>. It got off to a honking start for me given Toy Machene's <i>new-kids-on-the-block</i> status compared with Campfires In Winter's impressive 8 active years. And to be honest, it just got worse from then on. We were pipped on the <b>Twitter Follow Ratio</b> and <b>Band Name Scrabble Score</b> by pretty slim, but decisive all-the-same, margins. <br />
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So, by 3 points to 0, Team Kowalskiy go home with their tails between their legs, and Scottish Fiction have drawn the series yet again at 3 wins apiece... and one draw.<br />
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As is always the case, even more-so when I get beat, this isn't about me or Neil... it's all about the bands! So I'll start off with my boys. Like I said above, their debut album <b>Welcome To Toyland</b> is up on <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wearetoymachine/sets/welcome-to-toyland/">SoundCloud</a> for your listening pleasure... and it is an absolute pleasure. In fact, I challenge you to name a funner, or more fun, album released this year. Their ode to Mr. Cruise in particular is top-notch!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="no" height="230" scrolling="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F2367632&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=ff0000" width="100%"></iframe></div><br />
And now, onto the victors. To think <a href="http://campfiresinwinter.com/">Campfires In Winter</a> were firm favourites of mine... well, they still are actually. Earlier this year they let slip a trio of demos from their long-awaited debut album. It's only been 8 years in the making! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" data="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=576060337/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=000000/" height="100" type="text/html" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=576060337/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=000000/"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="allowNetworking" value="always"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never"><object data="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=576060337/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=000000/" type="text/html" width="400" height="100"></object></object></div><br />
Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-52008651553362633422012-09-30T15:09:00.000+01:002012-09-30T15:09:37.491+01:00Coastal Skid Spy Wok v22.0<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEUlvE5RMkeIO4ZotrYF6lvPNBpiokKfKZgkZUyzbWjeMjfnIUe5cdqS_FNghyphenhyphen9lcm0tQTJhbyRd44XisPIIH6BDM80-xttTMD4rwtw9lE0R4qZCBPisaZeV89AbDXxv1J8Rm-38pvQ-3/s1600/CoastalSkidSpyWok.png"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEUlvE5RMkeIO4ZotrYF6lvPNBpiokKfKZgkZUyzbWjeMjfnIUe5cdqS_FNghyphenhyphen9lcm0tQTJhbyRd44XisPIIH6BDM80-xttTMD4rwtw9lE0R4qZCBPisaZeV89AbDXxv1J8Rm-38pvQ-3/s400/CoastalSkidSpyWok.png" width="400" /></a></div>
NOTCAST TIME!! For those not in the know, I don't do podcasts. I have as much interest in hunching over a microphone for an hour than you do listening to my monotone for that length of time. So this is my non-vocal, SoundCloud alternative... hence, <i>not</i>cast. It makes sense in my head! Anyhoo, on to this week's selections which we'll kick off with this masterpiece from one of my most-anticipated albums of the year.<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F61237763&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F61237763&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/armellodie/trapped-mice-mona-lisa">Mona Lisa</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/armellodie">Trapped Mice (courtesy of Armellodie Records)</a></span></div>
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That is of course the brilliant <a href="http://www.facebook.com/trappedmice">Trapped Mice</a>. Their debut album, <b>Winter Sun</b>, isn't out until the 5<sup>th</sup> of November via <a href="http://armellodie.com/">Armellodie Records</a>, but you can pre-order it over <a href="http://trappedmice.bandcamp.com/album/winter-sun">here</a>. Speaking of Armellodie... remember they did <a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kep-25-armellodiep">this</a> for little ol' me?? As well as a wee, free taster from Trapped Mice, there's also one from <a href="http://cuddlyshark.bandcamp.com/">Cuddly Shark</a>, who as-luck-would-have-it also have a release coming out. Have a listen to the lead track from their <b>Body Mass Index EP</b>.<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F59464106&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F59464106&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/armellodie/cuddly-shark-body-mass-index">Body Mass Index</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/armellodie">Cuddly Shark (courtesy of Armellodie Records)</a></span></div>
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This one's a wee belter too, and you don't have to wait too long to get your hands on it. It's out on the 8<sup>th</sup> of October but again, you can pre-order it <a href="http://cuddlyshark.bandcamp.com/album/body-mass-index">here</a>. Both those Armellodie tracks are free so knock yourself out. Right, let's move on to another of Scotland's great, indie labels now... <a href="http://songbytoadrecords.com/">Song, By Toad Records</a> - home of the mighty <a href="http://songbytoadrecords.com/">Meursault</a>. Their third full-length offering <b>Something For The Weakened</b> is one of the year's finest, and <b>Dull Spark</b> is one of the many highlights.<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F48753695&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F48753695&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/songbytoad/meursault-dull-spark-1">Dull Spark</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/songbytoad">Meursault (courtesy of Song, by Toad Records)</a></span></div>
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<b>Dull Spark</b> is the second single from the album and can be bought on vinyl <a href="http://songbytoadrecords.com/meursault/dull-spark/">here</a>. If you haven't already done so though, get your hands on the album itself <a href="http://songbytoadrecords.com/meursault/something-for-the-weakened/">direct from Mr. Toad</a>. Now it's time for a blast from the past... who remembers <a href="http://xn--sm-cja/">Esmé</a>? I'll be honest... I don't. But given this track was re-recorded by founder member and Kowalskiy-favourite <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wiredrawn">Wiredrawn</a>, and they contained members of Won Mississippi, it was always going to pique my interest. <br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F60071688&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F60071688&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/wiredrawn/indestructible-body">You Wanted An Indestructible Body? Well, We've Built One For You</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wiredrawn">Wiredrawn</a></span></div>
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That one's free too. Wiredrawn is a lovely man! We'll have two more then I'm done. The penultimate track is the latest, and first in a while, from <a href="http://www.arranarctic.com/">Arran Arctic</a>. It's the first single to be taken from Arran's new album <b>Like Lovers</b> which will be released later this year. 'Tis a very welcome return!<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F60907687&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F60907687&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/arranarctic/covers">Covers</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/arranarctic">Arran Arctic</a></span></div>
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And it's also FREE! Last up, and now sporting a 'V' instead of the more-conventional 'U', this is the fantastic second track from the Scottish-music phenomenon that is <a href="http://soundcloud.com/chvrches">CHVRCHES</a>. <br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F60173536&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F60173536&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/chvrches/the-mother-we-share">The Mother We Share</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/chvrches">CHVRCHES</a></span></div>
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<b>The Mother We Share</b> can be bought on 10" vinyl over <a href="http://nationalanthem.bigcartel.com/product/chvrches-the-mother-we-share-10-vinyl">here</a>. Even if you don't have a record player, this how much it'll fetch on eBay in 5 years time! <br />
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So that's me done for another week. Before I go, I'd just like to remind you to remember, remember, the 5<sup>th</sup> of November when the brilliant Trapped Mice debut hits the shelves. <br />
<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-18026710891666719162012-09-28T08:57:00.000+01:002012-09-28T09:01:47.902+01:00Battle Of The Bands: Round 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A fortnight ago, this epic battle between myself and Neil from Scottish Fiction yo-yoed back into my blogging nemesis' favour. With a little help from <a href="http://thestatebroadcasters.co.uk/">The State Broadcasters</a>, he levelled the score at two wins apiece. My lads <a href="http://canceltheastronauts.co.uk/">Cancel The Astronauts</a> ran them close though. You can read the full account of that round over <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/09/battle-of-bands-round-5.html">here</a>. The ball is back in my court this week, so Neil better be ready for the backlash...<br />
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To help return Team Kowalskiy to winning ways, I've traveled all the way to the Outer Hebrides to recruit Skye's finest... <a href="http://www.thedeadmanswaltz.com/">The Dead Man's Waltz</a>, who as luck may have it, are actually older than I though. Result! That <i>'Z'</i> is a Godsend too. Doing battle with my folk-noir foursome, turned out to be hip-hoppers <a href="http://www.stanleyodd.com/">Stanley Odd</a>. <br />
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Before we do battle, as always, let's have a quick recap of the rules. You can read them in full over <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/06/battle-of-bands.html">here</a>. This round, it's me to choose which three attributes we'll be dueling with. For each of the three, the person with the highest value gets one point, with both of us getting a half-point in the event of a draw. Losers... get hee-haw! Rather predictably, I went for <b>Band Name Scrabble Score</b> hoping my chaps' impressive array of letters would out-do whoever Neil had chosen. To complete the set, I plumped for the social media ones - <b>SoundCloud Tracks</b> and <b>Twitter Follow Ratio</b>. We'll find out in a mo if those were wise choices or not, but first, here's the bandcards. As ever, all stats were correct at the time of battle, except from Stanley Odd's average age... that was a complete guess, but in the end, it wasn't needed.<br />
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<i>Ding ding</i>, Round 6...<br />
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The winner of Round 6 is... <b>Team Kowalskiy</b>! It got off to a great start with my choice of <b>Band Name Scrabble Score</b>. Turned out I never needed that Z after all... or the W. I suppose <i>The Dead Man's Alt</i> doesn't have the same ring to it. So that was an early 1-0 lead to me. A short-lived lead though when <b>SoundCloud Tracks</b> were compared. With exactly twice the number of tracks, Stanley Odd drew the score back level, and with only the <b>Twitter Follow Ratio</b> to go, I was feeling a wee bit nervous. It could've went either way. I had no idea who Neil had up his sleeve, but in the end, by the slimmest of margins (a mere 0.18 for those without a calculator to hand), the boys did me proud and 2-1 it finished.<br />
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And with that, Team Kowalskiy takes a one point lead... again. <br />
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My glorious victory aside, this is all about the bands, and first up are tonight's victors. Aside from releasing one of my favourite singles of the year in <b>Emmeline</b> with a <a href="http://vimeo.com/43391421">video</a> which is a work of bloody art, <a href="http://www.thedeadmanswaltz.com/">The Dead Man's Waltz</a> have released an album that oozes music of dark, Beirutty quality... which you can of course buy <a href="http://thedeadmanswaltz.bandcamp.com/album/the-dead-mans-waltz">here</a>.<br />
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As for <a href="http://www.stanleyodd.com/">Stanley Odd</a>, well they're pretty great too. As I mentioned at the weekend on <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/09/coastal-skid-spy-wok-v210.html">my latest notcast</a>, their new album <b>Reject</b> completely took this hiphopaphobe by surprise. You can buy it over <a href="http://www.stanleyodd.bigcartel.com/product/reject-cd">here</a> on CD from the band or download it from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reject-Explicit/dp/B00954NUHM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348758194&sr=8-1">Amazon MP3</a>. Careful now... it's <i>"explicit</i>".<br />
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With a fortnight to go until Neil tries to draw himself level in the series, I'm off to bask in my victory before sorting out my next band for Round 7. Do your worst Neil!<br />
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<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-26644658870904437392012-09-25T12:44:00.001+01:002012-09-25T12:54:17.311+01:00...Little Things Like Kiwis!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Geezo... it's been over two-and-a-half months since I last formally <i>'Introduced...'</i> you to one of the country's most promising young bands. So it's about time I did exactly that. I came across <a href="http://www.facebook.com/LittleThingsLikeKiwis">Little Things Like Kiwis</a> on one of my routine trawls through SoundCloud. Their name and photo alone piqued my attention... just as well, 'cos they still don't have any songs up there. What followed was a bit of Googling and a lot of hoping that they were, at the very least, half decent.<br />
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But they're a <i>lot</i> better than that! They're busy demoing tracks for their first release, so there's not much kicking about online but earlier this year they followed in the footsteps of Kowalskiy-favourites <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzqvxsbHGak">Be Like Pablo</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbNnwh0zLM8">Fath</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVIfx2S0INQ">erson</a>, and recorded a track for <a href="http://www.facebook.com/nutproductionslike">Nut Sessions</a>. The video is below, but first, here's what guitarist Michael had to say.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> Who are Little Things Like Kiwis?</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> The band is made up of three members right now. Callum on Bass and vocals, Michael on Guitar and Rennie hitting Drums. We went to school in Inverness, but now live in Edinburgh.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> How would you describe '<i>your sound</i>'?</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> This is always a hard question to answer even for ourselves. I guess we are a indie/punk sort of thing haha, taking influences from bands like Bombay Bicycle Club, Born Ruffians and Tokyo Police Club. If you can sort of think of a blend of that. . . you may get the picture. We have loads of wee cool guitar riffs and fast moving bass lines.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> PLUG AWAY!!!</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> Well right now we are starting demoing for our first Ep that we are working towards coming out in November/December. No idea yet as to what songs shall be on it or even a name for it. The only idea I have for a name right now is "My Cuban brothers pet bird" but we will just have to see what happens. Come check out our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/LittleThingsLikeKiwis">Facebook</a> and listen to our Youtube videos on the page and tell your friends if you like whats going on.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Kowalskiy:</b> What can we expect from you guys in the future?</span><br />
<b>Michael:</b> Hopefully in the future we start gigging down in Glasgow and Edinburgh. We have been taking it slow to make sure we really enjoy the songs that we are making before taking to the stage. Also making our Ep and loads of little secrets that you will just have to look out for.<br />
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Tease! So, other than the videos on there <a href="http://www.facebook.com/LittleThingsLikeKiwis">Facebook</a>, you'll just have to wait until the EP arrives. In the meantime though, make sure to keep an eye on this lot. <br />
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<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-15564750308549700952012-09-23T14:02:00.001+01:002012-09-23T14:02:54.240+01:00Coastal Skid Spy Wok v21.0<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEUlvE5RMkeIO4ZotrYF6lvPNBpiokKfKZgkZUyzbWjeMjfnIUe5cdqS_FNghyphenhyphen9lcm0tQTJhbyRd44XisPIIH6BDM80-xttTMD4rwtw9lE0R4qZCBPisaZeV89AbDXxv1J8Rm-38pvQ-3/s1600/CoastalSkidSpyWok.png"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEUlvE5RMkeIO4ZotrYF6lvPNBpiokKfKZgkZUyzbWjeMjfnIUe5cdqS_FNghyphenhyphen9lcm0tQTJhbyRd44XisPIIH6BDM80-xttTMD4rwtw9lE0R4qZCBPisaZeV89AbDXxv1J8Rm-38pvQ-3/s400/CoastalSkidSpyWok.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Thanks to holidays and work, we're long overdue a wee trip through the latest happenings on SoundCloud. So here goes! There's been an unusually high amount of great Scottish albums released in the last few weeks, so in this notcast, I'll pay homage to five of my favourites. Let's kick things off with one I've mentioned a few times already... and my favourite of the bunch if I was forced to pick. Here's one of the many standout tracks from <b>Animal Love Match</b>, the debut from the lovely <a href="http://canceltheastronauts.co.uk/">Cancel The Astronauts</a>.<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F54740019&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F54740019&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/canceltheastronauts/10-while-i-was-sleeping">While I Was Sleeping</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/canceltheastronauts">Cancel The Astronauts</a></span> </div>
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The superb album can be bought over <a href="http://canceltheastronauts.bandcamp.com/album/animal-love-match">here</a>. While you're off buying that one, you're as well heading over <a href="http://www.rachelsermanni.net/shop/">here</a> to buy the stunning debut, <b>Under Mountains</b>, released on the same day by Carrbridge songstress <a href="http://www.rachelsermanni.net/">Rachel Sermanni</a>. <br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F26275414&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F26275414&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/rachelsermanni/the-fog">The Fog</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/rachelsermanni">Rachel Sermanni</a></span></div>
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Now, if you're thinking <i>"that's a pretty good day for Scottish albums"</i>, you'd be right. But that's just the half of it! The same day as those two hit the shelves, the latest from <a href="http://thestatebroadcasters.co.uk/">The State Broadcasters</a> was released via <a href="http://olivegroverecords.com/">Olive Grove Records</a>. Here's recent single <b>Kittiwake</b> for you to listen to. If you're suitable impressed (and why wouldn't you be!), you can get your hands on the album <b>Ghosts We Must Carry</b> over <a href="http://statebroadcasters.bandcamp.com/">here</a>. <br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F57642095&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F57642095&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/state-broadcasters/state-broadcasters-kittiwake">Kittiwake</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/state-broadcasters">The State Broadcasters</a></span></div>
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And... AND!! That wasn't all. Scottish hip-hoppers <a href="http://www.stanleyodd.com/">Stanley Odd</a> also released their latest album <b>Reject</b> on the very same day... September the 17th if you're interested. You know me, I'm not really into all that <i>Icy T and Scoopy Scoopy Dogg Dogg</i> kinda thing, but this album surprised me... must be those dulcet Scottish tones that make all the difference! <br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F57978036&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F57978036&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/stanleyodd/killergram">Killergram</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/stanleyodd">Stanley Odd</a></span></div>
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<b>Reject</b> can be snapped up over <a href="http://www.stanleyodd.bigcartel.com/product/reject-cd">here</a>. If the last one left me pleasantly surprised, then this one was no surprise at all. The <a href="http://mini50records.bandcamp.com/">mini50</a> label doesn't tend to release anything that doesn't float my boat. And their latest release <b>The Awkward Hello, Handshake, Kiss </b>by Edinburgh three-piece <a href="http://hivaoa.bandcamp.com/">Hiva Oa</a> is no different. <b>Badger</b>, streaming below, is a gorgeous, haunting wee number, something which can be said for their debut album as a whole. It's available over <a href="http://mini50records.bandcamp.com/album/the-awkward-hello-handshake-kiss-2">here</a>. So, yeah... that's pretty much it. Hope some, if not all, of these float your boats too!<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F36040148&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F36040148&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/hivaoa/badger">Badger</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/hivaoa">Hiva Oa</a></span></div>
<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-5583862565365418962012-09-19T12:02:00.001+01:002012-09-19T12:02:21.242+01:00Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #27<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kowalskiys-free-monthly-scottish-ep-27" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/12/97/1297942643-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I know, I know... I'm late. Anyhoo, feast your eyes above! That was my view two weeks ago... isn't it pretty? As usual though, the artwork has got absolutely nothing to do with the five artists on this month's free EP. It's another great wee line-up featuring five firm favourites of mine. Four lo-fi lovelies, and one <i>'new adventure'</i> in hi-fi. Here ya go! <br />
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1. <a href="http://www.kingpostkitsch.co.uk/">King Post Kitsch</a> - <b>The Party's Over (demo)</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(A demo version of the title track of KPK's debut album... which isn't even on the album. Confused? Don't be. Just enjoy this lo-fi gem!)</span><br />
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<i>"</i><i>This track was supposed the close my first album, then I recorded a
track called 'Closing Time' which felt more appropriate. I kept the
title for the album, but the song has no home. I'll still play it live
though, starting with a gig in November, and maybe some new music.
Details soon."</i> - Charlie <i>a.k.a.</i> King Post Kitsch<br />
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2. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/bottle-of-steven">Bottle Of Steven</a> -<b> Just A Glance</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(A great new track from the bottled half of Bottle Of Evil. Check out his own FREE EP <a href="http://bottleofsteven.bandcamp.com/album/eventual-progress-e-p">here</a>.) </span></div>
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<i>"This is my attempt of a new live sound, cheers for the confusion that allowed this to fall out from my brain into binary form ;)</i>" - Steven McGilvary <i>a.k.a.</i> Bottle Of Steven</div>
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3. <a href="http://www.belikepablo.com/">Be Like Pablo</a> - <b>Between The Lines </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(The closing track from their great, FREE, debut album <b>The New Adventures</b>.)</span><br />
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<i>"</i><i>Between the Lines is closing track from our debut album The New
Adventures. We describe the song as doo-wop through a fuzz pedal with
lyrics about essay writing. The New Adventures is available now as a
FREE digital download via <a href="http://belikepablo.com/">belikepablo.com</a>"</i> - Ross Watson (Be Like Pablo)<br />
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4. <a href="http://greyhoundoutofmainline.bandcamp.com/">Greyhound Out Of Mainline</a> - <b>I Can Only Disappoint U</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(A cracking, miserablist Mansun cover from a man with one of the best stage names going!) </span></div>
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<i>"I Can Only Disappoint U is one of those songs which shouldn't ever have been so good. Mansun were a band falling apart at the time, with Paul about to discover a malignant tumour in his finger, and the resultant album (Little Kix) was mostly a complete mess. It's almost worth it for this track alone, though - the melody is sublime, and it's dripping with all sorts of beauty and sadness and self-loathing. I hope this (even more) miserablist cover does it some justice.</i><i> </i><i>Oh, should have said - the little recording at the end of the Disappoint U cover is me drunk and staggering back up the stairs to my flat, whistling the genius that is 'Cinnamon' by Tripwires. As you do."</i> - Ally Winford <i>a.k.a.</i> Greyhound Out Of Mainline</div>
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5. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/musicbytom">tom</a> - <b>boy<sup>2</sup> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Self confessed <i>"</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Scottish boy who writes music that nobody listens to"</i>. That's gotta change! This is the brilliant closer from tom's FREE <b>Ohneiros</b> album.)</span><br />
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<i>"</i><i>boy² follows the same theme of insomnia that is present throughout
Ohneiros; the album from which it comes. It was written after the album
was finished and after I had cut someone out of my life for good. It was
the last song written and works thus as good closure/album closer.
Ohneiros is free btw. Please take it <a href="http://musicbytom.bandcamp.com/album/ohneiros">musicbytom.bandcamp.com/album/ohneiros</a> - thanks" - </i>tom</div>
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So yeah, sorry again about the slight delay. Hopefully you'll agree it's been well worth it! Cheers to all of the above for contributing this month. If you fancy your free copy, click the artwork above, or <a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kowalskiys-free-monthly-scottish-ep-27">here</a> for that matter. Whichever floats your boat. While you're there, there's another 26 for you to have a listen to and download for FREE. <br />
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I think I'm actually set for October's EP... just have to gently prod those bands who are on my list. If they're all on board... WOW! But, there's plenty more EPs, so if you fancy contributing a track to one of them, send me a wee email (<a href="mailto:kowalskiy2@gmail.com">kowalskiy2@gmail.com</a>) and I'll see what we can do! </div>
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Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-71377988963476588882012-09-13T21:19:00.000+01:002012-09-13T21:21:01.323+01:00Battle Of The Bands: Round 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And I'm back! Batteries fully recharged and ready to extend my slender lead over <a href="http://scottishfiction.blogspot.co.uk/">Scottish Fiction</a> in Battle Of The Bands. If you <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/08/battle-of-bands-round-4.html">cast your mind back a month</a>, you'll remember I crept into the lead in the series with a whitewash victory thanks in no small part to fellow Glaswegians, and fellow physicists (maybe... who knows!?) <a href="http://www.wearethephysics.com/">We Are The Physics</a>. Paisley singer-songwriter <a href="http://www.michaelcassidymusic.com/">Michael Cassidy</a> was the unfortunate man on the end of that trouncing!<br />
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Thanks to holiday season, Neil from Scottish Fiction has had twice as long as usual to compose himself and plot his revenge. He's gonna have to dig deep into his Scottish music reserves though to beat the latest recruits of Team Kowalskiy... <a href="http://canceltheastronauts.co.uk/">Cancel The Astronauts</a>. With pretty much everything they've ever released, including their brilliant debut album <b>Animal Love Match</b>, on <a href="http://soundcloud.com/canceltheastronauts">SoundCloud</a>, it's no surprise I'm secretly hoping Neil plumps for SoundCloud Tracks as one of his chosen attributes. Standing in Team Kowalskiy's way are Neil's choice, <a href="http://thestatebroadcasters.co.uk/">The State Broadcasters</a>. Quick, mental calculations... this could be close!<br />
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Before we do battle, as always, let's have a quick recap of the rules. You can read them in full over <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/06/battle-of-bands.html">here</a>. This round, it's Neil to choose which three attributes we'll be slugging it out with. For each of the three, the person with the highest value gets one point, with both of us getting a half-point in the event of a draw. Losers... well they don't deserve a single thing! Neil's went for <b>SoundCloud Tracks</b> (yassssss!), <b>Years Since Formation</b> and <b>Band Name Scrabble Score</b>. <br />
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<i>Ding ding</i>, Round 5...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGKk97kfHmd0hZgEIXUfKsGO5vawxDWqe85Zw-Y0RQJO543b2d-fyjbze97YnGTxmRtkDFP0FJJWZVMyxDC5SDHE1VJU-8OM46pQeYphpXbTZx_IMdAewSYq6HnIuCu4Y_l5dXcwJ0CrU/s320/Bandcard-CancelTheAstronauts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGKk97kfHmd0hZgEIXUfKsGO5vawxDWqe85Zw-Y0RQJO543b2d-fyjbze97YnGTxmRtkDFP0FJJWZVMyxDC5SDHE1VJU-8OM46pQeYphpXbTZx_IMdAewSYq6HnIuCu4Y_l5dXcwJ0CrU/s320/Bandcard-CancelTheAstronauts.png" width="204" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2cLcJE31P68XTTytpobn3E2po3RnjiU8m_j_njM4G3OxP5d0_ChgDVN4zpZgR3morJ6UtBS1zAde_copyGLq0MHgBXCF90bPy93fNaeZOj_XqC3ApTFWTSaqHlHk48azkdIujoH-jcA/s320/Bandcard-TheStateBroadcasters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2cLcJE31P68XTTytpobn3E2po3RnjiU8m_j_njM4G3OxP5d0_ChgDVN4zpZgR3morJ6UtBS1zAde_copyGLq0MHgBXCF90bPy93fNaeZOj_XqC3ApTFWTSaqHlHk48azkdIujoH-jcA/s320/Bandcard-TheStateBroadcasters.png" width="204" /></a></div>
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...baws! At least it wasn't a whitewash this time. The result of Round 5, by the narrowest of margins, is a victory for... <b>Team Scottish Fiction.</b> Having taken an early lead thanks to their superior SoundCloud Tracks, my Edinburgh chaps were pipped at the line by The State Broadcasters. In the end it came down to <b>TWO</b> measly Scrabble Score points... though if you ask me, if they decide to omit the "<i>The</i>" from their official logo, then they have a bare-faced cheek to claim those 6 points...<br />
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...yeah, I'm a sore loser!<br />
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So once again, it's all square in the series. Need to get my thinking cap on for who to rope in for Round 6!<br />
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I'll quickly gloss over my defeat and get on to plugging the two bands who ran each other close this round. First up are my Edinburgh boys, <a href="http://canceltheastronauts.co.uk/">Cancel The Astronauts</a>. What with my prolonged holiday and a hectic return to work (excuses, excuses) I've not gotten around to saying how worth the wait their debut album is. Not yet anyway! It's out on Monday but you can pre-order <b>Animal Love Match</b> over <a href="http://canceltheastronauts.bandcamp.com/album/animal-love-match">here</a> where you can also get your free download of <b>Making Dynamite</b>. Here's my pick of the lovely bunch... <b>Shapes</b>.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F54740015&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=ff0000" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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Now on to tonight's victors. <a href="http://thestatebroadcasters.co.uk/">The State Broadcasters</a> also have a pretty impressive album, <b>Ghosts We Must Carry</b>, set for release on Monday. Ahead of it's release via <a href="http://www.olivegroverecords.com/">Olive Grove Records</a>, you can also pre-order it <a href="http://statebroadcasters.bandcamp.com/album/ghosts-we-must-carry">here</a>, and get your hands on their single <b>Kittiwake</b> from <a href="http://statebroadcasters.bandcamp.com/track/kittiwake">here</a>... and below for that matter. <br />
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<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F57642095&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=ff0000" width="100%"></iframe><br /></div>
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So, it's neck-and-neck again in the series. Neil's ass is mine in Round 6 though!<br />
<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-12446476322119149732012-08-21T12:14:00.002+01:002012-08-21T12:15:28.678+01:00Kowalskiy Singles Club #17<div style="text-align: center;">
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This... this will be the final post on Kowalskiy... until I return from my holiday in a fortnight's time. I'll be jetting off to exotic foreign lands with my beloved. Before that though, I've spared a thought for all those singletons out there, unlucky in love, who don't know where their next burst of aural pleasure is coming from. It could be right here folks! So, I've assembled more singles for you to check out. Just read what they have to say, and if they tickle your fancy, click on the artwork and let the good times roll. Right, no more cliche's or bad puns for at least a fortnight...<br />
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<a href="http://thenewfabiansociety.bandcamp.com/album/exhibition-of-hate" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="The New Fabian Society - Streets Are Riots"><img alt="The New Fabian Society - Streets Are Riots" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVcpYAi1BWjDF0uQA25XYp_eDtfyrvO21gA04UbcvsQiv4fh_bSJJM0JcI4zPfTj6hsmNkmb6y-5WJyyPCYQjhlX-rYTsMgQLWB0VQfCJC0NYadVv2B7STUC1gW6bWzdg3ZXMj8_FVcg/s320/TNFS-ExhibitionOfHate.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>Streets Are Riots</b> by <a href="http://thenewfabiansociety.wordpress.com/">The New Fabian Society</a><i> </i><br />
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<i>"Miserable nihilist seeks the companionship of another lonely soul looking to take part in some licentious and riotous activities. Must be obsessive to the point of self harm. Must be under 9 stone. Must be Asian. An enthusiasm for bass desirable but not essential. Cunts need not apply.</i>" - Nick Fabian (The New Fabian Society)</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I thought we'd start off with this one from ol' romantics The New Fabian Society who are quite specific about what they're looking for. If you fit the bill, or even if you don't - so long as you don't mind a bit of reciprocated love - then click the cover art! This track features on their brilliant second EP <b>Exhibition Of Hate</b>. </span></div>
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<a href="http://middletonhall.bandcamp.com/track/first-bus-out-of-town" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Middleton Hall - The First Bus Out Of Town"><img alt="Middleton Hall - The First Bus Out Of Town" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/28/72/2872973970-1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>First Bus Out Of Town </b>by <a href="http://facebook.com/middletonhall">Middleton Hall</a></div>
<i>"</i><i>Band, male, WLTM broadminded individual(s) for discreet fun. Age/looks/sexual proclivities not important. We'll tickle your eardrums and flick our musical tongues into ALL your most sensitive areas! FSH GCH BYOB. Pulse required.</i><i>"</i> - Doug Shanley (Middleton Hall)<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Everyone likes their sensitive areas tickled! This is the lovely, debut single from Dunfermline's Middleton Hall. It's a great summery track. Kinda reminds me of The Radio Dept. at points which is always good in my book. It'll be a FREE download as of the 27th of August. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/applied-robotics-single/id546972931?ign-mpt=uo%3D4" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="We Are The Physics - Applied Robotics"><img alt="We Are The Physics - Applied Robotics" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrzG_L80ekIi1YiOEABhoSSa7numDrZc-8Q-NaXQMD4p_BgogqF-ZVGPoPI0teR_FTq6pNlNHlzsdPtMHMtVvFWrd8JhHdsX5NMJdmc5P5PqiBbX4tozQxPTekp5dhzTSComyaTT20gQ/s1600/WeAreThePhysics-AppliedRobotics.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>Applied Robotics</b> by <a href="http://www.wearethephysics.com/">We Are The Physics</a><i> </i><br />
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<i>"Four twitching paranoid shells require technologically advanced human for long-winded discussions on posthumanism while eating crisps. GSOH not important, but programmable personality desired. Must be self aware.</i><i>" - </i>We Are The Physics</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is the second appearance in a row for We Are The Physics who are following up <b>Goran Ivanisevic</b> with this fast-paced, mind-numbingly-great single taken from their upcoming second album. Anyone remember what we did for music when this bunch were away recording?! </span></div>
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<a href="http://soundcloud.com/flowersinthedustbin/the-deadline-shakes-sweeten" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="The Deadline Shakes - Sweeten The Deal"><img alt="The Deadline Shakes - Sweeten The Deal" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjTIeDTuTC0YVEvKspqQSkJ90zjhge4dW61EwVEaMQQcZOCe5U4jhgStt4MOQp8BHc-r4gPlN0o976ERip2vU54kwUkHDN-sPc7fft-uFzO-_lbAHJ8g_hAzEzg4Wo4FC8EwjCJfKJ1A/s1600/The+DeadlineShakes-SweetenTheDeal.png" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>Sweeten The Deal</b> by <a href="http://www.thedeadlineshakes.com/">The Deadline Shakes</a><i> </i><br />
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<i>"Four hungry young men WLTM Alfred Pennyworth type to make sandwiches and that. Preferred areas of expertise include dividing twenty eight pounds by four and shilling the rubes. Must be polite in moments of sonic and other durchfallen."</i> - The Deadline Shakes</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This one is a breath of fresh, bango-filled, air. It's out on the 5th of November to download via <a href="http://www.flowersinthedustbin.org/">Flowers In The Dustbin</a> but you can have a wee listen by clicking the artwork. Just imagine The Spinto Band... with a banjo, and from Glasgow and you're pretty much there! Oh and that would be seven pounds guys... if you're ever needing someone to take care of the books! </span></div>
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<a href="http://scottsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/without-warning" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Scott Thomson - Without Warning"><img alt="Scott Thomson - Without Warning" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/28/51/2851726898-1.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>Without Warning</b> by <a href="http://scottsmusic.bandcamp.com/">Scott Thomson</a><i> </i><br />
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<i>"If you want to roll with me, know this, it's a high stakes game and aces are wild, but no, I mean no hitting faces, or so help me I'll haunt you with 6 year old songs...</i><i>"</i> - Scott Thomson</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Six years old, but still sounding delightfully new! This is a FREE track, plucked from the pre- <a href="http://newtowntriptych.bandcamp.com/">New Town Triptych</a> hard drive of their singer Scott Thomson. Begs two questions - why has it taken so long to give this wee slice of brilliance an airing... and what else do you have on that hard drive Mr. Thomson?! </span></div>
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<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/lemonade-radio-edit/id538242127?i=538242156" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Miniature Dinosaurs - Lemonade"><img alt="Miniature Dinosaurs - Lemonade" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3u4rKSLdGqws0hbyUZjndka4801V31r80ktxsLShWkMg-iZ-Sjtf0CUwc77sJytYVUnP4NpJKWAp3FWFFET1Tw51NBwVsmegKptkcv_2goR9CjJahp48gaycnKYcpcC7ZDHvnVO-3j4/s1600/MiniatureDinosaurs-Lemonade.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>Lemonade</b> by <a href="http://miniaturedinosaurs.co.uk/">Miniature Dinosaurs</a><i> </i><br />
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<i>"Bubbly personality seeking that special someone to clear away my clouds and put some fizz into my heart. Life has felt still for too long, as I canned up my emotions. Desiring someone sweet to spend my summer with. But once you're done with me, please don't leave me feeling empty and crushed."</i> - Alban Dickson (Miniature Dinosaurs)</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Milk, milk, lemonade, round the back... Miniature Dinosaurs are back, with another pun-laden singles ad from Alban! This is the first release since signing to <a href="http://integrityrecords.co.uk/">Integrity Records</a>. As always, it's a cracking track, with a great <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATET5N-Lf6U">video</a> to boot, which sheds some light on lemonade selling through the years... and wallpaper trends! </span></div>
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<a href="http://soundcloud.com/themaginotband/slow-down-sundial" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="The Maginot Band - Slow Down Sundial"><img alt="The Maginot Band - Slow Down Sundial" class="avatar avatar-48 avatar-default" height="120" src="http://i1.sndcdn.com/avatars-000018053374-gz7ecu-crop.jpg?4b4189b" width="120" /></a></div>
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<b>Slow Down Sundial</b> by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheMaginotBand.music">The Maginot Band</a><i> </i><br />
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<i>"Band with well laid plans seek a bold personality to provide reassurance and deflect aggressors. Currently strong in many facets, but easy to get around if approached in the right way. Fortification may be needed to remedy past weaknesses. Not afraid to spend large amounts of cash on questionable plans. Enjoys country holidays in the east of France. Likes the cinema but dislikes war films.</i>" - The Maginot Band</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Another cracking newbie this one taken from The Maginot Band's debut <b>Peace And Quiet EP</b> which is out in September. It's a FREE download so get yourselves over to their SoundCloud and feast your... ears! Just click the artwork.</span></div>
<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-68265734550776505712012-08-19T11:04:00.000+01:002012-08-19T11:04:33.483+01:00Panda Crowds Writes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey, Patrick (<i>a.k.a.</i> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wiredrawn" target="_blank">Wiredrawn</a>) here. Kowalskiy has tasked me with keeping you people entertained while he's away on his holidays.<br />
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So.......</div>
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Here's six of my favourite tracks from SoundCloud - they're not all recent, mind. Or Scottish..........<br />
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I love love love this track. It sounds a bit like Feeder if they hadn't disappeared up there own arses a decade ago and had instead decided to form a 'Husker Du in the style of Foo Fighters' tribute act. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/petghosts" target="_blank">Pet Ghosts</a> aren't Scottish. They're English, which is kind of on the same island as Scotland.</div>
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F21084509&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F21084509&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/petghosts/03-stalking-today">Stalking Today</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/petghosts">Pet Ghosts</a></div>
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I loves me some <a href="http://soundcloud.com/naoband" target="_blank">North Atlantic Oscillation</a>. Their Drummer is proper brilliant. And they're Scottish! </div>
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F36708054&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F36708054&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/naoband/north-atlantic-oscillation">Savage With Barometer</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/naoband">North Atlantic Oscillation</a></div>
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Owen will probably hate me for saying this, but <b>Anywhere But Here</b> is probably the best summer-y acoustic pop song I've ever heard. Owen was in the band that was Won Mississippi before it was Won Mississippi and has got loads of great music on SoundCloud. You should go listen to it. He's also originally from Berwick-Upon Tweed, which is as close to being Scottish as you can get without actually being Scottish (cue angry backlash).</div>
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16903369&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16903369&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/owenpeterthomas/20-anywhere-but-here">Anywhere But Here</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/owenpeterthomas">Owen Thomas</a></div>
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I'm a sucker for bit of a chip tune hybrid and this one is a catchy little bugger. </div>
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F44543206&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param>
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F44543206&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/solemncamelcrew/oh-no-robo-limbo">Oh No Robo Limbo</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/solemncamelcrew">Solemn Camel Crew</a></div>
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I'd kill for <a href="http://soundcloud.com/matthewconnor" target="_blank">Matthew Connor</a>'s voice. He could sing the phone book to me and i'd be happy. This is off of his forthcoming album and perfectly showcases Matthew's talents both as an amazing songwriter and hardcore crooner (Is Croon-Core a genre? IT IS NOW!). Matthew isn't Scottish either. He's American. Being American, there's small chance his great grandparents were Scottish. I'll ask him. </div>
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F55061099&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F55061099&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/matthewconnor/how-is-july-already-over">How Is July Already Over?</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/matthewconnor">Matthew Connor</a></div>
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Another Berwick (Almost Scottish!) flavoured one - <a href="http://soundcloud.com/samuelreed" target="_blank">Old Bones</a> take their cues from Bronto Skylift <i>et al.</i> but they really set themselves apart by writing brilliant QOTSA-ish rawk songs like this one and by being a bit tasty live. </div>
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F11818080&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000"></param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F11818080&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=ff0000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/samuelreed/deluca">Deluca</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/samuelreed">Old Bones</a></div>
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Hope these wee crackers keep you entertained til the big man returns. If you enjoyed these tracks then come share the love at <a href="http://www.soundcloud.com/wiredrawn" target="_blank">www.soundcloud.com/wiredrawn</a>.<br />
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Cheers! Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-50087012372541752672012-08-16T12:45:00.000+01:002012-08-16T12:45:51.460+01:00Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #26<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kowalskiys-free-monthly-scottish-ep-26" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://f0.bcbits.com/z/28/25/2825782065-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>So, I hope you all enjoyed the <a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kep-25-armellodiep">special 8-track EP</a> put together by the folks over at <a href="http://armellodie.com/">Armellodie</a> last month. You were well-and-truly spoilt! This month, we're back to the usual five tracks, from five of my favourite up-and-coming bands in the country. We have three brand, spanking, new tracks for you, one of them from a band who technically only came into existence this week! There's a brilliant live number and it's all topped off with a great, early electronic track from one of Scottish music's <i>'men of the moment'</i>. Not too shabby I think you'll agree! Here's who they all are, and what they each had to say about their little beauty... <br />
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1. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/slowbuildingseas">Slow Building Seas</a> - <b>We're Alright</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(I couldn't love this track any more than I do! This is said new band. You may already Jamie and Dod from their SoundCloud demos under the alias Descant Hawk.)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Hello! We are Jamie and Roddy and we are Slow Building Seas. Having learned to pluck our guitars by listening to Kris Drever, we started off as a traditional folk outfit. We've evolved a little now though and we eh... aren't. This was recorded on a USB mic, in a flat in Glasgow and pulled together between there and Stornoway so please excuse the rough edges (if you listen carefully you can hear a plane go by and some arse with one of those cars that is supposed to compensate for being poorly endowed but ironically may as well be fitted with some sort of "hung like a stoat" klaxon, which is nice.) Hope you enjoy!"</i> - Jamie Orr & Roddy Mac (Slow Building Seas)<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">2. <a href="http://soundcloud.com/shooting-stansfield/">Shooting Stansfield</a> -<b> Greater Or Lesser</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(A welcome return for Shooting Stansfield. On this sort of form, Admiral Fallow better sit up and take note!) </span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Greater or Lesser was recorded earlier this year at The Cottage Studio in Argyle. Yet again our time in Argyle became an exercise in music as an endurance sport. Day turned into night, night turned into day and fragmented melodies became our shiny new EP. Our new tunes regularly feature in our live set and can next be heard @ The Wee Red on Saturday the 25th of August where we're playing with our chums The Stormy Seas. More can be found at: <a href="http://www.shootingstansfield.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">www.shootingstansfield.wordpress.com</a></i>" - Stephen Whipp (Shooting Stansfield) </div><br />
3. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheSunsetClauseOfficial">The Sunset Clause</a> - <b>Will You Be My Audience? (Live version) </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Taken from their performance at Stereo earlier this year which you can download over <a href="http://thesunsetclause.bandcamp.com/album/will-you-be-my-audience-the-sunset-clause-live-at-stereo">here</a>.)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"The track's a new one from us, and it's a little different from the the stuff we usually do. Hope everyone likes it! Our live EP was recorded at Stereo in Glasgow and is available for free on our <a href="http://thesunsetclause.bandcamp.com/">bandcamp</a> along with the studio versions of a couple of our other songs! Thanks for listening!" - </i>David Robb (The Sunset Clause)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">4. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/runluckyfreeuk">Run/Lucky/Free</a> - <b>North </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(A brand, spanking new track from the lovely Run/Lucky/Free recorded earlier this year. Enjoy!)</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"The song is one of a few songs that we recorded earlier on in the year. We are currently writing more songs and working on getting some funding with the intention of recording and releasing an album. We have an acoustic gig coming up later on in the month. The gig is on Friday 24th August at Sneaky Petes, Edinburgh supporting Rod Jones.</i><i>"</i> - Daniel Crichton (Run/Lucky/Free)<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">5. <a href="http://www.esperimusic.co.uk/">Esperi</a> - <b>A Map Of The Sky?</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(An early electronic recording from Mr. Marr. Proving that it is possible to enjoy an astronomy documentary!) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"It's an older track I made with audio clips recorded from a astronomy documentary. I used to watch a lot of national geographic programmes and record sound I liked from them :-)</i><i>"</i> - Chris James Marr <i>a.k.a.</i> Esperi</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
Cheers to all of the above for contributing this month. I hope you enjoy it! All you have to do to get your free copy is to click on the artwork above, or <a href="http://kowalskiy.bandcamp.com/album/kowalskiys-free-monthly-scottish-ep-26">here</a>. Whatever floats your boat. While you're there, there's another 25 for you to have a listen to and download. <br />
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I've already got one or two tracks sorted for September's EP, but I'll be hounding bands over the next week or two before I jet off on my holiday. There'll still be a mad rush at the end though. There always is! If you fancy contributing a track to one of these EPs, send me a wee email (<a href="mailto:kowalskiy2@gmail.com">kowalskiy2@gmail.com</a>) and I'll see what we can do! </div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492999931483286206.post-65406153327520617942012-08-14T22:22:00.002+01:002012-08-14T22:23:02.693+01:00Battle Of The Bands: Round 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So my one point lead in the greatest Scottish music battle of all time... Battle Of The Bands, was short lived. A fortnight ago, Neil from <a href="http://scottishfiction.blogspot.co.uk/">Scottish Fiction</a>, with a little help from <a href="http://soundcloud.com/randolphs-leap">Randolph's Leap</a>, trounced Team Kowalskiy. Credit to Stonehaven's <a href="http://www.dolfinzzz.com/">Dolfinz</a> though, they fought my corner well. In case you missed it, here's a recap of <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/07/battle-of-bands-round-3.html">that fateful bout</a>! So, going into Round 4, the scores are level once again. Prepare for some swift vengeance Mr. Fiction...<br />
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For said vengeance, I sent out a call to arms to my physicist brethren and it was answered by fellow Glaswegians <a href="http://www.wearethephysics.com/">We Are The Physics</a>. They bring with them a wealth of experience which belies their age, and a cult following off the back of their 2008 debut <b>...Are OK At Music</b>. I'm quietly confident that these will see Team Kowalskiy regain the lead in the series. On the opposing corner, Neil has recruited Paisley singer-songwriter <a href="http://www.michaelcassidymusic.com/">Michael Cassidy</a>. <br />
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Before we do battle, let's have a quick recap of the rules but you can read them in full over <a href="http://www.kowalskiy.co.uk/2012/06/battle-of-bands.html">here</a>. This round, it's me to choose the three attributes we'll be musically jousting with. For each of the three, the person with the highest value gets one point, with both of us getting a half-point in the event of a draw. Losers get what losers deserve... f**k all! As I said before, I'll be relying on my foursome's experience and following, so I've chosen <b>Years Since Formation</b> and <b>Twitter Follow Ratio</b>. The last attribute will be a first outing in the series for <b>Band Name Scrabble Score</b>. Unless they're up against Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong, it's in the bag! As always, all stats below were correct at the time of battle. So, without much further ado, <i>ding ding</i>, Round 4...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3RxylobB1HLxUt2FhUBAYJsRCDJWco_PA1_-ycyEejvwq-2mLQHSDq_52jcYbcLPvm6BgUSo23YUOMxmLzjgg6sRuRtAa2BvFE3d417Ul7H2SZ1ApD17SqlAPPmwZi9khGs7sX6YvrU/s320/Bandcard-WeAreThePhysics.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3RxylobB1HLxUt2FhUBAYJsRCDJWco_PA1_-ycyEejvwq-2mLQHSDq_52jcYbcLPvm6BgUSo23YUOMxmLzjgg6sRuRtAa2BvFE3d417Ul7H2SZ1ApD17SqlAPPmwZi9khGs7sX6YvrU/s320/Bandcard-WeAreThePhysics.png" width="204" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqc1Gh9wDyHb9yb8nHmUcgace3Tc0wvmOQDGfZVvhfI3s83qE0F29hER8_E97lD8Z0pyqk2mbYLhxvvXTv7-7GZ849qS91sgkBUwE7yt6f9uro57omk629t8neUnAN7p2-5P9pDS6zHo/s320/Bandcard-MichaelCassidy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqc1Gh9wDyHb9yb8nHmUcgace3Tc0wvmOQDGfZVvhfI3s83qE0F29hER8_E97lD8Z0pyqk2mbYLhxvvXTv7-7GZ849qS91sgkBUwE7yt6f9uro57omk629t8neUnAN7p2-5P9pDS6zHo/s320/Bandcard-MichaelCassidy.png" width="204" /></a></div>
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And the result of Round 4... is an emphatic victory for... <b>Team Kowalskiy</b>!. My fellow physicists (this may not be factually accurate) haven't let me down. Their cult following and many years in the music-making business, along with that extra 'H' made all the difference. Sterling effort from Neil and Mr. Cassidy, but they couldn't stop me taking a one point lead in the series. With the next round four weeks ago (I'm taking a well earned holiday!), Scottish Fiction have got plenty of time to plan their revenge. I've got an ace up my sleeve though...<br />
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But as always, it's not about me, and it's not about Neil. It's about our two musical pugilists. We'll start off with today's victors, <a href="http://www.wearethephysics.com/">We Are The Physics</a>. They've already released one of the best songs this year (back during Wimbledon now I come to think about it) in <b>Goran Ivanisevic</b>. One of the best <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BVUBxcwWkA">videos</a> too! You can buy that over <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/goran-ivanisevic-single/id539019894">here</a>. But that track's in danger of being topped by their latest offering, <b>Applied Robotics</b> which hit the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/applied-robotics-single/id546972931">shelves</a> yesterday. Their new album is shaping up to be something special. All this, and they're pretty nifty at Scottish music Top Trumps too...<br />
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As for <a href="http://www.michaelcassidymusic.com/">Michael Cassidy</a>, well, the eagle-eyed amongst us will have noticed that this is the first time he's graced these pages. It won't be the last either. His eponymous EP, released last year is great! You can stream is below and buy it over <a href="http://michaelcassidy.bandcamp.com/">here</a>. It's 14 minutes which goes to prove I should pay closer attention to fellow bloggers more often...<br />
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So that's that. Round 5 will be on the 11<sup>th</sup> of September. I'm off to bask in my one point lead in the series for a bit, then get back to preparing for next month's bout. Neil's sure to bring his A-game!<br />
<br />Kowalskiyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16069805610789748599noreply@blogger.com0