Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #27

I know, I know... I'm late.  Anyhoo, feast your eyes above!  That was my view two weeks ago... isn't it pretty?  As usual though, the artwork has got absolutely nothing to do with the five artists on this month's free EP.   It's another great wee line-up featuring five firm favourites of mine.  Four lo-fi lovelies, and one 'new adventure' in hi-fi.  Here ya go! 

1.  King Post Kitsch - The Party's Over (demo) (A demo version of the title track of KPK's debut album... which isn't even on the album.  Confused?  Don't be.  Just enjoy this lo-fi gem!)

"This track was supposed the close my first album, then I recorded a track called 'Closing Time' which felt more appropriate. I kept the title for the album, but the song has no home. I'll still play it live though, starting with a gig in November, and maybe some new music. Details soon." - Charlie a.k.a. King Post Kitsch

2.  Bottle Of Steven - Just A Glance (A great new track from the bottled half of Bottle Of Evil.  Check out his own FREE EP here.)

"This is my attempt of a new live sound, cheers for the confusion that allowed this to fall out from my brain into binary form ;)" - Steven McGilvary a.k.a. Bottle Of Steven

3.  Be Like Pablo - Between The Lines (The closing track from their great, FREE, debut album The New Adventures.)

"Between the Lines is closing track from our debut album The New Adventures. We describe the song as doo-wop through a fuzz pedal with lyrics about essay writing. The New Adventures is available now as a FREE digital download via belikepablo.com" - Ross Watson (Be Like Pablo)

4.  Greyhound Out Of Mainline - I Can Only Disappoint U (A cracking, miserablist Mansun cover from a man with one of the best stage names going!)

"I Can Only Disappoint U is one of those songs which shouldn't ever have been so good. Mansun were a band falling apart at the time, with Paul about to discover a malignant tumour in his finger, and the resultant album (Little Kix) was mostly a complete mess. It's almost worth it for this track alone, though - the melody is sublime, and it's dripping with all sorts of beauty and sadness and self-loathing. I hope this (even more) miserablist cover does it some justice.  Oh, should have said - the little recording at the end of the Disappoint U cover is me drunk and staggering back up the stairs to my flat, whistling the genius that is 'Cinnamon' by Tripwires. As you do." - Ally Winford a.k.a. Greyhound Out Of Mainline

5.  tom - boy² (Self confessed "Scottish boy who writes music that nobody listens to".  That's gotta change!  This is the brilliant closer from tom's FREE Ohneiros album.)

"boy² follows the same theme of insomnia that is present throughout Ohneiros; the album from which it comes. It was written after the album was finished and after I had cut someone out of my life for good. It was the last song written and works thus as good closure/album closer. Ohneiros is free btw. Please take it musicbytom.bandcamp.com/album/ohneiros - thanks" - tom

So yeah, sorry again about the slight delay.  Hopefully you'll agree it's been well worth it!  Cheers to all of the above for contributing this month.   If you fancy your free copy, click the artwork above, or here for that matter.  Whichever floats your boat.  While you're there, there's another 26 for you to have a listen to and download for FREE.

I think I'm actually set for October's EP... just have to gently prod those bands who are on my list.  If they're all on board... WOW!  But, there's plenty more EPs, so if you fancy contributing a track to one of them, send me a wee email (kowalskiy2@gmail.com) and I'll see what we can do!  

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v18.0

Apologies for how quiet things have been on here of late.  I've been a busy bee, but I'll try and get my finger out so you're not forced to read two of these notcasts in succession again!  What with guest hosts and festival specials, it's been three weeks now since I had a proper trawl through SoundCloud and shared my favourite findings with you.  So here goes...

...starting with a beautiful, bearded man with whom I enjoyed a very, very sweet victory recently.  Something I plan on repeating this Tuesday.  Scottish Fiction... you've been well warned! 

   Michael Rocket by The Pictish Trail

Yup, none other than The Pictish Trail.  Around now, he's probably just about cleaned up the last of the mess left over from last weekend's Fence Records Away Game.  From what I hear, it was predictably spectacular.   Michael Rocket will feature on Johnny's upcoming 7" EP, The Summer Is Empty Of Idiots, which you can pre-order here as part of the Buff Tracks series.  Moving onto someone I've not featured on Kowalskiy in quite a while.  I noticed recently that the lovable Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse had uploaded a new, FREE track on his website.  As per usual, it's brilliant.  You can download Nowhere Know Where from his site and then head back here to have a listen to this 'orned beast from his debut album One Zero One Zero One Zero.

   My 'Orns by Ramisco Maki Maki

Strange, strange man... but we wouldn't have him any other way!  We'll continue this week's whistle-stop tour of SoundCloud with this gorgeous, new, acoustic offering from Penguins Kill Polar Bears with a little help from i build collapsible mountains.

   Scarce (Acoustic) by penguinskillpolarbears

A big surprise this one, but a very refreshing change of direction. Saying that, you still cannae beat a bit of this from February's Vessels & Veins EP which you can snap up over here.

   Lungs by Penguins Kill Polar Bears (courtesy of A Badge Of Friendship)

Now here's a lovely new one from Bottle Of Steven, him what is also in Bottle Of Evil, who "was playing around with good intent and this fell out".  True story!  It's free too, so be sure to grab a copy while you can. 

   Darkest Fools by Bottle of Steven

While I'm on topic, as I was getting those links above, I happened across this from Benbecula Records... yoink!  Right, time for one more track.  'Tis only a wee one.  You'll all know I love How To Swim.  Well, along with the wonderful trio of The Paraffins, The Plimptons and Gums! (and others of course), they've contributed to The Littlest Album 4.0, a collection of one-minute tracks available on vinyl from September.  You can pre-order it over here if this tickles your fancy.

   Condensed History of Rock (Berkeley's Folly) by How To Swim

And as I've not has Apology Corner for a while... supergroup Gums! have a free EP out which I keep forgetting to feature.  You can get your hands on it over here.  Tell them I sent you!

Bottle Of Evil - Inside Looking Out

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.