Kowalskiy

Straight From The Horse's Mouth

2012-02-12T18:41:00.004Z

Let me introduce myself, I'm The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse, I've never reviewed a record in my life. Alas, here I am, ears cleaned thoroughly and equalised by Steve Wonder's Higher Ground. I've got two records in the pile, first up is All That Glitters by Homework.

If I could dance myself into another dimension, I'd like to feature this record on the soundtrack. There's something cosmic about it, something that displaces reality with visions of another universe. I'm wearing a space suit. My synth envy is heavy. There's a tinfoil tree on a hill top and it's fruit glows. I'd like to taste the fruit, but I'm timid, the bass line leads me towards it regardless. I see fuzzy shapes. Everything seems so fantastic when you're travelling through sound, each track is an adventure and each adventure is unique. Have a listen, start at the beginning, go on an adventure with Homework and take your friends with you.

Next up we have What Might Happen by Hold The Suspect, atmospheric and melodically frantic. I'm swimming in puddles of wonder, slightly fearful, the darkness comes for me, but I have a pocket light switch. Redemption is available, there's a slice for you too. Visions of yesteryear are present, it's kinda emotional, slightly haunting, but the Horse don't cry. Hold The Suspect would like to get acquainted with your ears, nice to meet you.

From Kowalskiy (with love): The EPs can be bought here (Homework) and here (Hold The Suspect). Thanks to The Horse for his unique, eye (and indeed, ear) opening take on two EPs from last year. Hopefully this will whet your appetite for later in the year when The Horse returns to TakeOver the offices of Kowalskiy! In the meantime, you can have a listen to the man himself over here.

...Foxhunting!

2012-02-06T20:50:00.001Z

So here we are, over a month into, what is already shaping up to be an impressive year for up-and-coming Scottish music... and I've finally ventured up the A9, all the way to Aberdeen... via Australia though! The reason being, to introduce you all to Joseph Sutherland, a.k.a. Foxhunting. His debut album Come On Sweetheart, Take My Heart is out now and is really very good indeed, even more impressive when you consider Joe is but a young 'un... an incredibly talented one at that! So, while you're reading what he has to say for himself, have a listen to the brilliant December.

Kowalskiy: Who is Foxhunting?

Joseph: Foxhunting is Joseph, a now-19-year-old boy from Aberdeen. I entered a talent contest at my secondary school in 2004 and came second to a twin Proclaimers tribute act. I've been playing guitar since my father thrust one into my hands aged 12, started with a few chords and learning progressions. By 14 I was writing some (fairly rubbish) songs using four-chord structures. I'm still doing that today, but with a bit more imagination in the lyrics department.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

Joseph: I like to think that I'm not just another acoustic guitarist, even though I plainly am. I'm currently experimenting with pedals and loops to try and define myself a little more, but I think having a more alternative listening background allows me to pigeonhole myself into the more "angular" side of pop. As I was learning to write music I was listening to a lot of Bloc Party, Editors and Snow Patrol, which showed in my voice. Thankfully I no longer sing with a thick Irish accent.

Kowalskiy: PLUG AWAY!!!

Joseph: Plugging, hey? Not a fan of plugging, I prefer to let the water run free. Hur hur. More seriously, I recently recorded an album in three weeks with Iain McPherson of Bedford Records - doing an album in three weeks is not recommended, by the way - called Come On Sweetheart, Take My Hand. It's one big experiment, if I'm honest, with a lot of last-minute ideas on the platter, but most of the songs I've been bumbling about with and tinkering for years. It has an underlying theme of nature and human emotion which carries through on each track.

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from you in the future?

Joseph: Well, hopefully I'll get a few more shows under my belt and start gigging in places like Glasgow and Edinburgh. I'm fairly new to the gigging scene even in Aberdeen, so I'll look to get myself a promoter to look into that for me when I return to the UK from Australia. Material-wise I'm in the middle of writing a new EP/album which I hope to get home-recorded in the near future. I'm also planning, as I say, to expand my sound so you can hopefully expect something a bit more visceral and pedal-fuelled in future.

So... onto the all-important album details! If you fancy getting your hands on Come On Sweetheart, Take My Hand then head over to the Foxhunting Bandcamp page. Thrown into the mix is a copy of last years self-titled EP, a hidden track, liner notes and a choice of four album covers. In fact, choice is the order of the day as far as the album is concerned, with half the tracks, including Blood, or, And I Was Right, (streaming below) being dual-titled to let you decide which is more apt. Pretty nifty eh?!

Kowalskiy Singles Club #11

2012-01-30T19:20:00.000Z

Hey folks, it's been a while, but the musical lovedoctor is back. Back with another batch of recent singles that'll hopefully catch your eye, warm your cockles and maybe, if you're especially lucky, maybe even take you to Heaven and back. So, let's not waste any more time. Here's some new singles for the New Year. Just remember though... No likey? No clicky the artwork to take you to the download page!

Cosplay The Hard Way by Blue Sky Archives

"Four Glasgow Bears and one Lady-Bear WLTM knights and knight-ettes in shining armour to download their free single, and do romance / dirty sex stuff. Loving, loyal and a big fan of Prince, looking for the same in someone special. Likes: GSOH, GBH, pina coladas, walks in (purple) rain and Primus. Dislikes: people who kick cats, pigeons and other small creatures. And anyone who plays Paul Stanley’s solo material in a public place." - Lauren Mayberry (Blue Sky Archives)

Ooh err missus Mayberry! Well, if that kinda thing sounds right up your street, then you can get your hands on the latest single from these five Glasgow bears absolutely free... so long as you sign up to their mailing list. But that's a very small price to pay for something which is pretty damn good! Pina Coladas not included.

Never Again/Simple by New Town Triptych

"Having been misunderstood and burned in the past I am a total contradiction. While I say Never Again, here I am writing a lonely hearts ad. If you are interested enough to see my face, you'll find it hiding behind my silent mouth unable to decide what to do...." - Scott Thomson (New Town Triptych)

This further hammers home their burgeoning reputation as one of the country's most exciting new bands. Now a 5-piece, this is New Town Triptych's new double A-side funded by Creative Scotland. If you ask me, there's definite touches of early Broken Records to the A+ side Never Again. The single will be available to the first 200 downloaders for FREE. Here's hoping I've not posted this too late!

This City by The Last September

"Grizzly, well travelled character, with perhaps too much life experience seeks harmony and a renewed faith in humanity. Surely there’s sunshine and rainbows out there? Must share a love of a catchy chorus. Can’t we all just get along?" - Pete Deane (The Last September)

Yes, yes we can! Now this one isn't out to buy until the beginning of March but teasing bastards as they are, The Last September have put it up on their SoundCloud to whet your appetite. The eagle-eared amongst you might recognise it as a re-working of Tough Love from their As The Crow Flies album which hit the shelves... last September!

Traps by So Many Animal Calls

"Young, overly emotional boy seeks companions to help him dig a hole. It's definitely not for a body. Ownership of a spade, a penchant for aggressive pop and willingness to accept 6/4 timing a must. The hole is not for a body. Definitely not." - Sean McKenna (So Many Animal Calls)

Hmmm definitely sounds to me like it's for a body! This is failpoppers So Many Animal Calls' debut single which is out on the 13th February via the rather lovely Overlook Records.

Zut Alors by My Tiny Robots

"Four unconventionally handsome musicians, assorted shapes and sizes, seek the public face of their music. Ideal candidate will have the looks of Thierry Henry, the anger of Eric Cantona and the sexual prowess of Nicolas Sarkozy. Zur Alors, out now on iTunes and Bandcamp." - Gareth Anderson (My Tiny Robots)

Ooh la la! This is one of my tips for 2012, My Tiny Robots' second appearance on the Singles Club, with this, their second in a set of three singles being released this winter. Much like the first one (Guild of Defiants) this one is tres bien!

Smart E.P. by Smart

"Three young men seeking like-minded individuals to share a love of deep-pocket grooving and hook-laden pop. Must possess ears, a funky disposition and at least one suit which isn’t for court. Open to men and women of all ages. We just want someone to hold us…" - Graeme Macdonald (Smart)

Ah so nothing to do with Mark Speight and Kirsten Whatseherface... oh well. Still, this is a great debut from newcomers Smart. They just want someone to hold them... is that too much to ask??

...The King Hats!

2012-01-27T09:15:00.000Z

Photo taken by Ashley Baxter

For the latest Introducing... feature, we venture across the Firth of Clyde to the quiet, sleepy town of Dunoon... which has spawned a young band who are anything but that! Now based in Glasgow, post-punk foursome The King Hats have just released their debut EP First Light completely off their own backs, and all that blood, sweat and tears have really paid off big-time. As debuts go, it's difficult to fault. Yeah it's a wee bit rough around the edges here and there, but that's exactly why I like it. So sit up and take note all you aspiring, like-minded bands, First Light is how it should be done!

Now I've said my piece, here's the guys to tell you a wee bit more...

Kowalskiy: Who are The King Hats?

The King Hats: Just four guys that really enjoy making and performing music together. We’re all originally from a wee town called Dunoon, so we all knew each other growing up. We were always playing in different bands; I guess music’s just always been a massive thing in each of our lives (and it still is). So when putting this band together it just seemed to be the line-up that made sense.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

The King Hats: I guess we originally had quite a big punk influence. We’ve always wanted to maintain that aggression and intensity. However, at the same time we’ve always wanted nice melodies, but nothing as whiny as emo (not dissing emo, but they whine a bit). Our biggest influences were Blink 182, the first 2 Idlewild albums, Biffy, Radiohead, Deftones, and just partying. That’s really where we’re coming from. Now we’ve developed that in to something bigger, more epic; maybe a bit slower, but still with that energetic, and aggressive, punkiness at heart. That’s allowed us to really focus on, and develop, the melody-side of things too.

Lyrically it’s all Alan. He’s a big, romantic, softie at heart; and most of the songs are at least semi-autobiographical. And live? Well, we just love to go mental on stage; like four thrashing balls of hyperactivity. There is no better feeling.

Kowalskiy: PLUG AWAY!!!

The King Hats: So, we’ve just released our first EP. It’s called First Light. It’s our first release since we released Riot on Tut’s label. We’re quite proud of it; especially as we recorded it in out flat. Bert knows his way around Pro Tools, so we realised we could just do it all ourselves. It ended up being a bit of a hard slog; but that mentality of doing it ourselves has made us realise we should just do everything ourselves.

I guess what we’re most pleased about with the EP is finally having a set of songs on record that we feel does us a bit of justice. Our shows are always mental, and people always say some very nice things, but we never really had something other than Riot that we were proud to have out there for people to hear. So all that’s out now; Bandcamp, BigCartel, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, you can get it at all these good places. However, only the physical CD has a couple bonus tracks.

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from The King Hats in the future?

The King Hats: Gigs. Lots of gigs. It’s been far too long since we were gigging frequently, and we really miss it. Hopefully some nice festival slots too. Other than that, we’re building a studio at the moment, so we’ll potentially have another EP out later in the year. And since we’re releasing the stuff ourselves, there’s been talk of maybe starting a label, but we’ll see. So quite a lot hopefully. 2012 is looking to be a very exciting year.

Want my advice?? Get on over to their BigCartel page and get your hands on the CD, which as the band says, comes with two bonus tracks, Time In Japan and the cracking Brand New. So yeah, off you go!

K&A with Chris Tenz

2012-01-23T20:15:00.000Z

And so we come to the end of, what I shall forever affectionately dub, my 'Two-Post Tour Of Canada'. As with the first post of my virtual tour, this time 'round, the artist in question, the incredibly-talented Chris Tenz (him what is above), also has strong Scottish ties. At the tail-end of 2011, Chris released his brilliant album Frozen Arms through the Edinburgh label mini50 Records, and even popped over to launch it. While he was here, he took time out to record this stunning wee gem.

Anyway, a few words from me about Frozen Arms before I hand the floor over to Mr. Tenz... It's good. Very good actually! The cold, dark connotations of the titles aside, it's difficult to escape the all-encompassing winteriness of this album, be it from the atmospheric soundscapes created by a delicate blend of guitars, piano and synths which give an unerring sense of isolation, or the icy distant lo-fi hisses and occasional tape crackles. All of which add up to something incredibly impressive indeed. There's no escaping that it's an unashamedly forlorn affair, full of "loss, regret and impending death" but throughout, you'll be hanging on Chris' every hushed vocal, you'll be taken in every time things drift off, more often than not in fact, into minutes of some of the most serene instrumentals you're likely to hear. It's not quite tenz out of tenz mind you, but it's not too far off it!

Probably best I just get on with the interview now. Take it away Chris...

Kowalskiy: Who is Chris Tenz?

Chris: I will admit, that is a difficult question to answer! A strange, coffee addicted man from Calgary, Canada, I suppose.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe your music?

Chris: I have found that describing it is rather difficult. I tend to avoid trying lately, and rather allow people to hear it as they like. I love the idea of music that sort of soundtracks itself, songs with their own "score", if you will... so I have tried to accomplish that effect. Whether or not I have done so successfully, I am not entirely certain.

Kowalskiy: Your debut album Frozen Arms came out at the end of 2011. There's a definite cold, dark, wintery theme going on if you ask me. What can you tell us about it?

Chris: Most of the songs were written and produced throughout the autumn/winter of 2010/2011. Winter inspires me very heavily, and all of the fictional "stories" of the album also take place in late autumn or through the winter. So a cold, winter mood was intentional, but I am sure it was partially influenced by when it was made.

Kowalskiy: Correct me if I'm wrong, but you wrote, performed, produced and mastered the album all on your lonesome. BUT! If you had the chance to collaborate with anyone, dead or alive, who'd it be and why?

Chris: Yes, the album was a solo effort indeed. It is an interesting time you should raise this question, actually, as I am (nervously) working on rounding up a few of my favorite artists to contribute to an album concept I'm slowly working at. As for narrowing this down to one person, however, that is difficult to do! I recently saw a Max Richter concert in Lisbon, Portugal. Like a babbling fool, when I bought an album from him, I told him it would be amazing to collaborate. I doubt that would ever be a reality, but he would certainly be up there on the list!

Kowalskiy: You're signed up to Edinburgh's mini50 Records. You're all the way over in Canada, they're over here... so how'd it all come about?

Chris: It's actually by large coincidence, as I recall. Fraser from Small Town Boredom and Caught in the Wake Forever somehow found an old net-label release of mine, and shared it with Euan (McMeeken from mini50). I think it was through that which he eventually discovered the former ambient duo that I was a part of, Language of Landscape. On his blog, he wrote some kind words about one of our releases, and we contacted him to thank him for writing about us. He proceeded to ask us to join mini50, and expressed an interest in my solo works. He's been immensely supportive since. I think I got those details right. Anyways, I was always quite drawn to Edinburgh, so it somehow felt right to release music out of the city.

Kowalskiy: So, does that mean there are plans afoot to visit Scotland at any point soon?
Chris: I just returned from a short visit back in October/November, actually. My plan is (fingers crossed!) to return for the duration winter, next year. To finally visit was quite amazing, as I always felt an unexplained connection with the area.

Kowalskiy: What Scottish bands are making waves over in Canada? How 'bout you, any Scots on your iPod?

Chris: As for bands that are making an impact over here, I can't really say. I don't tend to keep up with "current" things very well. I do know there's loads of talent there, so it would not surprise me to know that there's lots finding it's way to Canadian ears. As for myself, yes, definitely some Scots gracing my headphones frequently. Last Days has always been one of my favorite solo artists. He has operated out of Edinburgh over the past few years. Aforementioned Small Town Boredom has also been in my ears for many repeated listens. Euan from mini50 is a moany bastard, but he has made some absolutely stunning music over the years as well (K: The Kays Lavelle, his solo stuff, and more recently, Graveyard Tapes). Also, since visiting, a few kind people there have put me on to some other lovely artists. I look forward to exploring the scene more extensively when I return. I think there is a lot to be discovered!

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from Chris Tenz in 2012?

Chris: I committed myself to slowing down and patiently exploring ideas this year, as I want to avoid the temptation to rush anything creatively. I am working on a couple of projects, but I cannot say when they will be ready yet. Maybe this year, perhaps later. I suppose they are simply "sketches", at this point. Otherwise, my music will be appearing in a couple of feature films this year, as well as a couple of short films. Later last year, I produced an album for Nicolas Field, an absurdly good artist here in Calgary. I think that is to also make an appearance sometime in the next few months.

Kowalskiy: Last one, any New Year resolutions?

Chris: No "resolutions", exactly, but over the past few months I've committed myself to really stripping down any ideas I have of what creativity means to me personally. It is a bit difficult to explain, but I really want to produce sounds without any preconceptions or self-doubt/criticism to confuse the process. I don't know what the end result will be, and have no expectations for it, and somehow, in itself, I find that to be quite refreshing. I want it to all be as genuine and honest as possible. Whether or not it is any good. Whether or not it ever gets heard.

Cheers Chris! You can get your copy of Frozen Arms over here. Can't stress enough how great the album is. Plus, 'tis a bargain!

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #19

2012-01-16T12:40:00.000Z

The eagle-eyed among you will no doubt have noticed I've not posted my tips for 2012 yet. Well, I'm gonna level with you. More and more lately, I'm finding less and less time to blog. So this year, I figured I may as well kill two birds with the one stone and combine those tips with this years first EP. I thought long and hard about which five bands to pester for a track, and ended up going for the five bands responsible for my favourite singles of 2011. Thankfully they all said yes! One of them even allowed me to give away said favourite single for gratis in this month's EP!

So here they are, my five tips for all-round-musical greatness (in the order they appear on the EP)...

1. My Tiny Robots - Other People Matter (Anyone who has heard last years' epic single Rock Bossa Nova Fourbeat Black will understand why these guys have been tipped.)

"This track is taken from the 'Rock Bossa Nova' EP that we released last year and recorded with the good people of Tape studios Edinburgh. The session's for the EP took place in a little cottage near Aviemore and some how ended up with six grown squeezed into a four man Hot Tub, I'll leave the rest to your imagination!!! Once enough time had past after this incident we went back up north and recorded the three tracks we are currently releasing as a series of singles, which can be purchased through our band camp or on iTunes, Spotify etc." - Gareth Anderson (My Tiny Robots)

2. The Machine Room - Broken Love Game (demo) (First caught my attention with their single Girly and I'll happily go on record as saying these are one of the most exciting bands in the country at the moment!)

"I tired to meld some sugary shoegazy guitar sounds with a more disco rhythm, telling a tale of a broken love game." - John Bryden (The Machine Room)

3. PET - Anchor (Now a three-piece, Singles Club favourites PET blew me away with their single Middle Child Syndrome. There's just nothing else quite like it around these parts! Here's a great demo Björk cover.)

"Bjork is quite a woman. This PET cover of 'The Anchor Song' from her debut 'Debut', came out of a love of her playful, simple repeating melody. Stripped of all of the free time joining horns bits it seems to leave more of a Song - duly we called our demo Anchor." - PET

4. Wolves Of Winter - The Art Of Temptation (My favourite single of 2011 was in fact, this very song. New single The Thaw is out soon. If it's even half as good as this, then I can't wait!)

I'm sure we'll hear from Wolves Of Winter in due time. Until then though, let's just let their music do the talking for them...

5. French Wives - Blue Boy (Orange Juice cover) (Last but by no means least, are this fantastic Glasgow bunch. Numbers burnt itself firmly into my brain last year, as did this. With any luck, 2012 will be their year.)

"Blue Boy is one of only 3 covers we've ever done as a band, the other 2 being Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses and You Give A Little Love from Bugsy Malone, so it's easily the most credible! We first worked on it to play live for "one night only" as part of a single launch at the Glasgow School of Art in order to pay homage somewhat to the musical legacy of its alumni. However, we quite liked the version in the end, and when asked to do a cover version for Vic Galloway's BBC Scotland show it was an easy choice." - Scott Macpherson (French Wives)

Here's hoping we hear a lot more from these five bands in 2012. Each have singles, EPs and/or albums already in the pipeline, so there's plenty to look forward to! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this months EP... and the 18 others over on my bandcamp page. That's your lot 'til February 16^th. If you fancy appearing on a future EP, fire me over a wee email (kowalskiy2@gmail.com) and we'll go from there.

The Exception To The Rule #5 - The Jon Cohen Experimental

2012-01-10T20:30:00.000Z

The Jon Cohen Experimental's very own Jon Cohen!

It's been a while, but I've dusted off the ol' 'Exception' tag to bring you another artist from far afield, one of Canada's finest solo artists no less... The Jon Cohen Experimental. And with imminent tour dates this side of The Atlantic, three in our very own central belt, what better time, eh?! I can safely say, as interviews go on Kowalskiy, this is perhaps one of the most insightful ones. Jon's clearly a guy with a lot of refreshing things to say about his music, and the artform in general. So, here's his thoughts on his latest album Behold, his upcoming Scottish gigs, and his involvement with a little-known Canadian outfit called The Dears. Nope, I've never heard of them either...

Before all that though, here's the title track from his album. Behold...

Behold by The Jon Cohen Experimental

Kowalskiy: Hey Jon, how's tricks? How'd you fancy telling the Kowalskiy readers who The Jon Cohen Experimental are?

Jon: The JCEX, is my band plain and simple. It takes on many forms. It was a three piece, it was a full band, it is a meeting amongst friends to make music, It is a solo project, one unifying theme is that I am in it though! Otherwise it would be The (insert name) Experimental. The band started out as a natural result of mass outflow of music coming out of my brain. When we started to awaken these songs into a live context everything changed. I realized that I had some skill at performance and also that the music gave me a stage to express my feelings, my thoughts and to maybe help people and entertain them in the process. in 2007 I recorded my first record (self titled) in an analog studio in Montreal called The Treatment Room which is where bands like Plants and Animals, Katie Moore and many others recorded their seminal records.) I loved the vibe, the analog stuff you know? The record didn't really go anywhere in terms of promotion or sales as it was my first go but with it, I had something tangible, some proof of my legitimacy as an artist. So I kept going, I realized it was too late to turn back. Two records, several tours later, here I am, still chugging away, but this time, I’ve dropped the band and am experimenting with being a one man band, which is so beautiful in many ways because it is really pushing my full potential as an artist, I feel like there are literally no limits to the kinds of sounds and songs I can write, I have become a victim of my own ambition in a way because I can no longer see myself doing much else than this for a living. Its simply too rewarding spiritually. Today, I'm embarking on the ultimate spiritual and musical adventure, this tour which is called The Passenger Tour, is throughout all of Europe and spans 2 full months on the road, all by bus, train and ferry, I want to see the land, I want to discover the people, the music, the cultures and scenes, the foods, architecture and myself in all of it, I want to bring this music on the other side of the pond. The Passenger Tour is the ultimate experiment for me.

Kowalskiy: How'd you describe 'your sound'?

Jon: Sound is one thing, music is another. If you're asking about the sound, I'd say its polished, clear, concise and very well groomed. Much like the way I live my life. Order was everything in the making of this record. It was a process to learn to let go and let the chaos do its job. I'm still learning how to do that, I think its very important and there will be more of that in the future. I was influenced very much by the studio sound for these record, things like music production on records by Alan Parsons, Beach Boys, Elliot Smith, Brian Eno. As for music, I would describe it as a kind of unique but accessible pop sound, it has traces of so many of my influences (which come in the hundreds) that its impossible to pinpoint any defining characteristics, and I think that is its bigger strength, its biggest strength is in the songwriting, in the lyrical content that speaks to so much that troubles the young undisciplined minds of everyone, the monkey mind that swings recklessly from branch to branch. Then there's the production, the catchy melodies, the amazing guests that play on it and the fantastic musicianship as well as the energy it exudes. It’s a big record, a tall order, and lots to chew on. A musical buffet! I still listen to it every once in a while and think, wow, I didn't record this album… this album recorded me!

Hold The Fire by The Jon Cohen Experimental

Kowalskiy: That's deep Jon! So, you're over in Glasgow and Edinburgh in a few weeks to tour your album Behold. Is there a story behind the album?

Jon: There’s always a story behind every album, the story of my experimental life, the life that I shape not according to what is expected. I never expected to make this album and have it see this kind of success. I saw it as an opportunity to wrap up the last few years of my life into a kind of personal musical document. There were many changes going on, there was lots of transition, and with that came an immense push to give up everything, to drop everything else, and to focus heat soul, money, energy and time into this record. You see "Behold" is my little secular sermon to the world, its my dent in life, its my musical osmosis to the world. It simply had to be made, and I had to make it well! Not half fast. So I decided to record it outside the city, with an amazing record producer named Dave Draves (Little Bullhorn Studios) he recorded bands like Julie Doiron, Kathleen Edwards, Snailhouse, Gentlemen Reg, Octoberman etc etc. Dave is like a hidden secret, a master producer who has incredible pop sensibilities. I quickly realized he was the one man who could turn my vision into reality. He had a keen understanding of how to sculpt music, how to crystallize sound, how to electrify frequencies. I quickly became more his friend than client and moved into his house for the recording, had many friends come by to record their bits (I have a whole cats of characters form the Montreal music scene on the record which I'm really proud to have had a part of this album). Everyone became excited about the record and joined in to do their bit. It was a thing of beauty. Six months later I was holding the physical copy in my hand with a sigh of relief. Behold was done, it was a long undertaking, almost a C-section to have this album made but I was happy to turn the page and looked forward to playing it live.

Kowalskiy: What are you looking forward to most about those three Scottish gigs, and what can we expect from your live show?

Jon: I'm most looking forward to connecting with the audience, to share with them a slice of this experimental life, to entertain, to enlighten possibly and of course to have a great time. I look forward to playing in places where I feel the people are kin, where I feel a connection sometimes for reasons I can't even explain. That’s the whole point of this "Passenger Tour” throughout All of the UK, Europe and Scandinavia. I want to let the music be the driver and be the passenger, just watch the scenery go by and live my life. The gigs in Glasgow and Edinburgh are gonna be shows not to be missed!

Kowalskiy: What'd be your ideal gig?

Jon: My ideal gig would involve playing an outdoor show overlooking a beautiful manifestation of Nature, like a lake, a mountain, beautiful ocean, any manifestation of Nature, my greatest influence and most devoted fan. I would be truly myself onstage and feel the electrifying force of connectiveness with my audience.

Kowalskiy: The album itself has many impressive musical guests, none more impressive than your former bandmate, The Dears' Murray Lightburn. How'd you set about choosing who to guest on the album?

Jon: I basically decided to call on any and every musician whose music I loved and who was writhing my realm of contacts, and simply asked. This record was all about pushing boundaries and by approaching many of the people whom I looked up to and whose careers I admired I did just that. It was a lesson in reaching out; there is something beautiful about being in need of musical companionship, but not for selfish reasons. I think most of the guests on this record saw that and got involved precisely because of that kind of detachment from selfishness. It felt more like revisiting the past ten years of my musical life, dusting off the past, reconnecting and creating something new and fresh.

Kowalskiy: If you had the choice, which artist, living or dead, would you love to collaborate with?
Jon: Lately I’ve been heavily in to Glenn Gould, he's a famous classical pianist, he was also a very eccentric and unique man, the true definition of pure genius, He is the only artist who did experiments with tape splicing, studio trickery, and effects on his classical music. He was a real pusher of boundaries, a master on the piano and he used the studio as an instrument which is rarely heard of in classical music whereas in pop and rock its almost become a given.

Kowalskiy: OK, back to The Dears. It's no secret they're one of my favorite bands. You were in the band in the early days when they Released their debut, and one of my favorites albums End Of A Hollywood Bedtime Story. If it's not too nosy, how come you left the band as they were making their breakthrough?

Jon: Over my musical career I’ve played with many, many, many, other musicians, The Dears were just one of many. I understand many people fixate on it, due to their well deserved success but in doing so they miss a larger picture in the artist upbringing. Its like they are only reading one page off of their favorite book, what’s the point? In the same way, I see that band, as well as the Social Register, and all the other artists Ive worked with as just another notch on a belt, no bigger or more special than any of the others. I only leave a project when I've felt I've accomplished what I needed to and move on once my role has been well-played. That was the case with all the other projects I've been a part of as well as all future projects still to come. There are never any hard feelings with me, doors don't get shut, they revolve, bridges don't get burned, they're fireproof. You'd know that right away if you met me!

Kowalskiy: Last one, what Scottish bands are the good folk of Canada listening to at the moment?

Jon: I can't speak for others of course. Well as you must know there is Teenage Fanclub which has always been not so much an influence as much as a beacon of pop purity, something to strive for. I was a fan of The Jesus and Mary Chain when I was younger. I had Sound Of Speed on tape and I think I literally listened to it so much I wore the tape out, I "de-magnetized" the particles out of wear and tear. I litteraly sucked out the music from that cassette. Lets see ...who else, Glasvegas are great too. I'm most looking forward to seeing what the indie bands and local artists are up to in Glasgow and Edinburgh, so looking forward to these shows, we are gonna rock with the Lovely Scots!

Sook! Well, you can listen to more of Behold over to SoundCloud, and if you like what you hear, then head over here to get your hands on it. And if you fancy catching him live whilst he's over in Scotland, then his tour dates are below. For the full list of European gigs, head over to his website.

Upcoming Gigs

Monday 23^rd Jan - Pivo Pivo, Glasgow

Tuesday 31^st Jan - Bloc, Glasgow

Wednesday 1^st Feb - The Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh

...Cameo Colours!

2012-01-06T11:15:00.000Z

Kicking off the New Year on Kowalskiy is Edinburgh's Cameo Colours. At the tail-end of last year these four guys released their eponymous debut EP. So, perhaps I'm a wee bit late hopping on the bandwagon, but I finally got around to asking guitarist Daniel Crichton a few questions. Here's what he had to say about the band, their EP and what they have in store for you all in 2012.

Kowalskiy: Who are Cameo Colours?

Daniel: Cameo Colours are an Edinburgh based four-piece band made up of two brothers and a guitarist from Aberdeen and a guy from Canada who plays bass.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

Daniel: We’re a fairly new band so I don’t think we’ve quite found our ‘sound’ yet and we’re not really looking to hold ourselves down to one particular style or genre at the moment. However, I would say that although we all have varying musical tastes and influences the one thing that we all have in common is a huge passion for guitar-based music. This is where we get the majority of our influence from, whether it be alternative rock, indie, math rock or whatever.Lyrically the songs tend to be an outlet for frustration at personal issues within our day-to-day lives and dissatisfaction in the political systems and our consumer culture.

Kowalskiy: PLUG AWAY!!!

Daniel: We just released our self-titled debut EP at the end of last year and it is available to download from our Bandcamp page on a pay-what-you-like scheme (basically, just download it for free!). Also, the next gig that we have coming up is supporting Tubelord and Olympians at the Tunnels in Aberdeen on 23^rd January. Both of those bands are definitely worth checking out.

Kowalskiy: What can we expect from Cameo Colours in 2012?

Daniel: I have to admit that we don’t have anything too ambitious planned as we don’t tend to plan too far in to the future. We can be quite an impulsive band, which can be a good thing, though; it will most likely lead to our inevitable downfall.Basically we want to get back in the studio as soon as possible because we have a bunch of new songs that we’ve been working on. So a new EP is on the cards for some point this year. We’d quite like to get some acoustic recordings done as well. Apart from that, we just wanna gig as much as possible.

So, if you liked the sound of Real Lies above, you can download the EP for FREE over here. You have express permission from Daniel himself! Though, I'm sure they wouldn't say no to a few quid if you were offering. And, if you're the sort to do so, you can signal your intent to attend their Tunnels gig over on Facebook.

2012 on Kowalskiy!

2012-01-02T11:30:00.000Z

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR to anyone out there reading this. Hope it's a good 'un for you! Now that Old Grandfather Time has counted down to the end of 2011 and welcomed in the new one, I thought I'd kick off 2012 with a few things you can expect from Kowalskiy in the next twelve months.

Given one of my last posts was my top albums of last year, it feels a bit weird to start 2012 with me listing three early contenders for this years accolade. But all three are fairly amazing! Besides, it wouldn't be right not to give you the heads up on a few of the albums that'll be hitting the shelves in the not-so-distant future. One that's been burning itself into my subconscious for the last six months is Lo-fi Disgrace, the debut from Laurence & the Slab Boys. Word has it that it'll finally see the light of day in 2012 with an outside chance of a "splendid and uplifting" follow-up too.

Space Dream #2 by Laurence & the Slab Boys

If Larry doesn't end up with a mention in my Top 5 of 2012 then this year is gonna be pretty f**king special!

What else.. well, did you download my last free EP of 2011? If so, you'll have been treated to the opening track from Now Wakes The Sea's debut album Fluoxetine Morning. I introduced Glasgow instrumentalists Redwings a while back. NWTS is guitarist-gone-solo Alan McCormack. There's a bunch of releases on his bandcamp already, but you can think of this lo-fi Middletonesque one as an unexpected late Christmas pressie.

Last one is the triumphant return of... wait for it... Mull Historical Society. When I interviewed Colin back in July he was signed up to PledgeMusic to help fund his follow-up to The Island. It's now got over the 100% mark and all us lucky pledgers have received our download of City Awakenings. It's vintage MHS and it is absolutely superb! It'll be out soon, but I'm sure you can still pledge and get it right away. Keep your eyes peeled for all three albums!

As for on Kowalskiy. Cancel The Astronauts have passed the Takeover! baton on to one of my favourite artists on these fair shores. So you can expect some madness to ensue in the not-so-distant-future. As well as that, I'll be foregoing the usual 'XX Tips for 20XX'. Instead, my 5 hotly-tipped bands for all-round-musical greatness in 2012 have all (thankfully) agreed to appear on January's free Kowalskiy EP. So, until the 16th, you'll just need to be patient, though you do get a sneak preview of the cover art opposite!

Other than that, after a short two-post foray into the best that Canadian music has to offer, you can expect more of the same from me with one wee twist. As an experiment of sorts, I've decided to keep track of where in Scotland each and every band I feature in 2012 is from in my Grand (Musical) Tour of Scotland. That first one... that's me!

All the best for 2012 folks!

K&A with Dead Boy Robotics

2011-12-21T22:30:00.000Z

Now that all the end-of-year formalities have been dispensed with, let's get back to some long-overdue posts. First up, the final K&A of 2011 saw me pose a few of my usual, deep probing questions to one of Scotland's finest up-and-coming electronic bands, Dead Boy Robotics. Here's what they had to say about their recently-released debut album, their plans and tips for 2012, and why they've been hanging around old railway tunnels at one in the morning. Before that though, have a wee listen to their previous single, and one of the many standout tracks on the album.

Gatherer On The Threshold by Dead Boy Robotics

Kowalskiy: Who are Dead Boy Robotics?

DBR: Dead Boy Robotics are an alternative electronic three-piece from Edinburgh. Otherwise known as Gregor, Mike and Paul.

Kowalskiy: Is it true you chose the name as it's an anagram of both 'Octet Rabbi Dodos' and ''Sordid Bobcat Toe'?

DBR: That is untrue. We're actually cyborgs sent back in time by Skynet to terminate Sarah Connor.

Kowalskiy: You've just released your debut album on the back of the fantastic recent singles Ever and Gatherer on the Threshold. How does the rest of the album compare?

DBR: 'Ever' and 'Gatherer' are the two guitar and bass driven songs on the album. 'Ever' is the louder, faster, riff heavy of the two, with a big chorus and meandering proggy structure. 'Gatherer' is slower with haunting vocals and a more conventional song structure. The other album tracks contain a mixture of vintage and modern synths invoking a cinematic Sci-Fi feel.

Kowalskiy: Might just be me, but the album has a 2-parter kinda feel. Is that the case? If so, is there a story to it?

DBR: Yes it definitely has a two part feel but that certainly wasn't our intention. We went into the studio with only eight songs completed but hoped to add a couple of instrumentals later on. We felt a 10 track album of about 40 minutes was better than a mini album of eight songs. Because the songs are sequenced with track five '//', an instrumental track, the album feels like it has two definite sections.

Kowalskiy: So what's this I heard about recording parts of it under a railway bridge at 1am??

DBR: After all the vocal parts for the album were recorded in the studio we took them to Innocent Railway Tunnel in Holyrood Park, played them back the down the tunnel and recorded the reverb. If you listen closely to 'Gatherer on the Threshold' you can hear water dripping on the ground from the roof of the tunnel.

Kowalskiy: I may have missed the boat on this one, but are there future plans to hit the road and plug the album?

DBR: We'll hopefully do some sort of UK tour next year but haven't got anything confirmed as of yet. However, we do have gigs planned for Edinburgh and Inverness of the end of January.

Kowalskiy: What'd be your ideal gig?
DBR: Curating a day of All Tomorrow's Parties as that's possibly our favourite UK festival.

Kowalskiy: It's getting to that time of year, so what bands would you tip for 2012?

DBR: Lady North, Paul our drummer's other band, are fantastic live and very entertaining and will hopefully make some new recordings next year. Miaoux Miaoux is always coming out with catchy tunes and banging remixes. Edinburgh band Machine Room are working with Tape to record an album after fantastic recent single 'Camino De Soda'.

Kowalskiy: Last one... what can we expect from DBR in the new year?

DBR: We're hoping to play some festivals next year, tour and will be writing new music.

Ever by Dead Boy Robotics

Ever, my favourite track from their eponymous album is streaming above, and the album can be bought from the band here in CD form, or downloaded from iTunes here.

Upcoming Gigs
Friday 20^th Jan - The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
Friday 27^th Jan - Mad Hatters, Inverness

Kowalskiy's Top 10 Albums of 2011

2011-12-19T11:11:00.003Z

Yup, it's that time of year again! The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed I've dispensed with the usual, long drawn-out countdown this time 'round. The main reason is I've found it harder than ever to narrow down the options in what has been, in my opinion, a great year for Scottish music. I think I've just about managed it though, so with much further ado, here's my top 10 albums of 2011...

#1. Happy Particles - Under Sleeping Waves
Very rarely, do I listen to an album and halfway through think to myself 'this album will not be bettered this year'. That was the case with Glasgow sextet Happy Particles' debut album Under Sleeping Waves. And the thing is, the second half is even better than the first! "Uplifting... sublime... absolutely stunning!" was how I described it back in September. Nothing's changed, it's an outstanding album and fitting of anyone's top spot.
HIGHLIGHT: A.M. Sky (Bleary)

#2. Will Hanson - Moving A Body
Yeah, you're right fellow bloggers! This is a last-minute entry in my Top 10 having only bought it à la weekend. I'd been meaning to for months on the back of his outstanding double A-side Deathbed Conversion / The View From Ebury Bridge, and sat listening to it whilst wrapping my presents. Mr. Hanson and his friends have delivered something quite special indeed. Beee-autiful!
HIGHLIGHT: Our Basket

#3. The Little Kicks - The Little Kicks
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to post Steven Milne's track-by-track commentary of The Little Kicks' eponymous follow-up to 2009's debut Boxing Clever. Here's some Kowalskiy soundbites... "funky... insanely-catchy... pure songwriting perfection... Bravo!". I think they sum it up just nicely, but don't take my word for it. Go have a listen for yourself!
HIGHLIGHT: Far Too Honest

#4. Rob St. John - Weald
Another one that buggered up the tentative Top 5 I've been submitting to all these collective end-of-year lists. I'd been sitting on the album for a while, not sure why though, given The Whites Of Our Eyes, Rob's charitable collaboration last year with Braindead Collective, is possibly one of the finest songs of recent years. Having listened to Weald a fair few times now, it's filled with a lot more of the same. Rob's given us a staggeringly good album which will quite rightly, and deservedly so, top many a list.
HIGHLIGHT: Domino

#5. Come On Gang! - Strike A Match
At the start of the year, there was one album which completely blew me away... Strike A Match, which was simultaneously Come On Gang!'s exciting debut and tearful swansong. It's early-in-the-year release, combined with my short attention span and propensity to play my favourite new albums to within an inch of their lives, has inevitably put pay to a Top 3 finish, but don't let that take anything away from the sheer joy and unadulterated amazingness of this very special album.
HIGHLIGHT: To The Morning

#6. Jacob Yates & the Pearly Gate Lock Pickers - Luck
Now this was a wee welcome change from the norm in 2011. Maryhill's Jacob Lovatt and his PGLPs unleashed their "Doom Wop" debut Luck on the unsuspecting Scottish public. It's full of pitch black humour and really, quite grim imagery but it's a great album because of all that. You'd be hard pushed to find a bolder album this year. That's proper rock 'n' roll for you folks!
HIGHLIGHT: Mark

#7. IndianRedLopez - Empty Your Lungs And Breathe
Aberdeen's IndianRedLopez were one of my tips for 2011, and they did not disappoint in the slightest. When I spoke to them back in May, they'd just released this, their superb debut album. Full of emotion, these 10 songs were some of the best atmospheric indie-rock heard all year. Judging by their recent single Prometheus (buy it here) we can expect even better things from these guys next year.
HIGHLIGHT: The New Black

#8. Evil Hand - Huldra

STOP PRESS: Huldra only makes 8^th place in self-confessed Evil Hand fanatic's Best of 2011 list.

Allow me to explain. I love everything about these 16 fantastic songs, after all, I went on record as saying it was a "breathtaking, seductive mixture of old and new". And I suppose that's where I'm conflicted. It's too much like a Best Of to place higher... sorry Derek! Still, it's every bit as amazing as I've said before.
HIGHLIGHT: Returned In Time

#9. Make Sparks - Rewound
Again, this falls foul of the same 'is this an album, or is it more a collection of old, reworked recordings?' debate. Either way, Rewound is a brilliant pop-rock dozen from Dundee trio Make Sparks. Fans of Jimmy Eat World, as I myself am, will lap this up and be left wanting more. Just as well then that this bunch have released a few new tracks since. The trouble is, now I'm wanting even more!
HIGHLIGHT: Rewind

#10. Prince Edward Island - This Day Is A Good Enough Day
But what if Arab Strap went all poppy on us, what if... Wonder no more folks, 'cos that's exactly what you get with London-based Prince Edward Island. I interviewed the Scottish half of the band, frontman Darren Bruce earlier in the year and I came to these conclusions. It's bitter. It's dark, but witty. It's "about failed sex". Yet somehow, it's so oddly delightful, you can't help but smile!
HIGHLIGHT: You Look Like I Need A Drink

Well that's that for another year. There were of course, a lot more albums that tickled my fancy this year, but the list has to stop somewhere! If you fancy hearing any of these albums, you can click on the relevant artwork and see if you agree with me. Hope so!

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #18

2011-12-16T09:10:00.001Z

And so, we come to the final EP of 2011. The Scrooge that I am, I've once again limited it to one festive track, but it's still free. Geez, what more do you want! And not only that, there's one or two extra goodies in there to tide you over 'til the New Year.

I didn't plan it this way, but there's a track from the band behind my #1 album of 2011, and another by an artist who's already set the benchmark pretty high for 2012. Sandwiched between, are three crackers! Hope you enjoy them all. You can, as ever, get your download by clicking on the artwork above (this month paying homage to one of my favourite and most iconic albums of all time). Before that though, here's the five artists involved and what they each had to say about their track...

1. Now Wakes The Sea - You Are The Cold (Redwings guitarist gone solo! This is the opening track off of next years 'Best of 2012' benchmark album that I mentioned above.)

"You Are the Cold is the opening track from the upcoming Now Wakes the Sea record, Fluoxetine Morning, due out at the beginning of 2012. The lyrics make reference to noise pollution and artificially induced sleep, and was written as I was flirting between consciousness and slumber. In terms of instrumentation, it's rather simplistic, but features a bitching synth solo. Bookended by two different versions of the same sound - a single, dry guitar pluck, and an analogue delay squeal - I think it gives a good representation of the record, mixing elements of drone and ambience with sparse and minimal folk." - Alan McCormack (Now Wakes The Sea)

2. Wiredrawn - Christmas Wish No. 3571 (A reworking of the ex-Won Mississippi singer's early solo festive demo. Wiredrawn's debut EP 'Loose Lips Sink Ships' is available here.)

"The track was written and recorded in the seemingly endless winter last year, when Scotland was at an almost constant stand-still. The news was full of stories of isolation and chaos as well as brilliant examples of the determination and resolve some people had shown when trying to battle through the elements to get to their loved ones. I fancied 'doing' a Christmas song without surrendering to whimsy too much - I might just have got away with it......" - Patrick Baird (Wiredrawn)

3. Reverieme - Mama, Won't You Keep Them Castles in the Air and Burning? (I must admit, I was disappointed with the second Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! album, but this absolutely stunning cover makes up for it and then some!)

"It may be a controversial choice (in a world where controversy is defined as ‘not really liking pandas that much’ or ‘preferring peanut M&M's’) but I really love Some Loud Thunder, the sophomore album from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. In fact (and we may be nearing the ‘I have never enjoyed a Ryan Reynolds movie’ level of controversy here), I don’t think I could fault it! When I first heard ‘Mama, Won’t You Keep Them Castles in the Air and Burning?’, a song so lyrically ridiculous it could well have been co-written by Lou Reed and James Hetfield, I totally (and inexplicably) loved it. I’m hoping that this wee cover is either so good it sways the non-believers or so bad that it makes the original seem like a sweet aural haven (no giggling). Either way, you’ll have to listen to find out!" - Louise Connell

4. The Strangers Almanac - Where The River Meets The Sea (Good Gord this guy's good! He's got some a free album and EP on Bandcamp, but here's a brand spanking new song for you.)

"This is a new song that I've only played live a couple of times, and I recorded it with my friend Ross Middlemiss who plays in Pensioner. (If you're looking for someone to record your band, give him a shout, he's excellent). It was written about a friend of mine, and it's basically saying that if you come through troubles in your life and make it out alive, you should be proud of all you've achieved, no matter how meandering a path you took to get there. It may crop up on a future release, but for now it stands on its own!" - Gord Matheson (The Strangers Almanac)

5. Happy Particles - Cold Calling (If you followed the clues above, you'll know it's Happy Particles who have taken the top spot in my Albums of 2011. Here's a special non-album track and some info on how to get your hands on the amazing Under Sleeping Waves.)

"We are Happy Particles and our debut album 'Under Sleeping Waves' will be released on Christmas day. You can pre-order it here which will entitle you to two download tracks instantly and you also get a free video of us performing the full band version of 'Aerials' with the album. We had a few tracks which didn't make it onto the record for one reason or another and this is a very early version of 'Cold Calling' which was originally going to be on the album but we ended up forgetting about it, so it was never developed or recorded. We really like it though, so it will probably come out in a different form on a future e.p. or the next album." - Happy Particles

So that's your whack for the year! Hope you've enjoyed all the EPs, and rest assured, there'll be much more of the same next year. Until then, head on over to my bandcamp page now to get your download which comes with a hidden track courtesy of Lovers Turn To Monsters (and ties in with the artwork!) and a special, visual extra from a particularly happy bunch. Enjoy!

Bottle Of Evil - Inside Looking Out

2011-12-14T12:00:00.000Z

Now for the very welcome return of the Scotsman Radar Prize 2011 Runners-Up, Messrs. Derek Bates and Steven McGilvary, or Bottle of Evil as I've come to know and love them. That oh-so-close accolade couldn't have gone to a more deserving pair! It's been over a year since the release of their eponymous debut album which completely took me by surprise, and hasn't been off my driving-music car-stick since. That's staying power of Bryan Adams proportions!

Since then, Derek's moniker Evil Hand released the brilliant 'pseudo-retrospective' Huldra back in February, and I've just discovered (Bottle of) Steven's free Eventual Progress (e.p.) a few weeks ago, which he put out in September. It seems that both can do no wrong!

Anyway, back to the present. I've been sitting staring at a half-finished, garbled review of this EP for over a month now, so it's about bloody time for my finger to be well-and-truly gotten out! Their latest joint-offering, the four-track EP Inside Looking Out, came out a month ago and as expected, it's a work of unashamed musical brilliance! All of which begins with the mesmerising opener The Boatman. It's four minutes of shoegazey perfection at it's blissful best. Which probably makes no sense whatsoever, so you'll just have to have a listen for yourself!

I Can See Your Face is no different. Quality-wise that is. Music-wise though, it's shows glimpses of a much darker, more sinister side, in amongst the delicate, swooning refrain. Maybe that's their Evil streak poking through...

Gentle, dreamy melodies and soothing, breathy vocals is the order of the day for track three, the sublime Move On, which builds on just nicely from where their debut left off.

Then they go and take the lid off the bottle... That dark side which was hinting at previously, is unleashed on the unsuspecting listener in the form of the chilling, prog-rocky Collider. With a eerie Blue Oyster Cult inspired (well guys?) riff and vocal recordings which sound oddly reminiscent of old prohibition-era movies, it's yet another unexpected gem from Bottle of Evil.

So to sum up, it's pretty brilliant, and as EPs go, I've not heard a better one all year. So away with you now, and download it over here.

...Secret Gang Handshakes!

2011-12-09T11:11:00.000Z

Following on from my last Introducing... post, here's another ex-Won Mississippian who's gone solo! This time 'round, it's the turn of founding member Rob Wilkinson to take centre stage with his Secret Gang Handshakes project. With an album and a brilliant EP out now, what better time to hear what he has to say for himself...

Kowalskiy: Who are Secret Gang Handshakes?

Rob: Is Me!! and whoever else is in the room. Anyone who is within hailing distance is invited along for the ride. (Live shows often incorporate improvised percussion on tables and glasses by the audience.)

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

Rob: "Lo-fi slow-core dark-gospel" is how one promoter described it and I quite like that. I have a bit of a kitchen sink approach to writing songs. I start with the lyrics and find sounds that tell the story best. Usually this happens at 4am, as quietly as possible in my armchair that looks out onto the North Sea - LITERALLY RIGHT OUTSIDE MY WINDOW! The view from my house deserves a full writer's credit for everything I do.

Kowalskiy: PLUG AWAY!!!

Rob: I have an album (Gravity Defiant) and an e.p. (We Go A-waltzin') available to download on a pay-what-you-like scheme on Bandcamp. I also have a cupboard full of old Won Mississippi c.d.'s that are looking for a good home.

How The Mighty Fell (from Gravity Defiant) by Secret Gang Handshakes

Kowalskiy: What can we expect from you in the future?

Rob: I'm will be performing live again in the New Year - probably from March onward as I'm in the middle of producing my first play. I will be jumping on bar-room tables all over Scotland next year and hopefully a few house shows, too. I'm working on album No.2 at the minute and also looking to start a new band with some other music refugees in town. This is all dependent on what's on TV, how scary the newspaper headlines are and if I can get someone to look after my rabbits while I'm gone! (Big shout out to my homies, "Tilly and Toots" y'all!)

That may well be the first rabbit 'shout out' we've had on here. Possibly the last too! While we wait for Rob to get album two finished, you can grab his debut, and his free EP, over here.

The Blog Sound of 2012

2011-12-05T11:20:00.007Z

By now, you may have seen the BBC Sound of 2012 longlist which is described by the head of BBC Music as "a project now established as the definitive annual list of exciting new artists to watch out for". What a load of complete and utter pish! For the most part, it's represents a victory for the PR machine over actual, unsigned talent, which the country has in abundance, and serves only to further hype bands and musical genres tailor-made for, what I'd like to call, the 'Tulisa Generation' (I dislike her!). Now, as a Scottish music blogger who tries to do his bit for unsigned bands up and down the country, I'm obviously a wee bit peeved at the lack of bands which fit that bill. But am I surprised?

Am I buggery! Let's look at their past form. The Bravery triumphing over The Dears (did they listen to the rest of their debut album or base their decision purely on the one song that was around at the time??), Mika pipping the likes of Cold War Kids (seriously now...), and Ellie Goulding and Jessie J beating, well... anyone really! And I've not even gotten to the shortlisting of Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong yet! Is it anything other than latching on to the most (over)hyped and in most cases, trendy, artists and putting them on the fast-track to success (not so much with The Bravery, but then again, it would've taken a damn site more than that to make them household names)? So the latest list comes as no surprise at all.

So with this in mind, a while back, some of the crème de la crème of UK bloggers got together to nominate some of our own picks for musical stardom in 2012. The idea (devised by Andy from The VPME and a few others) behind The Blog Sound of 2012 is in part, an experiment to see how a list from music bloggers all over the UK would compare to that devised by the BBC's own team. And I'm sure, in part, dismay at some of their previous choices.

It's maybe best to mention here that these expressed views are mine alone and not necessarily those of the other participants or The Blog Sound of 2012 as a whole... please invite me back next year!

Anyway, here's our longlist, which I'm glad to say contains a few of my five nominations. Can you tell which ones!?

Friends
(excuse the fact there's no link for that one, but come off it! You'd be as well calling the band 'Pamela Anderson Sex Tape' given the chances of finding it on a Google search!)

So that's that then. Great to see French Wives and Meursault in there. Only two bands have made both longlists. I know which list I'm more likely to throw my weight behind. Saying that though, I know which one I'd put my house on too... and they're not necessarily the same ones! I'll let you draw your own conclusions...

Kowalskiy Singles Club #10

2011-11-29T10:00:00.002Z

Here we go folks, your last chance this year to bag yourself a hot single. I've went all out this time 'round, scouring the land to bring you this bevvy of beauties. Some gentle and laid-back, and some are just downright dirty! Whatever floats your boat, hopefully you'll find something here that ticks all your boxes. Click on the artwork to have a listen, and remember to read the small print! There's some freebies, a video and even a launch gig that may be of interest...

Christmas All Over This Town by The Plimptons

"Lanarkshire’s longest running successless band WLTM committed pub in grim town for festive booze shenanigans. Looking to get over 12-year relationship with a bar which ended tragically with its conversion into a spuriously-named chain restaurant. We’re ready to love again, but don’t want to be hurt. If you reckon you’re pub enough, get in touch before Dec 24th. We like: poignant walks home in the snow, soapy pint glasses and communal beerstalgia." - Martin Smith (The Plimptons)

Kicking things off with the new 3-track Christmas single from The Plimptons. Consider it an early Christmas present, 'cos it's FREE on their website. Just click the artwork and scroll down to the bottom.. if you're 'pub' enough that is!

We Are Here by GoGoBot

"Two swell guys and one super-swell girl seek like-minded 'individuals' for warm cosy nights in by the fire and moon-lit walks by the canal (also trips to the moon). "We are Here" willing and able to take your call - think robot with a heart x" - Marko Kelly (GoGoBot)

Go go download this single! Throughout 2011, GoGoBot have released their See Saw Series of bi-monthly singles, a series which culminated with the release of We Are Here yesterday. All can be bought over here. They'll mark it in style with a headline gig at King Tuts this Friday (2nd December). Interested?? Then click here!

Camino De Soda by The Machine Room

"Better with the lights off, a zero-pinter. Likes window shopping, non-commitment, surfing the edge of something meaningful, staying afloat and everything from a distance. Pick up the phone." - John (The Machine Room)

RING RING, RING RING! "Hello, is that The Machine Room?" These guys are fast becoming one of my favourite new bands around these parts. Camino De Soda is their second appearance on the Singles Club... will someone snap them up already?!!!

One Night In Kevin by Fat Goth

"Utterly heinous bull seeks willing body (preferably female) to soil. Sucessful candidate must possess a strong mental disposition as psychological assaults and attacks will occur frequently. A caring and compassionate nature is also desired in order to tackle continuous bouts of severe depression and extreme self-loathing. Willingness to assist with bathing is essential! Interests: baking, prehistoric crustaceans, John Leslie, the pre 'Magic Hour' output of Liverpudlian pop group Cast, tabacco, Jersey, dogging, etc. Give us a call and lets have a time!!!" - Mark Keiller (Fat Goth)

Fat Goth eh? One for the fetishists out there it would seem. So if you're into baking, providing bathing assistance and appreciate the music of Cast circa. 1995, then pick up the phone. Or alternatively, click on the artwork and get downloading!

Prometheus by IndianRedLopez

"Single man with god complex wishes to meet fiery mortal with a love of percussion to care and nurture. Correct footwear for running is a must. " - Mike Chang (IndianRedLopez)

Now, the return of the brilliant IndianRedLopez. Their debut album Empty Your Lungs And Breathe is up there with the years best, and this hints at something even better to come next year. It's out on the 5th of December through Aberdeen's Bedford Records. Mark your calendars!

Like Like Unlike/Midnight Clear by Ed Muirhead

"Old-fashioned type, fed-up of social-networking (but glad of the technology), yearns for the good old days before networking was a word, and amuses himself with amateur paintings of 150-year-old festive poem lyrics." - Ed Muirhead

The second of the festive-themed singles courtesy of Mr. Muirhead. It's a double A-side ode to one man's social media gripes/Christmas classic, plus if you invest £2, it's also an 11-track CD with "a bunch of live tracks with voice and fender rhodes". PLUS, Ed's made another great wee video to accompany it. Someone get that man some more white ink for Christmas!

Beat Your Fist by Underclass

"5 riff driven rockers seek place to dance and a bowl for car keys. Can bring own nibbles." - Underclass

Short but sweet, but boy does it pack a punch! The second single from this Edinburgh bunch is released on Friday (2nd December) via Bainbridge Music and like an increasingly large number of recent Singles Club 'singles', was recorded at Tape Studios in Edinburgh. It's another one to mark in your diaries. Until then, you can stream the track here.

House by Dems

"Multi-instrumentalist mournful architecture trio seek similarly construction obsessed individual(s) for enthusiastic MPC-and-guitar-based-funtimes; haunting whispy-yet-masculine voice essential." - Dan, Dave, Duncan (Dems)

A late, but very welcome addition from the newly '3-pieced' Dems. They love their D's those guys! Their 2-track House EP is out now on 7" with band-designed sleeve artwork (just click the cover above!) or you can download it here. Sounds great, and looks pretty good too!

K&A with Alex Fenton (Swanfield Studios)

2011-11-25T15:39:00.000Z

Something a bit different now... only a wee bit mind you! He's the music producer of choice for a lot of my favourite up-and-coming Scottish bands, so it's about time I had a wee chat with the man himself, the man behind Swanfield Studios over in Leith... Alex Fenton. Not content with his recording studio which (cue plug) offers track mastering, production and training sessions for any music tech wannabes out there, Alex has recently..., well, I'll let him tell you...

Kowalskiy: Who is Alex Fenton?

Alex: Music producer, audiophile and sound engineer jedi.

Kowalskiy: You've got your fingers in a lot of pies these days, what with Swanfield Studios and rumour has it you're starting a label AND you've just joined one of Scotland's most exciting new bands on bass. Fancy filling us in?

Alex: Sure can David (K: that's me by the way!). We try to cater for as many areas as we can that can help the modern musician. Rather than just recording bands, we help with producer advice, offer video services, mastering and production as well as providing training and courses in mixing and recording techniques. We’ve recently set up Fentek Records and the label thing is definitely a work in progress. If we can help bands we like by releasing their stuff and helping out with replication etc., it becomes easier for them to get to the stage they want.

The exciting band you refer to must be The Stormy Seas. After recording the album for them over the last year or so I’ve just joined them playing bass. My first proper gig was the album launch which was a bit scary! Awesome gig though and absolutely packed as well.

Kowalskiy: The exciting band I was referring to was indeed The Stormy Seas. The debut album Of Rust And Loss is brilliant. How'd you sum it up for folk out there who haven't heard it yet?

Alex: A crashing wall of jangly raucous bitterness.

(K: As a fairly substantial aside, the debut album from The Stormy Seas is a fantastic record, the sort that conjures images of Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra, Meursault (minus the laptop - there'd be nowhere to plug it in you see!) and Thirty Pounds Of Bone all cooped up below deck on an old, ramshackle boat being battered by the wind and rain. I do have an overactive imagination though! Of Rust And Loss is out now and you can get your copy over here. Here's one of my favourite tracks, The Tall Ships...)

Kowalskiy: What's going on at Swanfield Studios at the moment? Any recent bands in that we should be keeping an ear out for?

Alex: There’s quite a variety of music we get through the studio. Recent projects include production on some reggae rock and hip hop stuff, plus recording sessions for Thank You So Nice and Snide Rhythms. I’ve also recently finished a couple of songs for singer songwriter Ewan Butler and a live gig recording for Iron Sun. Obviously the Stormy Seas album has just been released but other recent projects include Kung Fu Academy (who also did one of our live video sessions) and a solo album from Hugo de Verteuil. Plus we’ve got some other albums in the pipeline which I’m really looking forward to but won’t mention just yet!

Kowalskiy: So who else have you had in for one of your live sessions?
Alex: There’s two sessions in the series so far. Blues rock outfit Underclass did our first one and Kung Fu Academy brought us some post funk in the second. I’d like to do more video sessions to be honest but there’s loads of other stuff keeping me busy so there’s no regularity to the sessions.

Kowalskiy: If you had your pick of any unsigned band to bring in and work with on their debut album, who'd it be?

Alex: That’s a really tricky question. There’s something a bit mystical about the recording process and it’s really hard to predict how sessions are going to go. I depends on so many factors like the mood everyone is in, how well the various personalities work together and how receptive the band is to producer input. There’s a few bands I’d really have liked to work with but rather than pine after them I try to relish the opportunities I do get. Albums are my favourite kind of work. I prefer to work on bigger projects where it’s more like a piece of art than just an audio recording.

Kowalskiy: If I can't draw you on which unsigned band you'd like to record, how about which unsigned band(s) are catching your eye at the moment? Let's assume no future recording obligation!

Alex: I can give you a list if you want but I’m not going to single out anyone! Birdhead, Woodenbox, The Last Battle, Jonnie Common, Verse Metrics, Shooting Stansfield, Star Wheel Press, Cancel the Astronauts, esperi, Randan Discotheque.

Kowalskiy: Very diplomatic Alex! So, who's the biggest divas you've had in the studio??
Alex: Fortunately, I don’t have to work with divas and I’d generally choose not to! I’ve had a few run ins with music industry folk, generally those who think they’re better than everyone else. This tends to be in a live situation rather than recording though. If any ego battle kicks off I tend to stay out the way. In my experience, I’ve found tour managers and guitar techs to be the most unreasonable!

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from you and Swanfield Studios in the future?

Alex: We’ve got some big plans for new projects. The tuition and training side is a big focus so we’re enhancing the courses and workshops we provide down at the studio so anyone who records their own music can get some hands on tips and a leg-up in the quality of their production. Our next free workshop in Red Dog Music is on 1^st December where we’ll be going through the ins and outs of mixing technique. Sign up page here - musicmixologist.eventbrite.com. We’ll have another live video session in the new year with Scotsman Radar Prize winners Sebastian Dangerfield which I’m looking forward to. You can check the series so far at live.swanfieldstudios.co.uk. There are some other quite exciting ideas in the pipeline but I’d rather keep them to myself at the moment ;-)

We'll just have to keep an eye out for these new exciting ideas then! So, just a reminder for anyone interested in the ins and outs of mixing, all info on next Thursday's workshop can be found over here.

...Wiredrawn!

2011-11-21T20:00:00.002Z

Who here remembers Won Mississippi? A while back, they released one of my favourite Scottish albums, Welcomes Careful Drivers, which was rightly voted by the good folk over at jockrock as one of the Top 10 Scottish Albums of the Noughties.

So why am I babbling on about all this then? Well, Patrick Baird, their lead singer has been busying himself recently, ahead of the release of his debut EP under his solo guise Wiredrawn. Loose Lips Sink Ships is released next Tuesday and can be bought over here. I had a wee chat to Patrick to get the lowdown on his solo project but before we hear what he had to say for himself, here's a sneak preview of what you can expect...

This City On Fire by Wiredrawn

...and judging by the comments, I'm not the only one who loves it! Over to Patrick now...

Kowalskiy: Who is Wiredrawn?

Patrick: Wiredrawn is the musical pseudonym of ex Won Mississippi frontman and all round musical gobshite Patrick Baird. I've been sonically procrastinating in a solo capacity for about a year now.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

Patrick: I'm like a giant influence sponge - I try to listen to as much music as I can. I store it all up, jumble it around and try to spit it out again in interesting and different ways...... I've been described as sounding like a ' Scottish Death Cab' and some folks have cited similarities to bands like Slint, Guided By Voices and Reuben.

Kowalskiy: PLUG AWAY!!!

Patrick: I've got an EP coming out on the 29th of November entitled 'Loose Lips Sink Ships' - Grab it for free over at http://wiredrawn.bandcamp.com. I also update frequently and get involved on http://soundcloud.com/wiredrawn and the obligatory bookface page.

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from Wiredrawn in the future?

Patrick: More collaborations, a single with a 'proper' video along the tantalising possibility of some live shows in the second half of the new year. I can't wait..............

Nor can I! Until then, I'll leave you with another belter from the EP. Mind again, and get your free copy next week!

The Silver Screen by Wiredrawn

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #17

2011-11-16T09:00:00.000Z

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for KEP#17! I may be biased, but I think it's an amazing line-up this month, and I'm over the moon to feature each of these five artists. So I'd like to say a huge 'thank you' to them all. Just click on the artwork above for your free download. Hope you enjoy it...

Bloody better! I've come out my sick bed to post this. Anyway, before you get your free EP, here's what they each had to say about their tracks...

1. IndianRedLopez - Life Back In Me (demo) (Kicking things off this month with a brilliant new demo from one of my favourite bands of the year. Short, but amazing!)

"It's just a demo that Darren and I did in a morning. He had this really nice arpeggiating keyboard line, and a few other lines that he wanted to work on. It happened quite naturally really. We're chiseling it out now, but I think the intent is there." - Mike Chang (IndianRedLopez)

2. Rose Parade - Midnight Wine (...closely followed by another! This'll whet your appetite until they release their debut album.)

"Midnight Wine is going to be the first song on our debut album! The song is about a relationship between two people that is falling apart, bad habits and the dark art of recovering from these situations. It was recorded and produced by Paul Gallagher in June 2011. For more tracks, gigs and updates check our Facebook page here as we will be coming to a basement near you very soon!" - Rose Parade x

3. Graveyard Tapes - Bloodbridge (Ghosts version) (A stunning track from Edinburgh's Graveyard Tapes featuring a certain, übertalented, ex-Kays Lavelle frontman.)

"Graveyard Tapes is Euan McMeeken and Matthew Collings. The pair met when Matthew moved from Iceland to Edinburgh in 2010. Coming from very different musical backgrounds but sharing a love of many of the same artists the pair have been working together on recordings ever since. Approximately 16 tracks are currently in various states of disrepair with the duo working towards a 2012 release." - Euan McMeeken (Graveyard Tapes)

4. Minor Delilah - All I Ever Wanted (an amazing track from their debut EP... available now from all good online download stockists.)

" 'All I Ever Wanted' is a song written in praise of the underdog and anyone who despite all the doubters looks at themselves in the eye and says fuck it I am going to do this" - Nick Scroggie (Minor Delilah)

5. Jack James - Top Of The Hill (An exclusive track from Jack's upcoming third album Leaving Town. On the back of this and his other free track, it's gonna be great!)

"Top of the Hill appears on my 3rd album which is coming out next month. The song, and also a large part of the new album, is about escapism. The track is also quite sparse, although there's pretty much a full band there of acoustic guitar, bass, banjo and drums. Like all my songs though, it starts out with a single guitar and vocal take that I then build around, only adding extra parts when necessary." - Jack James

Not bad eh?? Well, as always, the EP is free for you to download and do with what you will... presumably listen to. So head on over to my bandcamp page now to get your download. There's 16 more while you're at it. Enjoy!

Next month, on the 16^th, there'll be more of the same. Maybe even a Christmas song thrown in for good measure. If you'd like to design the artwork, fire over your entry (at least 350px by 350px) to kowalskiy2@gmail.com by the 13^th December. Best of luck!

...Toy Machine!

2011-11-14T11:11:00.000Z

Another week, another great new Scottish band to introduce you all too. I'm in danger of making this a regular, weekly thing. It won't last though, I promise you! Today, it's the turn of a rather fine Edinburgh trio, Toy Machine. Before we hear from them, here's the first track from their FREE debut EP for you to have a wee listen to. It's a home-recorded effort entitled Council Flat Sessions. Does exactly what it says on the...

I Feel Low by Toy Machine

Kowalskiy: Who Are Toy Machine?
Leo: We are Toy Machine.

Graeme: We're not so much a band, more a way of life.

Dan: ... three strangers on the same path to enlightement through noise and sweat and sexy things.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

Dan: Alice beating the white rabbit to death with her electric guitar.

Leo: Way to sell it Dan. Sure, if you like to get down and dirty and like to rock out then you’ll like it. We just released an EP for free on the good old world wide web so you can hear for yourself what awesome sounds like. Those songs were recorded a couple of weeks after we got together and seeing a live show now is a different experience: we’re so into making it exciting and urgent for the audience that we’re always pushing the sounds and the songs onwards.

Graeme: The songs have depth and variation: our live shows don't confront you with a wall of noise. Each instrument brings it's own food to the table, which ultimately makes for a tasty treat. See us live and you'll dance, you'll kiss, you'll jump about. But we're not into following the trend, there's no ukeles on stage.

Leo: That's for sure. Bands that play shows where they mope about on stage, playing their record note for note are so god damn boring it makes me die a little. You need a fire inside you if you want to stay alive and our sound is about that.

Kowalskiy: PLUG AWAY!!!

Leo: Toy Machine should be huge, the songs and live shows speak for themselves: we like free shows and we like free beer so we try to bring those ideals to our shows when we can, you should come along and experience.

Dan: Absolutely. We will keep it fresh, evolving and surprising: eccentric, eclectic and electric.

Graeme: In our live shows, there's always that heightened sense of energy and the unexpected.

Kowalskiy: What can we expect from Toy Machine in the future?

Leo: Raucous musical adventure played far and wide, the creation of a legion of super mice trained to do our bidding, endless overblown pronouncements on our imminent but not yet realised multinational success…

Dan: More records, gigs and sublime artwork.

Graeme: Mugs, t-shirts, tweets, podcasts and stage invasions. I also like the idea of having our own Toy Machine soup, although the EU will probably demand we change the name of it as I suspect it'll contain neither Toys or Machines (sigh).

Come On, Get Better by Toy Machine

Their great Council Flat Sessions is out now for free over here and features that above gem which could've been lifted straight off Lou Reed's Transformer. More of the same please guys! If you fancy seeing the guys live, they'll be headlining the Love Music Hate Racism weekend at The Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh College of Art on Sunday 27^th November

K&A with French Wives

2011-11-10T09:00:00.000Z

Glasgow's French Wives are a band who have been featured on here a few, fleeting times. Finally though, as they've been busy recording their debut album, I got the chance to ask them a few questions. Here you go!

Kowalskiy: Who are French Wives and how'd you all get together?

French Wives: We're a 5 piece indie pop band from Glasgow who got together in the most boring of ways, i.e. responding to adverts and friends of friends. I wish that story could be more interesting, but unfortunately it can't.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

FW: Definitely not folk music. Aside from that we tend to aim to write intelligent pop music. Whether we do or not is up to the listeners, if there are any!

Kowalskiy: I'm sure there are many! Especially now that new single 'Numbers' has just been released. How does it compare to your previous singles?

FW: I think it's a big improvement both in terms of songwriting and arrangement and production. We've been lucky enough to work with the producer Tony Doogan and he's really brought us along. He's like our Mary Poppins, although if he knew I said that he wouldn't be happy!

Kowalskiy: I'll keep that between us then... Anyway, if the track is anything to go by, your debut album should be great. Fancy whetting our appetites further and tell us what else can we expect it?

FW: Lots of new songs basically! We really wanted to write an album where the songs would connect thematically and in terms of sound, so we pretty much spent the whole of this year writing new songs to go on the record. After our last release I think we basically thought that we could do a lot better than the stuff we were playing at that point, so we hired a studio in the south side and basically knuckled down writing and demoing for months. Hopefully it will pay off! We've only retained two songs that were our singles but Mary Poppins, eh I mean Tony, has helped us shape them in a new direction, and I think they'll be a lot more hard hitting and direct.

Kowalskiy: Apologies this interview will come after the single release night! How'd it go, and are there any other gigs lined up?

FW: Apologies for filling out this interview long after the tour, haha! The single launch was good, and then we did a few gigs after that in various places around Britain. We had a fun time and all the gigs went pretty well, so no complaints. We're mainly finishing work on the album this month, however we're playing three gigs this month, all of which should be good fun. This Saturday (12th) we're at the Greenside Hotel in Leslie, the following Sunday (20th) we're playing at the Kinross-shire Music Festival, and then we're taking part in the final night of the Sleazy's 20th birthday celebrations with FOUND and Over the Wall, so it should be a belter.

Kowalskiy: What would be your ideal gig?

FW: Can't think of a venue at the moment, but Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac in a small venue (let's say the Captain's) would have been amazing. Wouldn't really care about anything else if I got to see them then.

Kowalskiy: Oh yeah, what's with the band name??

FW: Again, it's a boring story. We got our name, like so many others do from someone suggesting it out of a conversation and us not thinking of anything better before our first gig, where it just stuck. However, there is a porn film from the 70s called French Wives which none of us have seen, but not through lack of trying.

Kowalskiy: I was a big fan of your Home Fires series of releases and videos. Any plans to re-record/revamp any of these tracks for the album or are those resigned to the musical history bin (if such a thing existed)?

FW: The reason we gave most of those tracks away was because they kind of were already resigned to the musical history bin. We'd been going as a band for quite a wee while and realised that most of the people who were our out and out "fans" rather than just our pals probably wouldn't have heard most of the songs as we'd stopped playing them live/never released them long before they even knew who we were. So instead of them just sitting on a hard drive we thought that whilst we don't really consider them to be our finest works or have any long term ambitions for them, some people might still be interested in hearing them, so we stuck them up online and people could download them at their leisure. I think it worked out quite well in the end. The videos were definitely fun, apart from the Housemartins cover, which took 23 takes and until 3 in the morning and still wasn't right. We'll be doing something similar in the lead up to the release of the album, I think.

Kowalskiy: I look forward to it! Aside from the album, is there anything exciting gonna be happening with French Wives in the future?

FW: It's all album related really. We've worked really hard getting the songs ready, and there were loads of administrative problems, so we want to really focus on getting all the plans for the release right, just to kind of make sure that people can hear it!

Kowalskiy: Lastly, with the time fast approaching, it seems fitting to end the interview by asking what you'll be dressing up as for Halloween??

FW: I've done this interview so late, I'm so sorry! However, I didn't think I was going out for Halloween until the last minute. Thankfully, I'm very well prepared and turned to the spot under my bed reserved for my emergency back-up costume, which has never let me down. It's an "Army Officer's" uniform my gran made and it's crackin'. I saluted everything in sight that evening!

New single Numbers is out now, over here, for you to download. Hopefully it won't be too long until we can get our hands on the album! Until then, remember you can get your hands on the Home Fires series for nowt and you can still catch French Wives live a few times before the end of the year:

Upcoming Gigs

12^th Nov - The Greenside Hotel, Leslie

20^th Nov - Kinross-Shire Music Festival

30^th Nov - Nice'N'Sleazy, Glasgow

Kowalskiy Singles Club #9

2011-11-07T09:00:00.002Z

Hey folks, I've got a brand new bevvy of beauties for you. All ready to whisper sweet nothings into your ears! If any of them sound like they're up your street, then click on the artwork, have a wee listen and get downloading. Who knows, one of them might strike a chord with you...

Middle Child Syndrome by PET

"Middle child Hilton heiress seeks last born ‘Golf Sale’ sign holder to spawn progeny and re-adjust the imbalances of world" - Matthew (PET)

Sounds like a very worthy cause! And a brilliant song to boot! Middle Child Syndrome is the second release from one of Edinburgh's brightest new bands, PET. All three tracks are very good indeed! Oh, and it's out today!

Change by Mummy Short Arms

"Lonely Mum with arm disability seeks a nice man or woman to listen to her stories. Must like shaving Mummy’s legs." - Stuart Brown (Mummy Short Arms)

How tragic does that sound?!? The song though, is anything but. It's a great song, and one of a surge of beauties from newbie Glasgow label Flowers In The Dustbin... whose name sounds ever-so-slightly romantically-tragic too.

The Art of Temptation by Wolves Of Winter

"Devilishly handsome, charming, gentlemanly types seek patient listeners with an interest in melancholy, movies, pianos and reverbs. Must also have a keen interest in sitting, xbox, sleeping, football, more sitting, eating, wine, sleeping." - Scotty (Wolves Of Winter)

This one's a revelation! They've just popped up out of the blue with a track that is fast-becoming one of my favourite tracks of the year. Keep an eye on this mob! The track was recorded at Elba Studios and it's out NOW!

(I Am So Bored Of) Acoustic Guitars by Otherpeople

"Video Director seeks emotionless band, willing to sit and stare at a square of black sticky tape on the wall opposite for 4 minutes straight while being doused in various substances. Reverse thinking a bonus, catchy indie music preferable, hatred of acoustic guitars vital." - Ben Cowie

You may know Ben from the brilliant video-blog Detour. So you know he's a dab hand at making videos... just like the one he done below for this track from Otherpeople's EP! Feast your eyes below...

Numbers by French Wives

"Lonely 1 seeks another 1 to make 2 for general enjoyment and constant reassurance. 3 favourite things are arithmetic, thermometers and The Count from Sesame St. You will be required to count to me like him late at night. It helps me sleep." - Scott Macpherson (French Wives)

A nice wee number this one is too! It's the first track from their upcoming, and much, much, MUCH anticipated, debut album. Stay tuned later this week for a wee interview with the band.

Guild Of Defiants by My Tiny Robots

"Lonely and looking for love, four tired-looking males of differing size and shape seek friendship or more with anyone willing to listen to their inane ramblings and temper tantrums. Must love Chris Rea, own at least three fifths of the Kajagooggoo back catalogue, have an interest in amateur robotics and enjoy casual wood thievery of a weekend. An enjoyment of a certain brand of arty odd-pop would be good, but is in no way necessary." - Gareth Anderson (My Tiny Robots)

Kajagoogoo?? Get off my blog!! This is the new single from odd-poppers My Tiny Robots. It's out a week today from their Bandcamp site and follows hot on the heels from their free giveaway of the OUTSTANDING Rock Bossa Nova Fourbeat Black. Until next week, you can hear the new single streaming on Soundcloud by clicking the artwork.

Crater (Mogwai remix) by Laki Mera

"Variable sound waves would love to meet primed ear canal for ritual union. Must be willing to vibrate violently to the sound of one hand clapping." - Laki Mera

Last but by no means least, here's a track from Glasgows Laki Mera's album The Proximity Effect, remixed by the mighty Mogwai.

...Minor Delilah!

2011-11-02T11:30:00.001Z

I've been off for a week or so recharging my blogging batteries, but now I'm back to introduce you to a cracking new Lanarkshire band, Minor Delilah. The band features Nick Scroggie (vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming), Paul Whyte (guitars) and Jamie McGregor (bass). What started off as a project for their music course at college, has quickly grown legs, and this week, the guys have leaked all four tracks from their debut EP online. They're all over on their SoundCloud, but here's my personal favourite Needles In The Hay.

Needles In The Hay by Minor Delilah

I spoke to Nick (who you may also know from being in Annie Stevenson). Here's what he had to say...

Kowalskiy: Who Are Minor Delilah?

Nick: Minor Delilah got together when myself and the guys met up at Motherwell college studying a music course. We started jamming together not really thinking much of it as we were all in other bands at the time, but as we kept going we decided we could take more seriously and write together. One of the first songs we had written was actually for a task at college. We had to write a piece of music incorporating an unusual instrument . We decided on using a Kalimba which you hold and play play like a Game Boy and we wrote the song "When I Know You Care" from that. Once we left college and put all our energy into writing enough songs so we could gig and get out there playing.

When I Know You Care by Minor Delilah

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

Nick: Its always tricky to describe the sound of your own stuff but Id say we have a kind of Coldplay vibe about us. We like to make big sounds with our songs and experiment with dynamics. ranging from chilled out acoustic to big and loud, light and shade sort of stuff. We love bands and artists like Pink Floyd, Beck, Kings Of Leon, Snow Patrol and I feel a lot of that shines through our music.

Kowalskiy: PLUG AWAY!!!

Nick: We have just currently recorded our first EP which you can hear on our Facebook band page. It will be available to buy soon off of iTunes and sites like that. At the moment we don't have any gigs lined up as we are on the look out for a drummer so if anyone's interested that's reading this don't hesitate to get in touch.

Kowalskiy: What can we expect from Minor Delilah in the future?

Nick: We are writing away but as soon as we find the right guy to hit the skins we will be gigging like crazy. Once everything in place we hope to create a following through our music and gigs and possibly attract attention from record labels and the like. We are very pleased with our EP and will continue to push our music as much as we can.

So keep your eyes peeled for any upcoming gigs and for news on the release of the EP. In the meantime, you can get yourself a free download of one of the EP tracks if you sign up to their mailing list over on their Facebook. And, if you're any good with the sticks and fancy it, get in touch with the band!

K&A with Josef Llama

2011-10-18T10:40:00.000+01:00

Everyone loves a grafter, don't they? Well, how 'bout a mysterious, gravel-voiced grafter with a deep, dark, almost-menacing sound? Well, it's my great pleasure to introduce you to someone who fits that bill perfectly. The 'dark troubadour of the West End', Glasgow's very own, Josef Llama. If you're a fan of a certain series of free monthly 5-track Scottish EPs, then Josef's name, and indeed, his music, may already be familiar to you. Back in February, he contributed Loser On The Run to KEP#8. Now, Josef is gearing up for his debut EP release (featuring said track), and if I'm being completely honest, it's an absolute gem!

Granted, it's not your your bread-and-butter indie-folk that I'm usually banging on about. Like all good troubadours, it's got bourbon-soaked bitterness and despair running right through it. It's got the dark, Scottish humour of Jacob Yates and along with the likes of Jacob and Adopted As Holograph too, it has a long-forgotten, dare-I-say timeless quality to the sound. At least in the sense that if you were none-the-wiser, you'd have no idea if it was recorded last week, last decade, or some time long ago. That's until he goes all Damon Albarn on us...

I spoke to the man himself last week. Over to you Josef...

Kowalskiy: Who is Josef Llama?

Josef: Josef Llama is a singer/songwriter, I spend most of my spare time, holed up in my attic, writing and recording in my abode in Glasgow's west end [albeit in the seedier side] my only companion being a bottle Jack Daniels. I sometimes venture out at nights to the local bars, to check out the local bands, to find out what's going down. I've recently released a 4 track ep now available at http://josefllama.bandcamp.com.

Kowalskiy: How would 'the dark troubadour of the West End' describe 'his sound'?
Josef: I like to show attitude in my songs, obviously there's a fair bit of darkness, combining with anger and bitterness, but I like to think the black humour shines through also.

Kowalskiy: Who/what/where influences your music?

Josef: Tom Waits is a big influence, I love his diversity, and his willingless to push the boat out, I grew up listening to the Beatles, and I'm a great admirer of John Lennon, pre '71. I love John Lee Hooker stuff, an amazing voice, there's so many artists I admire, Dylan, Tom York, Ray Davies... the list is endless.

Kowalskiy: You've just released your debut e.p. What can we expect from it?

Josef: I like to think the 4 songs are all different, in style and sound, and even the vocals seem to differ from track to track. I think a song should grab you, and hold your attention, from the first second to the last, hopefully I've achieved that.

Kowalskiy: Are there any plans afoot to play a live gig or two?

Josef: I would love to gig, if I could get like minded musicians, so if there's anybody out there, who feels they could fit in with my music, get in touch. I saw Bob Dylan last week, an amazing gig...that's the sound I'm looking for.

Kowalskiy: What would be your ideal gig?
Josef: .John Lennon live at the Barrowlands, backed up with the finest musicians, playing his best songs from the Beatles backlog and from his first 2 solo albums....support act? How about the Stones from Beggars Banquet era, complete with Brian Jones....that would be my idea of heaven.

Kowalskiy: What's on your stereo at the moment?
Josef: Well I've just checked my car.... I'm playing the new Tom Waits c.d. ' Bad As You' which I've still to decipher, and in my c.d. compartment I have Massive Attack, Portishead, Eno, and of course Josef Llama.

Kowalskiy: What can we expect from Josef Llama in the future?

Josef: More songs... I have a backlog of songs, just waiting to be released. I also enjoy experimenting with more ambient pieces, so I wouldn't mind getting into writing soundtrack music. And of course, as previously mentioned, showcasing my songs live.

Kowalskiy: Last one, if you had to pick one song that best soundtracks your life, what would it be, and why?

Josef: There's so many songs that made a massive impact in my life. 'Good Vibrations' by the Beach Boys springs to mind, I would have loved to have written that, Carl Wilson sang like an angel.

But really, the song that blew me away when I first heard it, and to this day, still does, is 'Strawberry Fields'.....for me, it's never been surpassed, for originality. from the mellotron/flute intro, to the freaky ending. Lennon's haunting slowed down voice, and those cellos, just make it the greatest song for me, even when you hear the original stripped down version, you realise how beautiful a song it is.

Josef Llama's debut e.p. is out now over on his bandcamp site. Hopefully we'll be hearing a lot more from him!

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #16

2011-10-16T10:40:00.000+01:00

'Tis that time of the month again! Time to share another five great tracks from five of Scotland's finest up-and-coming bands. Like the last time, there's a wee mix of styles and sounds on this months effort, from haunting Kate Bush-inspired pop, to something that wee bit darker and louder! Something for everyone, or if you're like me, you'll lap it all up! Click on the artwork above to get downloading. Before you do though, here's a bit about each track from the five cracking bands on KEP#16...

1. If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home By Now - Sleeping Beauty (...the Haunting Kate Bushy one! A brilliant track from their upcoming debut album.)

"Sleeping Beauty is a track from our forthcoming album 'a room dim at noon'. The song is inspired by autumn, old black and white films and a general feeling of unrest. ' If you lived here, you'd be home by now' like to experiment during live performances leading to a more theatrical feel. The album was recorded at the analogue Green Door Studio, Glasgow. Catch us at Nice n' Sleazys on the 29th October for our halloween album launch where we'll all be acting like the earl of hell......." - Clare Simpson (IYLHYBHBN)

2. The Stormy Seas - Morbid Desires (If this is anything to go by, The Stormy Seas' debut album will be a belter!)

"Morbid Desires is one of the more upbeat numbers from our forthcoming album, Of Rust and Loss. It's upbeat and jaunty but don't let that fool you. A discerning ear will no doubt pick up on Michael's morally ambiguous lyrics cutting across the pop of cowbell and twang of banjo. Of Rust and Loss will be out on our own wee imprint; The Shipping Forecast on the 14th of November, with a launch party in the Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh ahead of that on the 12th. We'd love it if you could come along." - Graeme (The Stormy Seas)

3. Supermarionation - The Ballad Of Little Beef Cramps (Be sure to check out Supermarionation's new FREE acoustic EP. I love their new stripped back sound!)

"The Ballad of Little Beef Cramps is a cautionary tale of immortal cows from Supermarionation's recently released acoustic EP, Amongst the Northern Lochs. Based on an old Highland legend, it tells the story of a herd corrupted by their unending life and their spurned chance of redemption through the tiny calf Little Beef Cramps who then goes on to found a new undying herd of his own. The whole EP is available as a free download (much like this one) from Six Take No Records." - Steven Tonge (Supermarionation)

4. Three Blind Wolves - In Here Somewhere (Demo) (an amazing demo from TBW, what else would you expect from them though!?! Be sure to support their US tour fundraising!)

"This is a track taken from an early demoing sessions for the new album 'Sing Hallejulah for the Old Machine' set for release next year" - Jamie Webster (Instinctive Racoon)

An exclusive teaser from the new album. You can hear the guys preview more tracks at their gigs in Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh on the 22^nd and 23^rd of October, and at Brel, Glasgow on the 25^th. Pop along and help them raise funds for their upcoming US tour.

5. Vladimir - Mellow (As Vladimir tracks go, this is mellow. Still packs quite a punch though! It's my favourite from their recent EP.)

"Mellow - We don't really like taking about our songs to be honest. We just like to let the listener decide what its all about but in this instance the lyrics are pretty explicit. This particular song is about unrequainted love and the fall out that this creates... feelings of uselessness, rage, apathy and ultimately, revenge.... its all there. We'll be landing in Glasgow on Saturday 29th Oct to play a Halloween show for our pals at the BAAD. Man, its a huge space but we're pretty confident that we'll that we'll smash it, just like we do every other gig we play. And it's bring your own bottle so it should be pretty messy, especially as Glaswegians like a bevvy and a tear up. You should try and get along..... should be fun..." - Vladimir x

And that's it for another month! Hope you enjoy October's EP. As always, it's FREE, so head on over to my bandcamp page now to get your download. Have a wee look and listen to the other 15 while you're at it!

So, until next month then. If any bands out there fancy making my life that wee bit easier by volunteering a track for one of these EPs, then send me a wee email too and see if it tickles my fancy.

...Atom Falling!

2011-10-12T11:48:00.000+01:00

I'd always considered myself a bit of a geek to be honest. I think you've got to be to even consider making a blog, let alone do physics for a living. There are some people though, that take geekiness to a whole new level. Meet Ross Pollok and Chris Mitchell, collectively known as Atom Falling...

Kowalskiy: Who are Atom Falling?

Atom Falling: We are an electro pop duo from Glasgow. We pride ourselves on being massive geeks and it shows in our look and sound. We kind of stick out like a sore thumb compared to all the rock /indie bands you usually find in Glasgow's music scene. Unlike a lot of other bands, we don't take ourselves too seriously and try to offer something different to what people are used to seeing in the live sector.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

AF: Energetic pop that will get you up dancing and having fun. We've got elements of pop, dance, electro and rock all rolled into one. It's about having a good time and not being afraid to look like a tit. Our subject matters within our songs can also be rather random with stalkers, detectives and Pokemon all being topics we've touched upon (don't ask). Our live shows consists of us playing guitar, synth and using backing track made by us on Garageband, it looks amazing obviously...

Sheerluck & Waltzing by Atom Falling

Kowalskiy: Plug away!

AF: Our next gig in Glasgow will be at the Classic Grand on the 5^th of November. Nothing else has been confirmed yet about the gig but you can find out more about it (and other news) by liking us on Facebook and new info should be coming soon. Also we have a twitter account if any of you use it.

Kowalskiy: Don't forget the SoundCloud! So, what does the future hold for Atom Falling?

AF: We've been discussing the idea of an EP which hopefully should be happening quite soon. Apart from that we'll just be performing in as many places as possible and trying to get the name out there. Possibly a song about Digimon as well...

What, no Battlestar? Disappointing! Anyway, get listening, liking, following etc, and if they float your boat, remember they'll be at the Classic Grand on Bonfire Night.

The Little Kicks - The Little Kicks Kommentary

2011-10-07T14:00:00.004+01:00

I've not really been the sort to do the whole 'track-by-track' thing other than my brief soiree into it with Trapped Mice a year ago. It may have something to do with the fact that it involves the post going up before the release - something almost unheard of around these parts. That being said, when Steven Milne from Aberdeen's The Little Kicks sent me their fantastic second album and asked if I was up for it, one listen was enough for me to give him a resounding YES!

The eponymous second album is out on the 26^th of November but you can pre-order the album (for a limited time only) here. Here's Steven to tell you all about the tracks, and you can have an exclusive wee listen to each below. I'll pipe in with my two cents too...

"Our new album is our second album release –debut album (“Boxing Clever” was released in 2009). We recorded the album over the summer in Edinburgh at the Depot Studios which is a great studio space by the Shore in Edinburgh ran by Craig Ross (Broken Records/ Easy Tigers).

We’re all really excited about being at the point now where we get to let people hear the songs so it’s nice to be able to fill in a bit of background on what shaped the finished product." - Steven Milne

Intro/Anti-Work Song

Anti Work Song was probably the hardest song to get down. I remember we were going to give up on the Intro idea until it was saved by adding some weirdness by playing an electric guitar against a table through a Space Echo unit. The main song itself came from listening to old disco music that usually bases itself around one key/chord/note but has a lot of intricate parts which add up to an overall groove. Talking Heads and APB do this really well as do a lot of other more modern bands (Hot Chip etc). Lyrically its pretty self explanatory- it’s about hating your job and not wanting to be a slave to it. We’ve been starting with this live and it seems to be a good party starter.

Kowalskiy Verdict: This funky little number shows a slightly different side to The Little Kicks than what we're used to. Still, that's a very good thing indeed. By the time it hits the refrain at the end, the party will well-and-truly have been started!

Before Today

I bought a Korg MS10 synth off EBay last year – I had wanted one for years. I was very lucky in that they rarely come up there and also never go cheaply but luckily for me I got a bargain (relatively). One of the first things I wrote on it was this songs main riff but the song and lyrics didn’t come till much later. It started as a really soft acoustic song almost like The National with a low vocal. I took it to the band and switched back to the MS10 as opposed to guitar and the song completely changed. It was a great example of us writing collaboratively and for the better. The acoustic version goes down well too though so were going to do a recorded version of it in the near future for a B-Side.

Kowalskiy Verdict: Now that's more like The Little Kicks I've grown to love! Upbeat indie-pop, insanely-catchy ooh-la-la-la's, and a huge singalong ending. Two songs in, and already it all seems much more polished and tighter compared to their brilliant debut. Loving the Korg too!

Making Big Decisions

Lyrically this song is about writers block as I had a long time when I couldn’t write anything and felt pretty unsettled by it. Then this song came out of nowhere one night and the words just fell into place over it. Of the new tracks it’s probably the closest of the tracks (along with “Call Of Youth”) to the perceived sound of The Little Kicks of old. We did try and subvert it and play around with it but in essence that beat and feel it has are pretty popular in modern songs for a reason. We felt it served the song better to play it as it was written – as a jangly indie pop song. I’ve been told it’s probably the one you’d most likely hear on a radio -here’s hoping that’s true.

Kowalskiy Verdict: Steven's right, this is the Don't Give Up So Easily of the album, the track which, were there any justice in the music world, would see The Little Kicks get the widespread acclaim this album, and indeed they themselves, rightly deserve.

Loosen Up

This song took a long time to write but it is my favourite song on the album. It initially had no middle eight and was more along the lines of an 8 minute electronic jam. We abandoned that and honed, trimmed and tightened it. We went to town on the synths as every new layer we added seemed to take it somewhere else so we just kept going. We have played this song out and it seems to be the song that most people ask about to make sure it’s on the album. We managed to mix of a heap of influences together on this one including everything from Fela Kuti style drums to Blondie guitar to DFA style synths and claps. The title is the name of a club night we run in our home-town.

Kowalskiy Verdict: This song had me nervous listening to it first time 'round. Good nervous mind you. It slowly builds up, layer upon layer, and you just know it's gonna eventually kick off! When it does (and even beforehand) it's brilliant. Another funky masterpiece! It's easy to see why it's Steven's favourite.

The First Place

When I first demo-ed this song I never thought it would ever be playable live. In my head I could hear so much going on (brass parts alongside harmonies and percussion etc) and we are a 4 piece. This song wouldn’t work without the extras so it made our decision for us that on this record that we not be shy to add things that couldn’t be played live. Lyrically I wrote it when I was in a pretty frustrating situation and the band was always coming second for me which was getting me down. I worked in a music venue 24/7 but had no time for my own music so I was pretty downbeat at the time. We have played it live with guest brass players and it goes down really well- girls particularly seem to really like it.

Kowalskiy Verdict: I go back to what I've said in many a post on Kowalskiy. Steven Milne is one of, and in fact, at this moment in time, I'd probably go as far as to say, thee best songwriter around these parts. This gorgeous , brassy, slow-burner could have been lifted straight from his outstanding solo debut last year, but instead it takes pride of place here slap-bang in the middle of the album. Out of all of Steven's frustration has come pure songwriting perfection!

Call Of Youth

This was the first song we recorded. We made it a single in the summer as a teaser for the new album. I guess it’s too long really to be a “single” but it was going down well live and it’s very upbeat so we wanted to share it. It has an influence from old Motown and older pop which has those kinds of clean jaunty guitars and rolling bass. Lyrically it was a bit of a dig at someone who shapes their tastes and opinions on what they think they should like instead of what they actually like. Hipsters essentially -for lack of a better word – really annoy me. It’s fairly close to the LKs “sound” of old but I think its way beefier and rockier than anything we’ve done before and a good stepping stone song for linking the two albums.

Kowalskiy Verdict: The first single, and the only track I'd heard before I was sent the album. 'Twas a great choice to build up some hype. From the pulsating drum beat, jangly guitars, through the singalong chorus, all the way to the haunting outro, the track perfectly sums up the album.

Do Something New

I think bands like Orange Juice or Mystery Jets are great. This is an attempt to make one of those kinds of summery pop songs tracks in their vein. I wrote it very quickly but the band version has changed a million times before now since it was first written. It’s become shorter and leaner along the way and poppier too. The Outro has potential sing-along quality to it which is fun and when we recorded it we had fun adding Violin (courtesy of Rory from Broken Records), Moog synths and group vocals. We wanted it to be a really fun track and I think that comes across.

Kowalskiy Verdict: If I was pushed, I'd say this is my favourite. Is it the fact that, at many times throughout, it sounds like it's gonna burst into an '80s disco anthem? Is it the lots of lovely, subtle layers, harmonies and melodies all intertwined? Is it that Rory from Broken Records is there with his violin? Or is it the great big smile that forms on your face as it comes to an end? It is in fact, all those and much, much more!

Far Too Honest

This song comes from the same place as Loosen Up where there is an almost Latin influence to it. It’s another song that we wrote quite early on together but it wasn’t until we got into the studio and heard it back that it really came together. It’s quite moody for us and gets quite heavy but I think it’s a nice way to wrap up the record as a book end with Anti Work Song. This was the first track we wrote with our new drummer and the first example that we could write together. It started as me having a chord progression on a synth and a melody and become the finished product by jamming it out over time as a unit and was that was a big first for us.

Kowalskiy Verdict: Moody and heavy to say the least! I love the atmospheric synth that permeates the whole track, complimenting the Latin-influenced guitars and drums. But what I love the most is this heavier side to The Little Kicks, lots of power and passion like all things Latin should be. Bravo!

So all-in-all, a very, very welcome return from The Little Kicks, and a huge thanks to Steven for his track-by-track walkthrough of the album. With so much going on, so many little subtleties, a wee tweak of their usual style here and there, throwing in some brass, string and synths, I can imagine it'd be easy for things to become over-complicated and simply not work. No such problem for The Little Kicks though. They have absolutely nailed it!

The Little Kicks' self-titled second album is out on the 26^th of November. If you like the track previews above, then you can pre-order the album here.

K&A with The Hazey Janes

2011-10-07T08:45:00.001+01:00

You'd be forgiven for thinking it was 'Dundee Week' on Kowalskiy. Following on from our introduction to newcomers Vladimir, it's time to hear from some Dundonians who, if their latest album is anything to go by, are very much in their prime... The Hazey Janes. The Americana-infused indie affair, The Winter That Was, is their third full-length release and it's an absolute joy to listen to. It's one of their rollicking power-pop moments Carmelite though, which is the first track to be released (for free here).

I spoke to Andrew and Matthew last week, and here's what they had to say for themselves.

Kowalskiy: Who are The Hazey Janes?

Andrew: Live, The Hazey Janes are:

Andrew Mitchell: Electric guitar and vocals.

Alice Marra: Acoustic/electric guitar, keyboards and vocals.

Matthew Marra: Bass guitar.

Liam Brennan: Drums and vocals.

Matthew: We'll occasionally call in some of our talented friends to perform with us, for the album tour we're going out ourselves.

Kowalskiy: Who are your main influences, and how would you describe 'your sound'?

Andrew: There's so many musicians/groups and changes in our lives that have had an impact on us, it's quite difficult to narrow it down to just a handful here. Chords and melody are generally at the forefront though. I've heard 'Indie-rock', 'guitar-pop'... even 'folk-rock'.

Matthew: I think we've been a band for long enough that we don't really have the same big musical influences that we used to. We're probably more influenced by each other, our friends and our surroundings.

Kowalskiy: You're back with your new album The Winter That Was next month on Armellodie. What can fans, old and new, expect from it?

Andrew: Brass, strings, choirs, reverb, melancholy, synthesizers, and, of course, lashings of distorted guitar!

Matthew: It's not a massive departure from our earlier stuff but I think long-time fans will hear a progression. The songs are a bit more open-ended and open to interpretation. It's slightly darker in places which seems natural as we get older.

Kowalskiy: What's the plans to tour the album?

Andrew: There's still a few dates to be confirmed, but the Scottish leg starts on October 18th in Glasgow at the Captain's Rest, then reconvenes with a second run in late November, promptly followed by English dates after that.

Matthew: We have a week of shows preceding the release of the record, then we'll head out again once people have had a chance to hear it. It's nice to be visting places all the way from Thurso to Brighton. The full list of dates can be found at our website - www.thehazeyjanes.com

Kowalskiy: What would be your ideal gig?

Andrew: Something along the lines of Guided By Voices, Deerhoof, St. Vincent and Philip Glass?

Matthew: I'd have to go with us, then Julee Cruise and Chris Isaak backed by Sun Kil Moon. At the Roadhouse in Twin Peaks!

Kowalskiy: What's been The Hazey Janes' highlight so far?

Andrew: We've been fortunate enough to work with some exceptional producers and engineers in great studios, but one of the main highlights, because of what it represents, would probably have to be the release of this new record, I think.

Matthew: Playing a sell-out show with Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles and Velvet Crush in Austin, Texas was pretty special. That and visiting New York for the first time. We never thought our music would take us there.

Kowalskiy: In the press release from Armellodie, you're described as 'Dundee's finest exports'. Are there any other local bands we should be looking out for?

Andrew: The city's always a reliable source of great musicians, artists and creative people: Avast!, Spyamp, Pensioner, The Stranger's Almanac, Rush Hour Soul, Doomlords... the list goes on.

Kowalskiy: What else do you have planned for the future?

Andrew: We've got a few ideas for the next album already, as in where we want to go from The Winter That Was - I think we'll probably start demoing early next year.

Matthew: Yeah, we want to get on to the next record as soon as possible. We've also got a collaborative recording project in the pipeline which we're looking forward to.

Kowalskiy: Any words of wisdom you wanna add??

Andrew: Eh... I was once recommended Berocca and vodka?

Matthew: Music is joyous and the rubber bit from a Grolsch bottle makes an excellent strap lock for your guitar.

I couldn't agree more. The music part that is, especially this album. I'll let you be the judge of the other two! You mix Berocca and vodka at your own risk though. Sounds lethal! Here's one of the standout tracks You Only Stand To Lose If I Stay to help you make your own mind up about the album.

The album is out on the 24^th of October via Armellodie Records, but you can pre-order it now over here.

...Vladimir!

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000+01:00

Before you say it, I whole-heartedly agree. These folk who go by an Eastern European alias really ought to get out more...

...and it's just as well that these four guys from Dundee have been doing just that. Vladimir only formed in April this year, but in the short space of time since, they've been building up a reputation as the 'city's noisiest band' producing 'one of the most violent sounds to come out of Dundee in recent history'. As someone who's had the privilege of being on a night out in one of the City of Discovery's famed hotspots, believe me, that's saying something!

Their debut EP (available from the band here) hammers home these claims with some gusto. Throughout, there's a visceral flow between tracks, in what is a restless, menacing, and downright-brilliant EP. The cover artwork serves as a pre-warning. These five tracks will grab you by the throat and have you gasping for breath by the end. And if you don't believe me, take a look at the minimal respite on offer in the Soundcloud bar below for their 'mellow' effort!

Mellow by Vladimir

Here's the band to tell you a (little) bit more...

Kowalskiy: Who are Vladimir?

Vladimir: A chaotic noise ripping through the UK.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

Vladimir: A number 1 hit getting the shit kicked out of it.

Kowalskiy: PLUG AWAY!!

Vladimir: We have an EP out which you can get at the following link and also have a Facebook page.

Kowalskiy: What can we expect from you in the future?

Vladimir: Our faces to be everywhere you go.

Short but sweet eh!? With their debut EP though, Vladimir are very much a band who let their music do the talking, and you'll be hanging on every word!

Upcoming Gigs

8^th Oct - The Bay Matinee Show, Glasgow (Facebook)

14^th Oct - The Cape, Stirling

27^th Oct - Henrys Celler Bar, Edinburgh

29^th Oct - B.A.A.D Halloween Extravaganza, Glasgow

4^th Nov - The @bar, Montrose

Kowalskiy Singles Club #8

2011-09-29T09:00:00.000+01:00

Boy, do I have a cracking bunch of 'singles' for you this time 'round! If any of them sound your type, and you fancy finding out a wee bit more, then click on the artwork and get downloading. Your new favourite track may be just a click away...

Your Control by Tanera Heights

"3 naive earthlings seek a hearty human open to wild flings which inevitably result in totalitarian regimes. Must be willing to share a dellusional world where greco-roman wrestling between Jaunty pirate shanties and outdated emotional electrical storms is a common afrodisiac." - Colin Tarbat (Tanera Heights)

And who wouldn't be willing to share that delusion?? First up this time 'round is a track from Strathpeffer's finest's second EP The Arrow's In Flight. The EP is out now. Just click the artwork opposite... or here for FREE.

Alligator by Miniature Dinosaurs

"It's not easy being green. Far from home, gorgeous Floridian seeks someone special to stop all this lying low and put some bite back into my life. Let's get together... and make it snappy." - Alban Dickson (Miniature Dinosaurs)

One of my favourite bands have come up trumps once again. In fact, they're 'scaling' new heights with this track. So, if you love puns (and who doesn't!) and cracking songs then you'll this! Snap it up now.

Short Term Memories by Collar Up

"Self-proclaimed "Best Dancer in Edinburgh" seeks room full of urban loners for collective experience of ethereal happiness." - Stephen (Collar Up)

A great wee FREE track from Collar Up courtesy of Permwhale Records. If you wanna share some... short term memories with them, then you can get a preview of the track by watching the video here! I see very little evidence to back up this 'Best Dancer' label. I'm dubious to say the least...

The Factory by Run Lucky Free

"“Poor little rich girl socialite seeking eccentric male with an eye for unconventional art. Must have a taste for toxic substances, exploitation, and a keen interest in cans of soup. A love of Velvet Underground, bananas and silver lined rooms is essential. Bob Dylan fans need not apply.”" - Rachael Cormack (Run Lucky Free)

Run Lucky Free's The Factory is out on the 3rd of October, the same day they kick off their Scottish tour up in Skye. You can get all the details from here. Keep an eye on this lot!

City Is Exploding (We Were Promised Jetpacks Remix) by Zoey Van Goey

"So-called Indie-pop foursome, all demons in the sack, seek partner(s) age 18-100, height 40-400cm for fiery romance and possible law-breaking. Must be into BSG, ST:TNG, and SW:IV-VI (if you're I-III then don't bother replying). LOVE, ZVG" - Zoey Van Goey

More of a SG man myself. Anyway, I mentioned their limited-edition remix EP last week, but here's an extra plea from ZVG for all you indie-pop-loving midgets and giants out there.

The Fight by This Silent Forest

"Very active 20 something(s) with multiple personality disorder. Seeks good listener(s), with open mind and a interests in beards, xbox, outdoor sports, quoting film lines and arguing about all things musical. Must be able to hold their own with witty banter and appreciate easily excitable personalities." - Graeme ' Squirrel' Macdonald (This Silent Forest)

Fresh from their 30 song, Song A Day Challenge, Squirrel and the rest of This Silent Forest have a new single out NOW! Only those adept at bantering witterally need apply. I'll rule myself out of that one shall I!?!

Chinese Burns by Laurence and the Slab Boys

"Tall-ish, leftist carnivore seeks likeminded person or persons for long drives, movies and possible self-flagellation. Must like dressing-up and be comfortable with others watching. Previous applicants need not apply. " - Larry Reid (Laurence and the Slab Boys)

Did you know: 'Wee Baz' from Miniature Dinosaurs was once the drummer in one of Larry Reid's bands?? Well now you do. 'Tis a small world! Anyhoo, Larry has 'tidied' up Chinese Burns and made it available for free download. That's just the kinda guy he is. Find out more about him and his efforts to grow a beard over on his blog.

Fortune Teller Song by Franc Cinelli

"Happy go lucky fortune telling troubadour, seeks smart fun curvy female to dance on top of a moving train...promises harmonica's, booze, and Goodtimes!!" - Franc Cinelli

Goodtimes indeed if you know what I mean! If not, then I mean that this is a free album teaser from The Artist Formerly Known As Goodtimes Goodtimes. It's a great track, as I've said before, so go get! He may also tell your fortune on twitter if you so desire...

K&A with Sur Nilsson

2011-09-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

I know what you're thinking, and yes, you're right. Sur Nilsson is not the most Scottish-sounding of bands. There's a good reason for that mind you... they're not! But see that guy on the far left? He is. If you remember back in March, I introduced you to Danny McGuire a.k.a. Two Zebras. Well, that's him. He's relocated to Holland and quickly found his feet in a cracking new band which he's quite rightly excited about. And he's not the only one! Here's Danny to tell you more...

Kowalskiy: Who are Sur Nilsson?

Danny: Sur Nilsson is a four piece indie rock band from Utrecht in Holland.

Kowalskiy: Many may know you from your Two Zebras moniker. So how'd this new band come about?

Danny: I'd spent the first half of 2010 in Toronto and the second back home in Glasgow. After a couple months I got pretty bored so I fucked off to Amsterdam with plans to focus on music. About three weeks into my move I met Neil, our singer and guitar player. After a bad breakup, he'd spent a few months driving around the US in an old chevy car and penned some songs on his travels. He wanted to put a band together to play them and enlisted two of his good friends Jan and Matthijs to work on the project. I thought it all sounded very rad and very Kerouac so we had one rehearsal and it felt really special and ever since then, all of our lives have become dedicated to this band.

Kowalskiy: You're a Scotsman in a band in Holland... with a French/Swedish sounding name? Correct me if I'm wrong! So, what's the story behind the name?

Danny: I'm definitely the wrong boy to ask about this because I can never remember the exact story. I know it's something to do with a Dutch Kids TV show, a big cat, and the fact that our singer is called Neil. Take from that what you will!

Kowalskiy: How does the band's 'sound' compare with what we've come to expect from Two Zebras?

Danny: It's definitely a lot bigger and more energetic. The boys are really exciting musicians and they surprise me every week in rehearsals with some of the cool stuff they come out with. You gotta listen!

Kowalskiy: You recently let slip a few free tracks on your Bandcamp, Oh No (It's Done) and Lights. Can we expect any more anytime soon? What's the plans for a formal release?

Danny: Yeah definitely, our debut EP is out at the end of October. We're doing an invitation only show in a couple weeks then a big party at Db’s in Utrecht on the 27th October to celebrate the launch. Our website is up next week at www.surnilsson.com and we’re on twitter @surnilsson for all other news!

Kowalskiy: Any plans for a wee jaunt over for a Scottish gig or two in the future?

Danny: Yeah absolutely!! As well as Holland we’re hoping to hit Germany and Belgium this year and we're definitely going to tour in the UK early 2012, can't wait to bring it home.

Kowalskiy: What would be your ideal gig?
Danny: Hmmm a good question. Im gonna say right now, any club, any place, packed sweaty venue, plenty of babes and good geezers in the audience, and lots of partying afterwards. If I had to choose other bands on the bill I’d go for Broken Social Scene, An Horse, and Jay Z just to bring some extra swag.

Kowalskiy: Always interested to know... what Scottish bands (if any) are currently kicking up something of a storm over in Utrecht?

Danny: I can safely say that there are no Scottish bands in Utrecht!

Kowalskiy: Hmmm, I was meaning, are there any Scottish bands, from Scotland, popular over in Holland! Ah well, Sur Nilsson aside, are you able to dispel the myth that Dutch music is all trance and techno?

Danny: Hardcore forever – how can you diss those banging beats? Nah seriously, bands like The Medics, John Coffey, and Houses are all pretty decent evidence that there's a really healthy indie scene here in Holland.

Kowalskiy: Lastly, what does all this mean for Two Zebras??

Danny: There'll be another record sometime - I have no idea what it will sound like but I know it'll be loud. For now, I'm really just focused on Sur Nilsson and excited to see where it takes us!

As am I! You can get your hands on a few free EP preview tracks over here. They should whet the appetite nicely until the EP is out at the end of next month.

Happy Particles - Under Sleeping Waves

2011-09-26T09:15:00.001+01:00

In my experience, particles are miserable wee bastards. They never do what you want, and there's never enough of them when you need them, something my thesis can attest to. And now, if folk are to be believed, they've only gone and disproved Einstein. What a belligerent bunch of subatomic f**ks they truly are! So you can understand my scepticism when a Glasgow sextet claiming to be 'Happy Particles' got in touch with their debut album Under Sleeping Waves. By the end of my first listen I'd been forced to rethink those particular views engrained in me in recent years. And by the end of the many subsequent listens, I've been completely swept away by what is surely one of the, if not thee, most uplifting albums of the year.

So what does this album sound like!? Well, there's shoegazey shades of Asobi Seksu and at times, the fuzziness of fellow Scots Penguins Kill Polar Bears can be heard coming through. For the most part though, their sound is a stunning coming together of Death Cab For Cutie and Sigur Rós. And Under Sleeping Waves does not pale in comparison. Not a jot. Take Slowness as a prime example. What starts as a dreamy vocal and simple, repeated melody builds up into 2-and-a-half minutes of something quite spectacular, awash with delicate percussion and stunning strings in perfect, beautiful harmony.

As standout tracks go, pretty much every one fits the bill here, with Empty Circles (streaming below) showing glimpses of a more intense side to the band, and the warming atmosphere of Offline Contact fully justifying their 'ambient pop, contemporary classical' tag. But as very few bands seem to do, they save the best for last with A.M. Sky (Bleary). Sublime does not even cut it, and that's just the vocals. You won't hear a better song this year!

Under Sleeping Waves is an album which will simultaneously break your heart and gently piece it back together again. It's an album that appeals to both the music lover, and physics geek inside me. But above all, it's a album which is just absolutely stunning!

The album is out on Christmas Day! Keep your eyes peeled here for updates.

Zoey Van Goey - Sexy Rave Eye Zooming EP

2011-09-23T08:30:00.001+01:00

As EP covers go, this one's a wee bit on the weird side. 'Tis not every day you see a 4-headed indie-pop spider-like.. thing! But then again, as EPs go, the latest from one of Scotland's finest bands is not your normal sort of release. With two critically-acclaimed albums (The Cage Was Unlocked All Along and this years' Propeller Versus Wings) under their belt, Zoey Van Goey have decided to recruit some musical friends to remix a selection of their tracks for the fantastically-named Sexy Rave Eye Zooming EP.

Stamping their mark on ZVG's songs are We Were Promised Jetpacks, FOUND, Jonnie Common, GRNR (a.k.a. Gav of Findo Gask), K-Projekt, Gareth Griffiths, OnTheFly, and the electromaestro himself, Miaoux Miaoux.

There's a free download of WWPJ's remix of City Is Exploding up for grabs below!

Before you get too excited though, this limited-edition EP itself will only be available at Zoey Van Goey's special gig on October 1^st at Stereo in Glasgow. Though, the good news is, that the CD is free, and you'll also have Kid Canaveral on the bill that night, with ZVG's set being remixed live by GRNR. Tickets are available to buy from here and if you're planning on 'Zoey-van-going' you can signal your intent on Facebook by clicking the poster opposite.

K&A with This Silent Forest

2011-09-20T18:45:00.000+01:00

You've gotta take your hat off to some folk. Earlier this month, This Silent Forest completed their Song A Day Challenge, recording 30 new tracks in the process. Now it's over to you! The band have put all their videos from the last month up on their YouTube site for you to watch and pick your favourites for their new EP. There's some great songs in there, so have a wee listen and let them know what you think!

I spoke to Graeme 'Squirrel' Macdonald a few days after it all ended. Here's what he had to say for himself...

Kowalskiy: Who are This Silent Forest?

Graeme: We are a collection of two main writers who change their set depending on the line up, going from classical to post rock and covering acoustic and folk in between.

Kowalskiy: Let's cut to the chase, you've just finished a 30 day, Song A Day Challenge. Fancy filling us in on the ins and outs of it?

Graeme: We were put to the challenger by a friend who runs a marketing agency called Boyd Digital with the guise of "heres a great promo tool" and "think of the crap you could create". At first the idea was to play a gig in front of every BBC building (which i might still do). Then we changed it to write 30 songs one a day for 30 days invited loads of collaborators and random locations. The songs and the locations worked, the collaborators did to an extent however I have discovered that Jamie and I write our best stuff on the cuff in little flashes, planning tracks doesn't work the same.

Kowalskiy: What's been the reaction so far? Any feel yet for which songs will feature on the EP?

Graeme: The reaction so far has been mixed, Glasgow hasn't really taken to it but the video views are all over the place, once again Indonesia seem to be watching and so do the states. I know people come up to me stating that they have watched a few but not many reposts on it. Oh well I have 30 odd songs, ha plus the one we wrote yesterday as though it was habit. Also the people who have messaged and chatted about the tracks have picked ones I thought were not my most accurate musically pieces, just shows.

Kowalskiy: I know it's like asking a parent which child is their favourite, but which of the 30 songs are your own personal favourites? We all know 'I love all my children the same' is a cop-out!

Graeme: My favourite "Fire At The End Of The Road" the song came to me in a dream where my sister was chatting to me and then burst into the chorus and its sat in my head until that day, I couldn't think of what to do with it. Also I love our WW1 song "Lovers Come Home"

Kowalskiy: Any funny stories from the 30 days? I seem to recall one video of you recording on the side of 'Scotland's Deadliest Road', the A9. Not many bands would put their lives on the line like that in the pursuit of great music.

Graeme: The song on the A9 was amazing, it was a perfect clear night. The police followed us for about 20 mins after that wee pitstop. I think the most fun I had was filming our wee Noir short film. Creeping about well lit places in Glasgow late at night, people thinking we were perverts. Also everyone outside the BBC building chatting to us during takes, I think I left one of them in.

Kowalskiy: Mind if I share with you my Top 5?? What's the chances of this being your EP tracklisting?

Day #13. Scrub You Out
Day #5. Untitled #2
Day #22. Piano Untitled
Day #8. Keep Your Tongue In Your Mouth
Day #16. Untitled #4

Graeme: Wow! I think that's mad, I would never have though my piano ones would be in there. Keep your tongue in your mouth was writen on the spot. No idea what I was going to sing or what key it was in. I hit record and then played. Number 5 is a whole new beast now, much heavier and you can hear it on the 23rd at the single launch "Entrophy". Cant really say whats going to be in. We need to have a listen through after the single launch and decide what we can use.

Kowalskiy: What happens to the 20-odd tracks that don't get selected? Any plans to contribute ones to other good causes, say, one of a long-running series of monthly Scottish EPs of the free variety...

Graeme: You know that could be a great idea. We should probably record them all live and see what happens.

Kowalskiy: Watch this space them folks! So, how did these songs come about? Were they mostly ones that you'd penned prior to the Song A Day Challenge, or ones that you made up on the spot?

Graeme: Well a few days before i started trying to write (not whole songs just ideas for tracks) I think i did about nine and used about three. Most of them were written that evening or day and some where forced out of me. Those forced tracks were not enjoyable at all, but I was happy with the result. Because of this writing method we couldnt collaborate as much as we wanted.

Kowalskiy: Were there any days that you were at a loss for what to record?

Graeme: Yeah tracks 21, 23 and 24. I was exhausted and had no idea what to do. track 23 was finished at 4am and was started around 12:30 it was a long night and I couldn't focus or stay awake.

Kowalskiy: Last one... how do you feel now its done? Would you ever do it again??

Graeme: I'm so happy its over, it was getting sore to write. Also I missed out on sleep as I worked the equivalent of two full time jobs. Yeah we would do it again.

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from This Silent Forest in the future?

Graeme: Well there is a few things happening, firstly our second single is being launched on Friday 23rd September in Nice & Sleazy, Glasgow doors 8pm. Then we are doing a few solo shows around Scotland with Matt Norris and the Moon and James Mackenzie. Then October we will be doing the EP for song a day. We also are working on about 12 acoustic tracks and are currently recording them. We are recording our third single. Recording our live Album. Finishing our Remix (Oh You Dancer EP). And we were in a film called Diamonds in the Rough which we soundtracked and are acting in which will be release at the end of the year. Hopefully we can play loads of shows too.

So not much then?!! Once again, get yourselves over to This Silent Forest's YouTube site and have a listen, and if you're free this Friday in Glasgow, pop along to Nice 'N' Sleazy to grab a copy of their new single The Fight, and hear some of the new tracks live too.

Goodbye from your hosts, CTA

2011-09-19T21:13:00.010+01:00

Ey up. It's the last CTA takeover thingimy, in which we have returned from tour back to Edinburgh and rubbish normal stuff like work and washing machines and having to feel guilty about eating four brambly apple pies in a day.

We wont keep you long -- Mr Kowalskiy is waiting in the wings (likely preparing to wield a large comedy walking stick at this point, to be honest) eager to come back and restore a bit of quality and sanity and real interviewees and whatnot to his blog -- but we thought it was important to take this last moment and have a proper moan about the weather in Edinburgh: it's stupidly cold! Also overcast! It's so bad I've quite literally had to put the heating on. What's that about? This is nothing at all like in London, where we were, on tour -- did we mention? -- where it was so warm folks were all drinking in the streets, getting all tanned and suchforth, at, like, midnight. And we thought it was our jobs, as mostly Scotsmen, do to all the drinking in the streets in London.

Also, we'll should say massive thank yous to loads of folks, not least Mr Kowalskiy for patiently letting us fill up his blog with our nonsense, but also to the fantastic, handsome bands who played our launch shows -- Over The Wall, Poor Things, My Tiny Robots, The Bad Books -- the promoters who agreed to put us on, the generous folks who gave us the use of their beds and sofas and floors and boozes, and everyone who came to our shows and made them such fun. Thanks yous!

Finally massive big thanks to mosaiclawns who recorded most of our set at The Wilminton Arms and uploaded it to the internets. Thanks! Here's it:

Thanks for watching and reading! We're off to finish our album now.

Lots of Love,

Cancel The Astronauts

CT&A with The Bad Books

2011-09-19T12:15:00.005+01:00

Morning. We'll be gone soon. Just time though to tell you a bit about one of our favourite new bands, Edinburgh's The Bad Books, a band so new they've only played four gigs and they've only got a Facebook page. They were nice enough to play our single launch the other week. Matthew asked Bad Books' lead singer, Graeme Anderson, some 'hilarious' questions and some real ones.

Your band name is The Bad Books, but what's the worst film you've ever seen?

I am a bad film specialist! I have a knack of choosing dreadful films - Chopper
Chicks in Zombie Town and Spawn are two that spring to mind. The Cameo late
night double bills have a lot to answer for.

Who are The Bad Books and how did you form?

The Bad Books are Scott, Michael, Andrew and myself. I've known Scott for quite
a bit through him playing with The Kays and cutting my hair (plug - Muse
Hairdresser on Ferry Road!). Got to know Michael really well over the last year
and a bit though, our paths have crossed in that Edinburgh goldfish bowl a few
times though. Michael has known Andrew for some time and he got him involved.
They are all stars!

Who was better- Come On Gang! or The Kays Lavelle?

You git! That's a mean question. Come on Gang! rocks the socks off most bands and
The Kays did have a few lovely moments. I'd say Come On Gang! by a rock pose!

What sort of music do you make?

We have a fair amount of influences but I think we all come from a melodic
approach whether that be by a vocal line, guitar riff or synth hook. On top of
that we like to add our own touch of madness but I think most of all we want to
create music that we enjoy playing and people enjoy listening too! Get the fun
element back. I think some bands miss out on that just now.

The last song you play, Victory Lap, features the lyrical refrain "Don't You
Ever Change" repeated over and over again. Isn't that a bit similar to the line
"Don't Ever Change" in the song 'Change' by The Lightning Seeds? Do you worry
about plagiarism?

Ha ha! I mentioned on Sunday about our joint Lightning Seeds
fondness. Ian Broudie was a bit of a legend to me when I was younger but apart
from the use of three words I think we will escape his law suit.

Any plans to release a single or album or anything?

We would love to. We are hoping to get our heads down fairly soon and do some
rough Demos. I am going to try the home recording approach though am hoping to
pick your Chris's brain about a few approaches. We are thinking early December
and would love to see something surfacing early next year.

What's your favourite Cancel the Astronauts song and why?

Honestly I have loads, I am the President. . . . . . and Funny for a Girl are
always ones that I love to hear but I'd say Intervention is my favourite. Why? -
great melody, catchy chorus and you can dance your socks off to it. Fab stuff!!!

Any more gigs coming up?

Nothing booked but keen to get a couple more before the year is out. Trying to
fit gigs and recording together might be difficult though.

Anything else you'd like to tell us?

Not really, i think you've covered all the main things. Worst film? Which one of
our previous bands was better? and Which one of your songs is my favourite?
Surely that hits all the marks. ;)

Not Quite Done

2011-09-18T11:49:00.006+01:00

We've not been near a computer recently, which is probably a blessing to be honest.

We were in London, where they don't really have computers, and we played some gigs, which surely can't come as any surprise to you now.

Big thanks to the venerable fellows and chapesses at Death2Disco and Oddbox Records for giving us the opportunity to go down and play in front of such polite, clean and sizeable audiences.

In London we drank outside of pubs on the street A LOT and IN THE SUNSHINE which felt very continental. We also had a curry in Soho. Yum.

In Liverpool we met these folks:

They were pretty much the only people that bothered to come and see us.

CTA: big in Florence and Malmo, but not in Liverpool.

Tonight, in what the press have been quick to label the last night of our tour, is the last night of our tour. It's in Newcastle at the Tyne Bar. COME!

Tomorrow the tour is finished and I'll make Kieran do a final farewell post on Monday, so Kowalskiy knows we're done.

You know he sent us an email the other day which said something like, "Thanks for blogging on my blog! Are you finsihed yet?". We said, "NO."

So a big thanks to Kowalskiy for letting us borrow his internet for thr week: we are neeaarly finished with it.

Love,

CTA xxx

CT&A with Neil from CTA

2011-09-16T15:45:00.007+01:00

In the first of what will become a regular feature here on our blog Kowalskiy, I ask Neil (the bassist from Cancel the Astronauts) some questions about being in Cancel the Astronauts.

CTA: Hello Neil.

Neil: Hello CTA.

CTA: Neil, what's it like being in Cancel the Astronauts.

Neil: It's like a dream that you never wake up from. A good dream though, like the ones when you get to be the boyfriend of the girl that you like but that in real life doesn't like you.

CTA: Uh-huh, and what's it like to work with Matt Riley, lead singer of Cancel the Astronauts.

Neil: No one really works with Matt Riley, lead singer of Cancel the Astronauts. Firstly, because it doesn't ever feel like work. It's a pleasure just to be associated with such a talented, and, frankly very handsome, man. Secondly, you don't work with him because work suggests some sort of effort on the part of the person that isn't Matt Riley, when in fact Matt Riley does all the work, such is the drive and ambition of the (frankly very handsome) man.

CTA: If you could describe him in three words then what would it be?

Neil: Three words isn't enough. It would take a Proustian number of words, as well as handy diagrams by Da Vinci and a nice cake by Delia Smith, to even get close to describing him. Still that would be but a shadow of the man himself.

CTA: Someone once said he was quite short. Is that true?

Neil: No. Not at all. No. He's average sized at the very least, and was once described by the police as '6ft'. Think of him as bigger than Jesus, if Jesus had been in The Beatles.

CTA: Has he ever performed any miracles?

Neil: I haven't seen him perform any miracles no, but I know people who have.

CTA: Thanks Neil, this has been very illuminating. Any last words?

Neil: Before I die?

CTA: No, before we finish the interview.

Neil: If I did die then Matt Riley could quite possibly bring me back to life.

CTA: Okay Neil, that's quite enough now thank you very much.

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #15

2011-09-16T09:00:00.002+01:00

Don't ask... it just looked good! So once again, the cover art doesn't exactly match any of this months five brilliant tracks, which are once again, supplied by five of the country's best up-and-coming bands. You know what to do by now, but if not, just click the cover art to get your free download. Here's the five cracking bands on KEP#15...

1. Will Hanson - Hope On Top (A great track from Mr. Hanson's archives.)

"This is the closer from my previous album, and was recorded in my friend's bedroom in London. The lyrics are quite simple and are about the moment when boredom can turn into excitement. Production-wise it was all about making as much noise as possible with just voices and guitars...It started life as a kind of hymn with a droning atmosphere in the background, and ends up as an optimistic chant. It was really different to the rest of that record and really set the tone for alot of the tunes on Moving A Body..." - Will Hanson

2. Adopted As Holograph - The Animal Man (An exclusive track from their upcoming, debut EP.)

"The Animal Man' is from the forthcoming debut EP by Glasgow based band, 'Adopted as Holograph' due for release later this year." - Dave Philp (Adopted As Holograph)

3. Capitals - Hello World (I'll never tire of their cracking debut single!)

"Hello World was the first in a series of a few songs where we tried to do everything as naturally as possible. About 95% of this song was written, recorded and mixed in 24 hours. It was a bloody tiring 24 hours, but this process was the antithesis of the way we’d written earlier demos like Coastlines and Waking Life. I think this song is also responsible for the now staple routine we use when writing which is 'write, record, play, de-stress with FIFA'. Earlier in the year we also made a video for this song with our friend Ian Webster, a true gent who did a great job getting the feel of the song into film." - Keir MacCulloch (Capitals)

4. Hold The Suspect - 1324 (another exclusive, this time from Hold The Suspect's latest EP.)

"1324 is the first track from our new EP 'what might happen'. 1324 is a song about struggling through a relationship but remembering that your friends have always got your back." - Hold The Suspect

5. Trapped Mice - Dance While Winter Cries (This is just stunning! It bodes very well for the album.)

"This is the first track to see the light of day from our forthcoming (we're still recording it) debut album. It's a love song (simple as that). It will probably be the happiest song on the album, and definitely the most depressing. I started with the first line and the rest followed from there, which is always a nice way of doing things." - Ian Tilling (Trapped Mice)

So there you go! Let me know what you think of this months collection. As always, it's FREE, so head on over to my bandcamp page now to get your download. Have a wee look and listen to the other 14 while you're at it!

Next month there'll be more of the same, five great free tracks from Scotland's finest! If any bands out there fancy making my life that wee bit easier by volunteering a track for one of these EPs, then send me a wee email too and see if it tickles my fancy. Enjoy... and let the Cancel The Astronauts Takeover! continue.

Hello

2011-09-15T11:45:00.011+01:00

Hello. We are still Cancel The Astronauts, we've still taken over Kowalskiy in mostly non-violent revolution, and -- in between shouting silly things through megaphones from the Kowalskiy palace balcony -- we've still mostly been on tour. This is what being on tour looks like:

It's thursday. That means we're in London. This is what London looks like:

It's been ace, especially now Michael has stopped vomiting in the tour bus.

Last night we played our first ever show outside of Scotland, expected just about no one to turn up, and were surprised and delighted to find that the exact opposite of no one turned up: everyone! It was loud and sweaty and some of everyone danced and one of Cancel The Astronauts was wearing a sweet t-shirt to do with astronauts.

We've also been trying out some of the cool things bands are supposed to do on tour, like having and manning a merch stand. That's cool. It is hard though. Here is Matty's first attempt at writing a pound sign:

He is a rubbish brain. Here's our eventual merch stall:

Thrilling! Although T-shirts! We've now got t-shirts. Hurrah! Some people have asked for them. We'll probably sell them through some online means when we get back off tour.

Okay, that's enough of the hard sell. Back to the photos.

We played with The Saw Doctors on Troon on Saturday.

It was tremendous. I think we might have mentioned it before on theses pages, but there were 74,000 people there. Afterwards, our bass player Neil managed to forget to put his bass back in the van, and blithely drove off to Edinburgh without it. The next night was a bit like that bit in Superman 2 where Superman lost his powers, only Neil didn't know he'd lost his powers, and spent ages looking in the back of his van for his powers. By the end of the night he was just a man. Just a man. A powerless, bassless man.

Luckily one of the volunteers for Live@Troon, Katie, in an act of extraordinary kindness for which we are forever grateful, went several miles above and beyond the call of duty and brought through to our Glasgow gig. Thanks Katie!

Neil and his bass. Balance restored to the universe. Hurrah!

Okay, apparently it is breakfast time, and the rhythm section have scouted out a suitable breakfasting experience out in That London, so More Later! and that.

Here is one more picture, of Matthew, who insisted I posted it because he thinks he looks handsome in it:

The Cat With Its Head In The Clouds

2011-09-13T09:35:00.006+01:00

It was a wet Wednesday morning in January, 19-, when Officer Harry Kowalskiy came across the cat with its head in the clouds. How it got there he didn't know, and if you ask him today, thirty years on, how that ragged ball of fluff had managed to climb 176 stories (that's well over 2000ft folks) through pounding rain and winds that reach up to 100mph, to the very peak of Hughes' Heights, he'll give you this answer: "Beat's me!"

"It was just another day. I was on foot patrol. I turned a corner, and there she was," recalls Harry. "Just standing there, as close to me as you are now, but still I could barely see her because of the mist up there. She didn't seem scared or frightened but the little girl was covered in mud and dirt, and soaking wet. She was so thin! I picked her up and she was freezing cold. There was always a strong wind blowing that high up and in winter, with the wind chill factor and all, it never got above freezing."

Harry remembers putting the cat inside his thick woollen jacket (he had to wear two when he was outside of an insulated building or vehicle, as well as gore-tex gloves, a specially designed balaclava and goggles), turning up his collar against the fierce January gales, and hurrying back to the small block of crumbling buildings which acted as 'District' headquarters half a mile up in the New York sky.

"I got back inside," says Harry, "and rushed to show my partner Marge just what I'd found." Officer Margery Scott had been Harry's partner up there for five years - there was not a hint of romance between them Marge assured me with a shy smile (I had to ask!) - and never in their time working together had they seen an animal. Pets were forbidden and birds still keep away; some say because of toxic materials, but the state governor will never admit to it.

In fact, it was because of state law that Harry and Marge were up there in the first place. Every tourist spot of "exceptional value to the nation" must be properly policed, and due to its sheer size (you could fit a football pitch on the roof and its designers did- along with a theme park, a hotel and a mall complex!) it was necessary to station a permanent police presence. Accommodation was built for the live-in policemen and women of 'District 13', and most rarely left their sky-top homes. They soon became tourist attractions themselves.

Hughes' Heights was the frenzied dream of Texan billionaire Howard Hughes; aviator, film director, playboy and famed eccentric. Constructed in 19- from 150,000 tons of steel, there were as many as 5000 men working on it at any one time. 25 workers died in the ten years it took to complete. Financial troubles, bad press, and some say the eccentricity of Hughes (he refused to install elevators, insisting people walk the 3,465 steps from street level to roof) doomed his tower to failure, and it remained largely empty.

Bought by NASA in 19- it was to be used as launchpad for a new generation of future shuttles, but cutbacks derailed the project, and somehow the men and women who served before Harry and Marge were forgotten about. Rumours abound that the roof of Hughes Heights' is now a garbage site for nuclear waste, but this is vehemently denied by the state government, and Harry will not be drawn on the matter. "We're not supposed to talk about that," says Harry, "But tell me this: if there was toxic waste up there, then why would Rube have climbed all that way?"

Rube, of course, is none other than our intrepid explorer and indefatigable cat. After she turned up on that cold January morning, Harry quit the force and moved back down to earth where he got a job as a nightwatchman. He took Rube (newly christened) with him. Every evening he would walk to work at New York Harbour near the mouth of the Hudson River with Rube by his side. "She followed me everywhere, from the day I found her. No matter where I went she was always there. I never married; I suppose I just never found the right person. Rube kept me company I suppose." It almost sounds like she climbed all that way just to find you I say to him. "Beat's me." says Harry, with a shake of his head. "Beat's me."

A Story

2011-09-13T09:13:00.005+01:00

"My yoga instructor put me in a difficult position last night," said the man to his friend.

"Crouching Rhino?" replied his friend.

"No. She invited me out for a coffee," said the man.

"Really?!? A coffee?" said his friend, somewhat surprised.

"I know, I was somewhat surprised," said the man, "I didn't think yoga instructors drank coffee."

"Well it's a stimulant isn't it."

"And a depressant."

"Does she seem depressed?" asked the friend of his man.

"Are you saying that's the only reason she'd ask me out for a coffee? Because she's depressed? Frankly, I'm offended."

"Sorry Frank," said his friend, "I didn't mean that at all." He coughed, though he wasn't ill, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I actually think you're a very attractive man."

There was a long pause.

"You do?" said the man. "What is it about me that you find attractive?"

"Well," said his friend, "You've got good bone structure for a start. And nice eyes. But it's more than that. You're a good listener. You're kind. You make me feel, er, special."

There was a long pause.

The man coughed, though he wasn''t ill, and said, "Do you want to go for a walk."

"Yes. That'd be lovely."

It's Something About Cancel the Astronauts Again...

2011-09-11T14:52:00.005+01:00

... And it probably will be for quite a long time.

Sorry.

This might end up getting enormously boring for you.

We'll do something different soon we promise.

A story based around a weak pun perhaps.

Or a picture diary with hilarious captions.

BUT TODAY.

Today you get to read about what we did yesterday.

We played Live at Troon with The Saw Doctors. It was tremendous!

The volunteer staff treated us like royalty, or at the very least like a much more successful band. We had a dressing room with sandwiches and juice and water and crisps and beer and chocolate and red wine and white wine and a lovely flower! AND we had to sign lots of t-shirts and lots of flyers and lots of posters and lots of CDs! It's possible that we actually were mistaken for a more successful band. Maybe they all thought we were The Saw Doctors. Ah well... Huge thanks to Alan Frew for asking us to play and to all the helpers who made us feel like a proper band.

We played to more than 600 people, all of whom clapped and cheered, and none of whom booed or heckled. Thanks Troon!

If you can't imagine what it was like, here's a photo:

That's us on the stage there! If you look very closely you can see Michael looking queasy.

Speaking of feeling sick, we're playing our single launch in Edinburgh tonight at Electric Circus, in what is fast being referred to as the third gig of our tour.

Support comes from My Tiny Robots and Bad Books and looking forward to it we are indeed.

Speak to you tomorrow; happy Sunday.

lots of love,

CTA

Our Glasgow Single Launch

2011-09-10T15:13:00.006+01:00

Hello!

Ooh! It seems a bit rude to be writing stuffs on someone else's internet blog.

It's sort of like reading your girlfriend's diary (I have read your girlfriend's diary, and she isn't happy at all- put the toilet seat up when you're peeing please) or staring into a stranger's bathroom window when they're having a shower (I have stared through your bathroom window when you were having a shower- please clean the toilet).

Regardless, here I am to tell you about the first night of our tour.

We played at Captain's Rest with Over the Wall and Poor Things. It was fun! We sold some singles and made some money! This money will go straight into a petrol fund for our tour van, Apollo 7 (Vices), a picture of which I've included below:

What a lovely shade of yellow!

Actually, it's a bit pokey to be honest, and three of us have to sit on the roof, but at least we get a lot of fresh air. This fresh air was most welcome when Michael was sick on the way back from Glasgow. Eugh. Luckily we double bagged just in time, closed our eyes, thought of England, and before we knew it we were in Hurlford at Kieran's parents' house, where Michael had the pleasure of being sick in a real bathroom.

Hopefully he'll be able to play tonight because we've got a gig supporting The Saw Doctors in Troon in what can only be described as the second gig of our tour.

We'll let you know how it goes...

An interesting fact about Hurlford? Alright then.

Brangelina stayed in a big mansion there when Brad Pitt was over filming World War Z in Glasgow.

Here's an artists impression of what it might have looked like:

Sweet van guys!

Cancel The Astronauts Take Over

2011-09-08T19:54:00.007+01:00

Hello there. It's all of the band Cancel The Astronauts here, and by Sheer Force of Emails and also Passwords and Prior Arrangement we've done gone taken over Kowalskiy for a bit. Hurray! It's all amicable, don't worry. Mr Kowalskiy is just having an entirely voluntary bit of a sit down this week. He deserves it.

I think there's plans afoot for other bands take over and 'be Kowalskiy' in the future; this is just the first example of it. Supposing it doesn't go horribly wrong on a technical level, internet-aflame stylee, here is what you can expect from us - the trailblazing Cancel The Astronauts! - while we are 'being Kowalskiy':

- expert semi-colon use
- some manner of tour diary
- other stuff

Who are you to resist? Okay, okay, maybe we've not quite nailed down every detail yet, but it'll still be ace. I imagine it'll be a bit like when those popstars you read about hug a 3am girl or a Bizarre man in the paper, and then 'take over' and fill two page spreads with amusing fluff about other popstars' hair or boyfriends or meatdresses or clinical depression or whatever, peppered with the occasial catty comment 'cos That's How Gossip Columns Work After All and at the end of the day they've got a single to shill.

In other news, we've got a single to shill. Hurrah! It's our first ever one, it's called Seven Vices, and you can listen and maybe even buy it through this portal here. Go on!

<p>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://canceltheastronauts.bandcamp.com/album/seven-vices"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Seven Vices by Cancel The Astronauts&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

We promise not to mention it every seven minutes, but we'd just like to point out that it has been described as 'musical gold' by no less a judge than the currently reclining author of this very blog.

'Musical Gold'.

Ahem. Also Jim from Ayetunes said it was 'probably the best I've heard Cancel the Astronauts on record '. That's nice.

Okay. We've officially stopped talking about our single now. Sorry.

We're going on tour! I've mentioned that. We leave tommorow. It's very exciting. Today, a nice man delivered to us a tour van, which we should probably call Apollo 7 (Vices) or something. He drove all the way from Glasgow on his birthday to drop it off - which proves his niceness - and one of the non-driving 2/5ths of the band made a careful count of its wheels, admired the unexpected microwave, made a mental note of which gear it will agree to go up hills in, promptly forgot which gear it will agree go up hills in, and signed the contract making Apollo 7 (Vices) ours for the next ten days. Later, he even read that contract.

Killer anecdote, I know. I should have put 'killer anecdotes' in the stuff to expect from us section. Hang on.

- Killer anecdotes

Right. More on our tour, from a series of increasing exciting locations, in a series of no doubt increasingly frazzled dispatches, as the week goes on. Tomorrow, we're playing The Captain's Rest in Glasgow, with Over The Wall and Poor Things. Come along!

If you're interested, you can find a full list of our tour dates over on our own blog, which is pink and here.

More Tomorrow!

...Redwings!

2011-09-05T09:00:00.000+01:00

Now for something rather f**king good. I've found myself listening to a lot to Glasgow's 'psychedelic instrumental quartet' Redwings recently. If you like your music dark and atmospheric, grandiose, and above all, utterly captivating, then chances are they'll be right up your street. They've got three, free tracks (that's 41 minutes worth!) from their gig at Nice 'N' Sleazy back in May up on their SoundCloud. If you have a spare quarter of an hour, hit the big red button, and immerse yourself in something quite special indeed!

Father Moon by Redwings

Here's Thom from the band to fill you in on some of the finer details...

Kowalskiy: Who are Redwings?

Thom: Redwings are:

Thomas Campbell - electric guitar
Alan McCormack - electric guitar
Jennifer Goldie - bass guitar
Andrew Truscott - drum kit

We formed in Glasgow at the beginning of 2010, and spent the majority of the year composing and rehearsing. We began gigging around the city at the beginning of 2011.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

Thom: Our main influences are Sonic Youth and Ennio Morricone, which I think reflects a lot in our music. The idea with Redwings was to take compositions inspired by Ennio Morricone's more ephemeral, beautiful music, and place them into the context of a four-piece rock band like Sonic Youth. We also draw influence from the minimalism of Gavin Bryars, as well as the music of My Bloody Valentine.

Kowalskiy: Plug away!!

Thom: We will be playing live at The Liquid Ship on 9 October as part of a Brain Burner night. We're really looking forward to it; it's going to be a tremendous evening.

Until then, you can find us online at:

http://redwingsband.com

http://fb.com/redwingsband

http://twitter.com/redwingsband

http://soundcloud.com/redwingsband

http://last.fm/music/redwings

Kowalskiy: What can we expect from Redwings in the future?

Thom: We are going to endeavour to perform live as much as possible; we love playing live, and try to make every show as memorable as possible for those in attendance. Beyond that, we would like to record an album before the end of the year.

K&A with Prince Edward Island

2011-09-02T09:30:00.001+01:00

Say hello to London-based Prince Edward Island. Not content with releasing one of the years best singles in the recent You look like I need a drink, they followed it up last week with arguably, one of the best albums of the year too. Hardly surprising though from a band billed as 'a happy Arab Strap'. What's not to like about that! Their debut album This day is a good enough day is chock full of upbeat quirky songs (and slightly weird song titles) offset by the dark Scottish humour of frontman Darren Bruce. It really is a wee bit of an understatement to say this album is a very good album indeed!

Prince Edward Island - You look like I need a drink

I asked Darren a few probing questions. So here's what he had to say about the band, the unusual circumstances surrounding their big break, and his marketing proposal for Bassetts. You can take the boy out of Scotland...

Kowalskiy: Hey folks! Who are Prince Edward Island?

Darren: A Scot, obviously, and a lass from the debatable lands, and some other riff-raff from around the fringes.

Kowalskiy: How did the band all get together?

Darren: Well...it wasn’t an advert in MNE or through a module at Brit School. The normal way, I guess, through work and social drinking. And then Phil bought some recording equipment and that was that. It’s still just a big excuse for a drink and a natter.

Kowalskiy: You got your first break in quite unusual circumstances. Do explain!

Darren: The short version is someone sent our song to Xfm who were running an unsigned band competition at the time. Basically the listeners voted for their favourite song to be played on the radio that week. What we didn’t know was they were running a simultaneous competition for unsigned bands to play at the O2 festival and somehow our CD got added to the bag. For reasons still unknown to us we won both. And we didn’t even bother to rig the voting. In fact we actively dissuaded all our friends from voting, primarily as the song we entered was the only song we had. Hardly enough for a 45 min showcase set. I can still remember the strange feeling of euphoria and panic when they announced the winners.

Kowalskiy: You're debut album This day is a good enough day is out at the end of the month, and a very impressive album it is too! Is there a story behind it? How'd you describe it for those who haven't heard of you?

Darren: Well, ta very much. There’s lots of stories behind it none of which I’m going to share with you. Primarily they illustrate our poorly spent and often unsuccessful lives to date. And it’s about sex. More specifically, it’s a bunch of miserable buggers trying to make sense of their previous mistakes set against a 3 minute pop song melody. And did I mention it’s about failed sex.

Kowalskiy: There's a lot of influences running through it. Who/what/where have had the biggest impact on your music?

Darren: Any number of influences (Chemical Underground, punk, childhood, John Peel, Jenny from 3rd Year Chemistry who broke my heart...etc) but music-wise ‘a happy Arab Strap’ is usually the one that’s thrown at us most which frankly we’re more than happy to accept. There are some eclectic ones hidden away in there too that might not be immediately recognisable to the listening public. From a lawyer’s point of view that’s probably a good thing.

Kowalskiy: With the Scottish connection in the band, are there any plans afoot to come north of the border and tour?

Darren: Err..we have done. Where the hell were you?

Kowalskiy: Kicking myself! So, for anyone else whose missed out, what's a typical PEI gig like?

Darren: Usually fun for us but I can’t speak for the audience. I imagine, if nothing else, we provide sufficient visual intrigue to keep people interested beyond the first beer. Then we’ve pretty much got them until they sober up.

Kowalskiy: What'd be your ideal gig? Any place, era, venue, support acts, celebrity roadies, entourage, backstage snacks etc etc.....anything you like really!

Darren: Ah, now there’s a question. Okay, I’m going with –

Stornoway, Isle of Lewis
Late 70’s (punk, innit)
Sounds In The Grounds Festival (look it up...)
Aidan & Malcolm obviously
Emmanuelle Beart (look her up...)
and beer-flavoured Jelly Babies (made it up...)

There’s a definite marketing opportunity there though. Look, if ACDC can release a range of wines for chrissakes...’PEI Piss Babies’. Yep, I like it. (You could be onto something quite unique! This is the closest I could find.)

Kowalskiy: Pardon the Scottish theme again, by are there any new Scottish bands on your iPods at the moment?

Darren: Not necessarily new but current Scottish fodder includes Broken Records, My Latest Novel, the entire Delgados back catalogue etc, etc. As for Phil, he doesn’t have an iPod. To be honest he has enough difficulty operating the van door and Faye just prefers to stalk bands. She finds it much more immediate.

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from PEI in the near/not-so-near future?

Darren: The usual amount of laziness and general inability to focus our collective mind. We seem to take a painfully long time to achieve anything. I offer you exhibit A, this album. 5 bloody years. Then again, maybe that’s no bad thing - some things benefit from a bit of fermentation.

Kowalskiy: Anything else you'd like to add?

Darren: Nope, I don’t think so unless Bassett’s want to get in touch? Oh, and thanks for not asking where we got our name. Pets will sleep well tonight.

This Is A Good Enough Day is out now via Crocfingers Record. You can have a listen to it on SoundCloud and get yourself a copy over here. Here's one more to whet your appetite.

Prince Edward Island - Are your mother-in-law and your mother in love?

Kowalskiy Singles Club #7

2011-09-02T09:00:00.002+01:00

Time to do my bit for all the lovely singles out there. It's a pretty diverse mix this time 'round, so hopefully you'll find one that's perfect for you. If any of their pleas 'strike a chord with you', then click on the cover art and get downloading...

Slow & Easy by The Son(s)

"You are a brunette, 5'6", long legs, 25-30, intelligent, articulate and drop dead gorgeous. I, on the other hand, have eyes like Marty Feldman and an odour of foost. No returns and no refunds at box no. 1557 Man 52." - Karl Son(s)

First up is a welcome return for Mr. Son(s). Still single I see?!? It's a bit of a beefed-up re-release this one, complete with snazzy new video. Check it out here. Oh, and yeah, the single is FREE and comes with two more tracks to download. So snap it up, and have a wee swatch at the video while you're at it.

Nal by Scrap Brain

"Post-ironic female fronted noise-pop trio with a fondness for volume and distortion, and insatiable pan-sexuality seek victims for two and a half minutes of dirty, sweaty, sexual ecstasy and an analogue synth loop." - Myke Hall (Scrap Brain)

If you share their fondness for distortion and volume and don't mind an analogue synth loop or two, then Edinburgh's Scrap Brain should be right up your street. Click on the covert art to get better acquainted.

Jekyll Island by Rollor

"Proto Industrial/no wave musicians seek to melt faces of bad-tempered, foul-mouthed and grossly overweight smokers/drinkers Must be toilet trained and have own teeth!!" - Matt Harris (Rollor)

Rollor are a wee bit of alright you know! This belter is out on the 10th September, so you'll just need to be patient. Until then though, there's three EPs over on their Bandcamp for FREE! Sweeeeet!

Desperate Dan (She Told Me She Was Single) by John Wean

"Spunky young male seeks single female for good times and maybe more. Should be perennially unattached with a violent hatred for muscly men and Fiat Puntos. Full health check results would be considered an asset. Negative results preffered." - John Wean

Now, first thing to note, is that that is not the official cover art for this single. It'll be updated in due course. Until then, feast your eyes on the John Wean lads' comic strip for their new single. You can have a proper look over here! The single is also out on the 10th, but you can have a wee preview courtesy of Mr. Gellatly here.

Seven Vices by Cancel The Astronauts

"Wrinkled, balding singer with slight paunch seeks careful owner for midnight walks in the rain, illicit fondling and awkward conversation. Time wasters need not apply. Must reply by Sunday. (no pets please)." - Matt Riley (Cancel The Astronauts)

Matthew Riley... ooft! If that's not got you hot under the collar, then wait 'til you hear the track. As usual, Cancel The Astronauts have struck musical gold. It's not out 'til the 12th, but you can pre-order the CD and get a download now! It comes with 2 brand, spanking new tracks too. They'll be launching the singe with gigs at The Captains Rest, Glasgow (9th) and Electric Circus, Edinburgh (11th).

A Modest Refusal/Tell The Girl by Chris Devotion & The Expectations

"Freakishly tall yet devilishly handsome hipster seeks listener for a short term passionate affair, with one eye on the possibility of a long term relationship fraught with anxiety, self loathing, class warfare and catchy tunes. Must like loud guitars. Will also accept a quick knee trembler." - Chris Devotion

Mr. Armellodie may be on sabbatical in The Orient, but his label is still churning out some great music. The latest offering comes courtesy of the modest Chris Devotion. By his own reckoning, a feast for the eyes, and by mine, a feast for the ears too. Now, where are you for that knee trembler...

K&A with The Last September

2011-08-29T20:50:00.001+01:00

I'm normally never one to pass up a gimmick, so as much as it pains me that I'm posting this before Thursday, I've sat on it long enough, plus I'm gonna try and squeeze in another interview this week Anyway, after a 5 year hiatus, Edinburgh's The Last September are back with their second album As The Crow Flies. I was only introduced to the band with their gorgeous recent single Precious Time and its the perfect taster for what is not only a very impressive comeback, but a downright, lovely album too.

Precious Time by The Last September

With the launch gig preparations taking shape (10^th September at the Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh since you ask), I asked that man above, Pete Deane, a few questions...

Kowalskiy: Who are The Last September?

Pete: We're a bunch of pals who have been in a few different bands over the years. We're sort of half way between a singer-songwriter situation and a conventional band. I tend to write all the material, but the songs take on their own life once the rest of the guys add their parts. Which I think is more interesting than simply a band hired to back a singer.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound' to all the good folk out there?

Pete: I think when we started out years ago there was a slight Americana feel to the band, which was nice at the time, but now we just want to sound like us I think. We're essentially an Indie band I suppose, but some of those other influences creep in from Americana or folk stuff. I think a slow drip of influences is much better than all members liking exactly the same stuff and ending up like a pastiche of one or two bands.

Kowalskiy: After a five year sabbatical, you're back with your second album in a few weeks. So er... why the wait? What have you been up to in the meantime?

Pete: We split up a few years ago because we simply got a bit fed up with it at the time. I had personally lost faith in my songwriting and felt like I was simply writing the same songs over and over. I want to be in a band which always excites me and where I feel like we're genuinely progressing musically or stylistically. That's why I took the time out and went to study music, which in turn has given me a new thirst and loads of new ideas about the creation of music and the inception of ideas, which in turn made me want to get back in a band again! We're the band that I wanted us to be six years ago but didn't know how.

Kowalskiy: So what can you tell us about As The Crow Flies? Is there a story behind it?

Pete: It may sound an unusual starting point for a record but it began with me having to write music as part of my degree. That was a weird situation to be judged all along the way, but I think made me explore different styles of writing and different techniques. I think a lot of the writing process was a real cathartic outlet of frustrations and darker thoughts which hadn't been let out for a while. It sounds very cliched, but As The Crow Flies represents a journey to me hence the title. That and the fact that I bloody love birds! It's another of my themes.

Kowalskiy: It's only a few weeks 'til the release gig in Edinburgh. Was it a conscious decision to release the album in 'September'?

Pete: Not at all. It's purely the way it had worked out. I'm quite chuffed with that however. I'm not superstitious but it feels nice. We've had the album ready to go for a wee while now, but would have been daft I think to do it during the festival. September just seemed like the next opportunity to do it.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe a typical Last September live show?

Pete: I hope we're a band who don't simply make a racket. There are powerful moments to the sets, but we're not believers in "louder, harder and faster is better" kind of thing. We use a bit of a mixture of sounds like acoustic guitars and piano and then some noisier stuff when needed. Jos has built a little activity centre for himself which he beavers away at during the gig, sometimes on his ebow and sometimes tapping on his glockenspiel! Other than that, we just play pretty songs without too much fanfare or banter. I'm not Freddie Mercury, so I don't try to be!

Kowalskiy: What would be your ideal gig?

Pete: Since I was a nipper I've always loved the Queens Hall in Edinburgh. It's such a great venue and holds a lot of memories of bands I've seen there. To fill that place would be incredible. As long as the gig went well I wouldn't be bothered about any other details!

Kowalskiy: What other Scottish bands are you listening to at the moment?

Pete: Hidden Orchestra's debut album Night Walks is fantastic and has been great seeing them have a successful year. Poppy from the band played some string parts on As The Crow Flies and they're a lovely talented bunch. Other than that, I still listen a lot to Hobotalk, who haven't released anything for a wee while. Their keys player Ali Petrie co-produced our album with me and played some keys on the record. Jeez, sounds like I'm one big name-dropper!

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from The Last September in the future?

Pete: I think we'll release another single sometime in the autumn or winter. That and just lots more gigs really. We're really enjoying playing live right now. Hopefully we can put together a Scottish tour soon.

Kowalskiy: Anything else you fancy adding??

Pete: I think I've rambled on enough!

So that's that then. The Last September release As The Crow Flies on the 12^th September, with the launch gig two days before that in the Wee Red Bar at Edinburgh's College of Art. Until then, I'll leave you with Ventolin, my favourite track from the album. Enjoy!

Ventolin by The Last September

...Ross Crawford!

2011-08-26T09:00:00.000+01:00

I've been receiving a lot of emails recently, and as per usual, I've only gotten around to reading and replying to a few of them so far. Someone whose email I read straight away was Ross Crawford. This may have had something to do with the wee snippet of text that appeared in the email preview:

"Hi there Kowalskiy, I love your blog and I thought I'd try my luck and drop y..."

Mr. Crawford clearly knows my weak spot. Blatant flattery! Still, it took me a while to have a listen to his EPs, despite Ross describing his latest offering, Majorie and Isabella, as a "loose concept EP on Robert the Bruce". What about that intriguing statement does not make you want to go and have a listen!?! It helps that once you do, his lo-fi, ambient music is pretty damn good. Anyway, you can start seeing why he's wormed his way onto the blog.

Time now to hear a bit more from the man himself...

Kowalskiy: Who is Ross Crawford?
Ross: I'm a 22 year old History student from the sleepy village of Dunlop in Ayrshire. I've been gigging in Glasgow and recording at home for the last few years. I like cups of tea, jumpers and 8-tracks.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?

Ross: I record my music in my bedroom (or kitchen) on a wee 8-track so I have quite a lo-fi sound, especially on my earlier recordings. If I was forced to categorise my music I'd probably go for 'Lo-fi Folk' but I'm very willing to experiment. I'm heavily influenced by my love for Scottish history and my songs often reflect that, especially on my new EP.

Kowalskiy: Plug Away!
Ross: My latest EP, 'Marjorie and Isabella' is available for free on Bandcamp. And I have two earlier EPs on the same site which are also available for no exchange of currency. I also have a Facebook page which will keep you updated on my various goings-on.

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from you in the future?
Ross: I will be gigging in Glasgow very soon and I'm looking to release a new single within the next month, so keep your eyes peeled!

Marjorie and Isabella is out on Ross' Bandcamp now along with his other two EPs, all on a name-your-price download. Get to it!

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #14

2011-08-16T09:00:00.002+01:00

How 'bling' does that look?!! Very 'Beyonce' if you ask me, which is strange given my complete indifference to R 'n' B, and lack of it on the EP, or any of my EPs for that matter. So the cover art may not match the great mix of tracks on the EP but I'm sure you'll enjoy it nevertheless as once again five of the country's best up-and-coming bands have been kind enough to contribute a track. You know the drill by now, but if not, click the cover art to get your free download. Here's the five cracking bands on KEP#14...

1. Black International - Dead Languages (An exclusive unreleased track from the brilliant Edinburgh three-piece.)

"This is one of the first songs Black International ever rehearsed. The lyrics had popped into my head fully formed one night when I was in that weird dream zone between being awake and asleep, and luckily I kept a notepad beside my bed in case of any nocturnal revelations. It's intentionally 'dumb' musically, and the words are a tongue in cheek vignette about a couple forging a relationship in the midst of cultural decline, or something like that. We recorded this demo in 2008, and it was dropped from the set not long after, never to return. I still quite like the economy of it, the whole thing's done and dusted in under 2 minutes, almost child-like in its simplicity. A little piece of bubblegum pop." - Stewart Allan (Black International)

2. Negotiations. - Tiger Heartbeat (Third time Mr. Healy has contributed, and it's another belter. This time with a cracking cover of mitchell museum.)

"I normally play in Loch Awe, but here's something completely different. I played everything on this. Thanks to Mitchell Museum for letting me cover their incredible song, and to Oliver Roditi for his invaluable help with mixing." - Matthew Healy (Negotiations.)

3. Aerials Up - I Am ('Tis my great pleasure to bring you this amazing live version of this unreleased track.)

"We didn't have a demo version of 'I Am' so we decided to get a live recording, pretty soon after it was written a few months ago. It was our first proper attempt at writing a love song. We'd tried before, but it always came across as a bit cheesy or cliched. But this time we got started with a few good lyrics, a couple of nice riffs and it all came together from there." - Aerials Up

4. Edinburgh School For The Deaf - Mantra (Yet another unreleased gem - a fragile demo from Edinburgh's finest noisters.)

"This was one of three we recorded off the cuff. We usually get a rough idea of a song then go about destroying it until we're happy. This one seemed a little too sentimental and fragile to put it to the guillotine as it may have killed it stone dead, so we left it as it is. And as it is it didn't seem to fit anywhere on the album. So there you have it." - Jamie (Edinburgh School For The Deaf)

5. The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse - Or My Bones (My love and admiration for this strange, strange man have no bounds! Another 90-seconds of perfect, acoustoblasting pop joy.)

"As a man of the hoof, I believe we all have cracks in our universes, some too small to see with the naked eye, some so big we can fit someone else's universe in it tenfold. A universe can present you with opportunity and cover you in awesome sauce or it can swallow you whole and leave you to clean up your own dribble while the shithawks peck at your eyes. This track is leaning towards the pecking of my eyes and that's why you may find me, or my bones, in the sea." - Ray (The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse)

Not too shabby if I don't say so myself! As always, it's FREE, so head on over to my bandcamp page now to get your download. Have a wee look at the other 13 while you're at it!

Next month there'll be more of the same, five great free tracks from Scotland's finest! If any bands out there fancy making my life that wee bit easier by volunteering a track for one of these EPs, then send me a wee email too and see if it tickles my fancy. Enjoy!

The Best of Radio Magnetic's T Break in the Park

2011-08-11T11:00:00.000+01:00

With the last of the mud being chipped off wellies up and down the country, 'Festival Season' is just about over for another year. So it's time to take a wee trip back and relive some of the Scottish highlights from the daddy of them all courtesy of the good folk over at Radio Magnetic. They had an access-all-areas pass at this years T Break stage at T in the Park and have an impressive collection of free tracks, playlists and videos to show for it.

The 16 bands chosen to play the T Break stage this year were...

Aerials Up, Boycotts, Cancel The Astronauts, Carnivores, Church of When The Shit Hits The Fan, Conquering Animal Sound, Crayons, Discopolis, Fatherson, Lady North, Marrik Layden Deft and Scattabrainz, Otherpeople, PAWS, Reverieme, The LaFontaines and United Fruit.

It's perhaps no surprise, but here are my favourites. You can have a wee listen and if they take your fancy, you can download then for free. The other 13 bands' tracks can be downloaded over here.

Aerials Up - So Far Away (Live at the T Break Stage, T in the park 2011) by RadioMagnetic

Fatherson - Hometown (Live at the T Break Stage, T in the park 2011) by RadioMagnetic

Cancel The Astronauts - Making Dynamite (Live at the T Break Stage, T in the park 2011) by RadioMagnetic

The full playlists for each band are also up on the Radio Magnetic Mixcloud page, with acoustic sessions on their YouTube site featuring PAWS, Reverieme and Boycotts. Consider yourself spoiled rotten!

Kowalskiy Singles Club #6

2011-08-09T10:15:00.001+01:00

You know the score by now, it's time for me to play matchmaker once again with all the 'singles' out there. Before we see how our singles got on last time round, lets have a look at the new batch of hopefuls. If any of them 'hit the right notes with you', then click on the cover art and get better acquainted. Happy downloading...

Moon Yodel by The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse

"Half-eaten, star-gazing horse seeks enlightened wonder for nocturnal tea parties. Must be fluent in hieroglyphics and paper mache with a keen interest in space travel. Access to a coin operated helicopter would be considered an asset." - RAMisco

Ladies... and gentlemen, if strange, eagle-headed men do it for you, then look no further than The Horse. He's back with two FREE tracks for you to wrap your lugs around. They're a bit more 'spacey' than his previous material, but mini belters nevertheless. Just click on the wee upside-down green man to the left!

LOVES005 from Gerry Loves Records
feat. Lady North/PAWS

"Slim, youthful male with split personality seeks nerdy older lady for sweaty dancing and fun. GSOH not required. Must love long walks on the beach and Japanese literature. Weird fetishes a plus." - Andy Lobban (Gerry Loves Records)

The saviours of the 7" are back with another two brilliant bands. So if you've any weird fetishes, perhaps you're into vinyl in a big way, then Andy's your man. The bands have done the artwork for the record which has 3 tracks, plus 3 more downloads available with your purchase. Check out GLR's back catalogue too for more vinyl treats!

Evans Throne/Love Will Always Come by The Cat That Walks Alone

"Absent minded, successful business man WLTM like minded person for coalition pact and treaties. Must be head of a major nation with good ties to oil. GSOH and conflict a must. Hobbies include travelling, talking and contradiction" - Cameron Laing (The Cat That Walks Alone)

A great couple of tracks here from Cameron Laing a.k.a. The Cat That Walks Alone. Surprisingly cheery and upbeat for such a tragic sounding name. Poor loney cat! Anyway, it's his debut single and it's out at the end of August through Align Romance, but you can pre-order it now on Bandcamp. Just click the lonely cat to the left and it can be yours!

Deathbed Conversion/The View From Ebury Bridge by Will Hanson

"Heartfelt singer/songwriter, prone to over exaggeration, will take over the world next year." - Will Hanson

In an ideal world that's just what would happen! Now, why had I not heard of Will Hanson before?!! Both tracks are stunning, as are all the rest on his Soundcloud. With an album in the offing, expect to hear a lot more of Will in the future. Until then, get your hands on this single!

You Look Like I Need A Drink by Prince Edward Island

"Bitter, unsuccessful aging losers wallowing in a never-ending stream of self-loathing and aching loneliness looking for needy leech-like hangers-on to abuse with dull stories, poor sex and Greatest Hits albums. Must have own van." - Prince Edward Island

Last but not least, it's the wonderful London-based Prince Edward Island. Imagine a cheery Arab Strap and you're on the right track. So if you're needy, into poor sex, and have a van, then you're in for an absolute treat!

...CUR$ES!

2011-08-08T09:00:00.002+01:00

There are exceptions to everything of course, but in all honesty, electronic music is not usually my thing. That being said, it's not as bad as hip-hop. Don't get me started on that! With this in mind, it's slightly worrying that I find the hip-hop influenced electronic release from CUR$ES right up my street. Here's a wee taster...

Without much further ado, I asked the man behind the music, and the rather fetching jumper, a few questions...

Kowalskiy: Who is CUR$ES?
Niall: My name is Niall Morris and I'm a 19 year old student from Glasgow. CUR$ES is the name I've given to the music I've been producing this year. Soon, CUR$ES will also be a live band consisting of myself and 3 others performing these songs from a live perspective.

Kowalskiy: How would you describe 'your sound'?
Niall: "My sound" can probably be categorised as "electronic music", but it's not really dance/club music. I'm a laptop musician with a background in live music. I listen to a lot of hip-hop and I think that has an influence on my productions.

Kowalskiy: Plug Away!
Niall: My album "Solar Temple" is out for free just now via Bandcamp, I keep everything updated from Facebook.

Kowalskiy: What can we expect from you in the future?
Niall: I'm starting to work on a new EP which I'll again give out for free, but my main focus is on the CUR$ES live band. I'm going to try out playing both club sets and gig slots but I'm not sure which will work out better. I also have a remix of the new LaFontaines single "Paperchase" coming out next week, they exist online here.

Solar Temple is out now for FREE. If you like your electronic music with a wee bit of a dark, moody, atmospheric twist, then you'll lap it up. Go get your copy, and keep your eyes out for gig updates from Niall.