Coastal Skid Spy Wok v21.0

Thanks to holidays and work, we're long overdue a wee trip through the latest happenings on SoundCloud.  So here goes!  There's been an unusually high amount of great Scottish albums released in the last few weeks, so in this notcast, I'll pay homage to five of my favourites.  Let's kick things off with one I've mentioned a few times already... and my favourite of the bunch if I was forced to pick.  Here's one of the many standout tracks from Animal Love Match, the debut from the lovely Cancel The Astronauts.

   While I Was Sleeping by Cancel The Astronauts

The superb album can be bought over here.  While you're off buying that one, you're as well heading over here to buy the stunning debut, Under Mountains, released on the same day by Carrbridge songstress Rachel Sermanni.  

   The Fog by Rachel Sermanni

Now, if you're thinking "that's a pretty good day for Scottish albums", you'd be right.  But that's just the half of it!   The same day as those two hit the shelves, the latest from The State Broadcasters was released via Olive Grove Records.  Here's recent single Kittiwake for you to listen to.  If you're suitable impressed (and why wouldn't you be!), you can get your hands on the album Ghosts We Must Carry over here. 

   Kittiwake by The State Broadcasters

And... AND!! That wasn't all.  Scottish hip-hoppers Stanley Odd also released their latest album Reject on the very same day... September the 17th if you're interested.  You know me, I'm not really into all that Icy T and Scoopy Scoopy Dogg Dogg kinda thing, but this album surprised me... must be those dulcet Scottish tones that make all the difference! 

   Killergram by Stanley Odd

Reject can be snapped up over here.   If the last one left me pleasantly surprised, then this one was no surprise at all.  The mini50 label doesn't tend to release anything that doesn't float my boat.  And their latest release The Awkward Hello, Handshake, Kiss by Edinburgh three-piece Hiva Oa is no different.   Badger, streaming below, is a gorgeous, haunting wee number, something which can be said for their debut album as a whole.   It's available over here.  So, yeah... that's pretty much it.  Hope some, if not all, of these float your boats too!

   Badger by Hiva Oa

Battle Of The Bands: Round 5

And I'm back!  Batteries fully recharged and ready to extend my slender lead over Scottish Fiction in Battle Of The Bands.  If you cast your mind back a month, you'll remember I crept into the lead in the series with a whitewash victory thanks in no small part to fellow Glaswegians, and fellow physicists (maybe... who knows!?) We Are The Physics.  Paisley singer-songwriter Michael Cassidy was the unfortunate man on the end of that trouncing!

Thanks to holiday season, Neil from Scottish Fiction has had twice as long as usual to compose himself and plot his revenge.  He's gonna have to dig deep into his Scottish music reserves though to beat the latest recruits of Team Kowalskiy... Cancel The Astronauts.  With pretty much everything they've ever released, including their brilliant debut album Animal Love Match, on SoundCloud, it's no surprise I'm secretly hoping Neil plumps for SoundCloud Tracks as one of his chosen attributes.  Standing in Team Kowalskiy's way are Neil's choice, The State Broadcasters.  Quick, mental calculations... this could be close!

Before we do battle, as always, let's have a quick recap of the rules.  You can read them in full over here.  This round, it's Neil to choose which three attributes we'll be slugging it out with.  For each of the three, the person with the highest value gets one point, with both of us getting a half-point in the event of a draw.  Losers... well they don't deserve a single thing!  Neil's went for SoundCloud Tracks (yassssss!), Years Since Formation and Band Name Scrabble Score. 

Ding ding, Round 5...

...baws!  At least it wasn't a whitewash this time.  The result of Round 5, by the narrowest of margins, is a victory for... Team Scottish Fiction.   Having taken an early lead thanks to their superior SoundCloud Tracks, my Edinburgh chaps were pipped at the line by The State Broadcasters.  In the end it came down to TWO measly Scrabble Score points... though if you ask me, if they decide to omit the "The" from their official logo, then they have a bare-faced cheek to claim those 6 points...

...yeah, I'm a sore loser!

So once again, it's all square in the series.  Need to get my thinking cap on for who to rope in for Round 6!

I'll quickly gloss over my defeat and get on to plugging the two bands who ran each other close this round.  First up are my Edinburgh boys, Cancel The Astronauts. What with my prolonged holiday and a hectic return to work (excuses, excuses) I've not gotten around to saying how worth the wait their debut album is.  Not yet anyway!  It's out on Monday but you can pre-order Animal Love Match over here where you can also get your free download of Making Dynamite.  Here's my pick of the lovely bunch... Shapes.

Now on to tonight's victors.  The State Broadcasters also have a pretty impressive album, Ghosts We Must Carry, set for release on Monday.  Ahead of it's release via Olive Grove Records, you can also pre-order it here, and get your hands on their single Kittiwake from here... and below for that matter. 

So, it's neck-and-neck again in the series.  Neil's ass is mine in Round 6 though!

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v20.0

Howdy folks!  Enjoy this, because it'll be my last notcast for a month or so.  I'll try and get someone special to put together a guest one next weekend, but after that, I'll be off on holiday.  So there'll be even less replies to emails... none in fact!   And the same goes for my twitter procrastinating... you'll just have to go elsewhere for that for a while!

So first up this week won't come as a surprise given I've already been quite vocal on twitter and Facebook about it.  We first heard from Niall Morris a.k.a. CUR$ES almost exactly a year ago.  Recently he's been giving away the odd track or two on SoundCloud, all great.  This one though is outstanding!

   Urge [dwnld in description] by CUR$ES

As the link above says, the dwnld link is in the description.  This has been a great week for releases thanks in no small part to Forres' finest, Be Like Pablo, who released their debut album... for FREE!  The New Adventures will appeal to fans of American indie bands like Oh No! Oh My! and The Little Ones, and to those of us who long for a return of the days when Weezer were good.  You can get the album by signing up over here.  In terms of the tracks on there, this is my favourite.  A sweeter set of boy/girl vocals you'll be hard pushed to find.

   The Post-it Song by Be Like Pablo

I did say it was a good week for releases... well, I include in that the news I've been waiting for for aaaaagggeeeesss... the debut album from the one, the only, Cancel The Astronauts.   It's called Animal Love Match.  It's out on the 17^th of September.  It's got chickens on the front cover, and it is clucking brilliant!  It'll be reviewed, yes you heard me correctly, reviewed in due course.  You can pre-order it over here and get your hands on a free download of Making Dynamite.  You can stream the whole album here, but below there's a stream of one of the many, many standouts, Intervention.

   Intervention by Cancel The Astronauts

I'm straying south of the border a bit now to bring you this beauty from Newcastle's Tessera Skies.  I'll admit to knowing absolutely nothing about them.  But when the musical genius that is Ajimal favourites something, it's always worth checking out. 

   Soliloquy of an Astronaut by Tessera Skies

I think we'll just be having the five tracks this week.  Five's a good number.  Speaking of 'five', the latest in a certain series of free five track Scottish EPs will be out on Thursday... just saying!  Besides, it's bloody warm and the longer I sit here, the wetter the backs of my knees are getting.  Not good!  So we shall end this week's notcast with this, the debut single from Dunfermline's Middleton Hall.  It's FREE to download, and I think you'll agree it's rather lovely! 

   First Bus Out of Town by Middleton Hall

Kowalskiy Singles Club #13

Welcome to the 13^th meeting of the Kowalskiy Singles Club.  Once again, I've been beavering away trying to find the country's most recent singles to help make some matches.   Loads to choose from again so have a listen to what they've each had to say for themselves, let their dulcet tones fill your ears, then click on the artwork and get downloading!  Here we go...

Mickey 999 by Mickey 9s 

"Sport nut seeks funk raisin for a muesli-and-sex themed relationship. No 69 position. Preferred posish: the 999 (threesome doggystyle). Must enjoy threesomes. Call "Mickey-999" if interested." - Dougie O'Neil (Mickey 9s)

It's guys like you Mickey... Right so, this is the new single by the Glasgow-foursome-seeking-threesome Mickey 9s.  If you're up for being the 9 in their '9 sandwich' then get clicking on the cover art pronto!

Bring Me The Head by Aggi Doom

"Intergalactic siren from the dark planet seeks primitive love, hot voodoo and ritual sacrifice. An interest in vore is essential. Meet you at the third pyramid wearing a black carnation, come copulate while Earth fries." - Aggi Doom

A release from indie label Soft Power Records based in "the hinterland between Glasgow and Edinburgh" now.  Anyone mailing me with the phrase "ex-Remember Remember, The Royal We" is guaranteed a mention on here, especially when the track is this darn good!  It's out on the 21^st May on 7" vinyl.

I Live Where You Are by Lonely Tourist

"Are you bubbly, outgoing, successful and one of life's winners? If so then Lonely Tourist WnotLTM you. GTF!" - Paul Tierney (Lonely Tourist)

You can take the boy out of Glasgow... and relocate him to the South of England, but you most certainly can't take Glasgow outta the boy!  This is the latest from the ex-Odeon Beatclub singer and promises A LOT from the upcoming album.  Oh, and it's FREE, well... name your price!  Just click the artwork.

Happy New Year by Brazil Exists

"Lonely guy experiencing a tough time who enjoys listening to Teenage Fanclub and Idlewild while eating burritos. Seeking a companion who enjoys long walks on the beach, romantic dinners and public urination at midnight. Must have a GSOH (good sense of heartbreak) and be willing to listen to sad sad songs." - Craig Ferrie (Brazil Exists)

That's me... other than the pissing in public.  Anyway, Brazil Exists are fast-becoming an obsession of mine.  The Hermit EP, from which this track originates, is brilliant!  You can get your hands on the track by clicking the usual place, and if it floats your boat, the EP can be bought here.

Thoughts by Homework

"Free and Single WLTM downloader with valid email address for NSA purchase" - Oli Kass (Homework)

Now that is witty.  The band have clearly being doing their... Homework, when it comes to music-related-singles ads!  This is their follow-up single to last years All That Glitters EP (available here).  It's predictably great, and that cover art (which incidentally, you can click to download the track for free) is freaky as fuck.  Good freaky though.

Now for something a wee bit different. It seems we have a shy single in our ranks. So, I've taken it upon myself, with said shy singleton's permission of course, to write one for them in an attempt to send some love their way. They're really nice you see, and sound f**king hot! Besides, you know what they say about the shy ones...

Intervention by Cancel The Astronauts

"Five shy and lovably-odd musicians seek companionship, maybe more, in the nation's Capital. Must appreciate facial hair and love tight-fitting red sportswear. GSOH, CTA, KFC a must, in return for any two from the following: brilliantly crafted pop songs, facial hair, many an eyeful of tight-fitting red sportswear, life-size Cheryl Cole nee Tweedy cut-outs, a shop-soiled cuddly toy, Intervention singles (please be aware this requires payment in full beforehand)." - Kowalskiy (Official Cancel The Astronauts groupie)

I believe Cancel The Astronauts would have said something similar to be honest. OK, onto the single itself. It's the fourth release from the CTA lads and once again, they've outdone themselves. Great to see a band still doing the 'proper' single thing and releasing two new B-sides, in this case the equally-brilliant Echoes of Love and The Hardest Thing. I take my hat off to you CTA. Sorry I said you were odd. I did say lovably-so though.

CT&A with The Bad Books

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. ;)

CT&A with Neil from CTA

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.

The Cat With Its Head In The Clouds

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

"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...

... 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

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!

Kowalskiy Singles Club #7

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... 

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

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!

Cancel The Astronauts - Funny For A Girl EP

Yeah, OK, so I've already kinda reviewed this in Kowalskiy Belated Review #1, but when the opportunity to get a band's insight into their own music presents itself, I can't bring myself to say no. Especially when it's creepy pop sensations, and all round nice guys, Cancel The Astronauts. Having loved their debut I Am The President Of Your Fanclub (And Last Night I Followed You Home) EP, ("twenty of the most addictive indie pop you're likely to hear all year" to self-quote) I was understandably, eagerly awaiting the follow up, Funny For A Girl EP.

Like in my first K&A with this mob, I grilled frontman Matt Riley and guitarist Kieran McCaffrey about the EP. Here goes...

Kowalskiy: You've finally released Funny For A Girl, the follow-up to last years I Am The President... EP. As Baby Spice once said ... what took you so long?
Matt: We recorded most of it in a studio in a week before Fanclub was even released, but it turned out we were horribly ill-prepared so we re-did lots of guitars and synth and then remixed it. Inexplicably this process took a year and you can't even tell. Hilariously. We will be faster next time.
Kieran: The first EP took a bloody age as well though, and we had Serious Discussions about not letting the second one take so long – we thought going into a real studio to do it was the answer. It wasn’t. Now we’re having similar Serious Discussions about not letting our next release take so long. It’s possible we’re spending entirely too much time having Serious Discussions and not enough doing recording.

Kowalskiy: How does Funny For A Girl compare to I Am The President....?
Matt: It's the same? But better? A bit? Something like Standing Still is obviously quite different from all the super poppy stuff that came before it, but largely it's the same record. The two were written very closely together and could easily work together as an album.
Kieran: That said, we don’t recommend listening to them as an album, ‘cos the tracklisting wouldn’t work unless you monkeyed about with it, and they’ve been mastered differently, so it would be an ultimately unsatisfying experience. Also, I forgot to say in my last answer that another reason Funny For A Girl took so long was that we dropped a song entirely after we’d recorded most of it in the studio. It was called I Hate You All And I Wish You Were Dead, and Matty was keen for the EP to be called that too. Luckily(?) we dropped it in favour of ‘She Said…’

Kowalskiy: Is it true that the song Funny For A Girl was inspired by Rhona Cameron?
Matt: Ronnie Ancona actually.

Kowalskiy: On that note, French or Saunders?
Matt: Saunders mate. Easy.
Kieran: Or.

Kowalskiy: Was She Said She Loves Somebody Else written about anyone's personal experiences?
Matt: Yes, but I couldn't possibly say who. That would be insensitive and distasteful. However, if you buy my autobiography (available in all good supermarkets for £5.99) a ghostwriter will tell you exactly who it's about.
Kieran: £5.99 is a bargain. Jimmy Page’s is four hundred and fifty quid more expensive than that, and he’s just a guitarist. Who could be interested in that?

Kowalskiy: One of your great reviews for FFAG has commented that Standing Still shows the band are quite adept at turning their hand to post-rock. Can we expect more of this in future? Are you trying to shake your creepy pop image?
Matt: We have a song called Lekking that's even more post-rock than that one. Loud noises are definitely something I want to explore further, but only ever with the singular aim of making our pop even creepier.
Kieran: If you were transcribing the intro to Lekking, you’d just have to write ‘nuclear winter’ across the score. Post-rock is my favourite.

Kowalskiy: The EP once again features amazing artwork by Ulla Saar. How did the collaboration come about?
Matt: I honestly can't remember. It was years ago though when we first started that we met via the internets. Ulla is a mad fan of Edinburgh bands, she's done artwork for Butcher Boy and she visits the city occasionally so she probably found us. We sent her a copy of our demo CD and she sent us a framed drawing. She's done some of the album artwork already and it's great.
Kieran: Yeah, we were doing everything short of carpet bombing to get our demo out into the world, and we sort of said we’d send one, free, anywhere in the world if people sent us a message asking for one. We sent one to Ulla in Estonia and she sent back some really great artwork, just to say thanks. Ulla rocks.

Kowalskiy: Can we expect a Cheryl Tweedy cover to slip onto the next EP/album? Would love to hear Cancel the Astronauts take on Fight For This Love.
Matt: We have a song called Promises of Strangers which is my attempt at writing a Girls Aloud song. That's as close as you'll get to a Cheryl cover. I don't like covers. Waste of a song.
Kieran: I thought polite society had agreed that ‘Fight For This Love’ was an abomination anyway. Cheryl should just have gone home after she did ‘Biology’. There’s no topping that. Of course, if she did go home, there’s always the chance that Matty would already be there, waiting for her, smiling. Maybe that’s what keeps her working.

Kowalskiy: What can we expect in the future from thee best unsigned band in the land?
Matt: Do you mean Babygod? You must mean Babygod, you can't be talking about us surely? Very nice if you are though... From us you can expect an album next year, hopefully preceded by some sort of EP/Single download. No firm plans as yet mind.
Kieran: Also, a music video! We’re working with another great artist, it’s all animated, and it’s got puppets, and falling over, and it’ll be done next month. We’re dead excited.

Kowalskiy: Lastly, is there anything you shouldn't you tell me, but you will because you have/want to?
Matt: Go and buy the revelatory new autobiography by Cancel the Astronauts' Matt Riley. It's called Standing, Still The Matt Riley Story and you can find out my deepest darkest secrets.
Kieran: You’ve thought too hard about that.

So, for all your creepy pop needs, head over to Cancel The Astronauts' bandcamp page and get your pennies out!

Kowalskiy Belated Review #1

Let's face it, I'm a bit of a shoddy blogger. My blog posts are pretty sporadic with no proper routine whatsoever. But, when it comes to forgetting to pop up a review I've promised, or replying to an email a fortnight later, that's when I come into my own! So I've decided to do something about this scatterbrain image I've done so well to build up. I can't promise that my unique brand of musical neglect won't resurface, after all this blogging lark is on top of a regular 9-5. What I can do is eventually get around to putting some much deserved plugs in the Kowalskiy Belated Review.

Cancel The Astronauts - Funny For A Girl EP
The first band to feature are Kowalskiy favourites Cancel The Astronauts. In my defence, I've waited ages for this release after their outstanding debut I Am The President Of Your Fanclub..... so they can wait for this plug! Besides, those pesky Edinburgers recently admitted to ignoring us too. Such a rude bunch indeed, but by jings you gotta love them. Funny For A Girl has been well worth the wait. Each track backs up their credentials as thee most fun and exciting unsigned band in the country. The opening, title track is as perfect a pop song as you can get. From the ah-haha's and ee-hehe's to the sublime guitar riff, it is an absolute cracker. In frontman Matt Riley they might well have Scotland's answer to Jarvis Cocker... albeit with better eyesight and a much, much prettier voice. Shame about the tracksuits. There'll be no woo-ing Ms. Tweedy with those!

The Douglas Firs - Haunting Through EP
The next act to feature is Abbeyhill's Neil Insh a.k.a. the douglas firs, and this release couldn't be more different to the first if it tried. Saying that though, I really like this EP too. Opening track The Quickening might well take its name from the cult film The Highlander. Kicking off with the sound of crunching leaves, a distant marching drumbeat building up before giving in to stunning Celtic strings and Neil's gentle vocals. It's stunning! The applause and cheering halfway through a song has never been more thoroughly deserved. In many ways it reminds me a lot of Get Well Soon, although more stripped back, but no less beautiful. The other three tracks on this EP are every bit as rewarding to listen to. It's been the perfect accompaniment to a fortnight's break from blogging!

Loch Awe - Artificial Life From A Digital Sea
Last but not least are the lovely Edinburgh folktet Loch Awe with their 7-song FREE debut. It's no secret I love this kind of music. Standout tracks Resign and Lullaby From A Digital Sea are quite staggering, multi-layered folk gems that won't fail to bring a smile to you face. Apparently, the watery Loch Awe is affectionately known as the 'Jewel of Argyll'. Might not be long before this folky Loch Awe are bestowed a similar honour. Best get used to the name, we'll be hearing a lot more from them I'm sure!

If you fancy having a listen and downloading any of the releases, just click the cover art!

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #1

Mark your calendars folks! The 16^th of each month shall forever be known as Kowalskiy's Free 5-track Scottish EP Day. Catchy, eh? From now on, I'll endeavour to bring you a free EP featuring 5 cracking exclusive/rare tracks from some of Scotland's best up-and-coming bands. For the first in what will hopefully be a series of many, I asked 5 of my favourite artists at the moment to contribute. For some reason I'm still trying to suss out, they all said a very enthusiastic yes!

These kind, brave souls, and their tracks appearing on EP #1, are:

1. Curators - "Turn The Lights Down" (from their eagerly-anticipated, as-of-yet untitled, debut album)

"As far as Lights goes, it is relatively straight forward. I suppose you could say that it's about domestic disharmony being overcome by hearing a good song on the radio, but that sounds a bit wanky. Let's call it a love song to the art of the single." - Jon Dick (Curators)

2. Punch & The Apostles - "Wintertime Blues" (from their upcoming "Meat In Summerland" album)

"The song was written during the winter of 08/09 whilst three of the band were living in a small cottage in Ayrshire. We had no heating or hot water because we couldn't afford to buy oil, so would huddle round the fireplace as late as possible. Because of the lack of heating we started developing damp problems, with mould appearing on shoes, jackets and bedding. It was great in some ways to have that seclusion, but the conditions made it pretty unbearable at times. We lasted the winter out and then moved back to the city in April. That's the song." - Rory Haye (Punch & the Apostles)

3. Arran Arctic - "Ask For It" (opening track from his debut album)

"This track appeared on the first Arran Arctic record (By The Sea) way back in 2005. 'Ask For It' was one of my earliest songs, which I'd originally written because a friend of mine at school was quite a prolific songwriter, and I felt guilty because I thought I was somehow stealing his thunder. You can find videos of this track being performed live at www.arranarctic.com/videos. I may re-record it in order to perform it live alongside some of the new tracks from the forthcoming album 'In My Hands'." - Arran Southall (Arran Arctic)

4. The Martial Arts - "Empty Out Here (demo)" (which was only recorded and mastered this week.)

"This is the demo for new song 'Empty Out Here' as recorded in my kitchen by myself, though I got Gregor Barclay in to add some handclaps and Nicola West, also of How To Swim, in to play some 'Good Vibrations' cello on the outro - let's face it, you can't do that with Reason. Joe Kane kindly mastered it and I used Jeremy Mills' bass guitar after he left it at mine. The song itself has some Spector-like ambitions with the tiniest hint of Squeeze's 'Maidstone' thrown in for any Record Collector readers to spot." - Paul Kelly (The Martial Arts)

5. Cancel The Astronauts - "Could You Love Me? (live)" (rare live version of a previously unreleased track)

"The inspiration behind Could You Love Me? is, like every CTA song (sadly), an unrequited love song. Awkward boy meets gorgeous girl, chases her around the schoolyard, and years later hides her body in his fridgefreezer. We've all been there. Recorded live at Studio Kay in summer 2009, it will probably be a B-side one day. It has a delightful guitar riff, even if Kieran does say so himself." - Matt Riley (Cancel The Astronauts)

Thanks to each and every one of them for giving up their time, and song, to get this idea off the ground. I can't thank them enough!

Anyway, for those who like the sound of it, the EP is now up for free download on my shiny new bandcamp site. Hope you enjoy it!

As a warning to all you bands out there, I have a shortlist for EP #2 and I'll be in touch soon! Although if you have a mouthwatering exclusive or rare track and fancy appearing on a future EP, feel free to send me a wee email.

K&A with Cancel The Astronauts

It's fair to say that last year was an amazing year for EPs with Meursault, Jesus H. Foxx, Broken Records and Withered Hand (to name a few of my favourites) all releasing mini musical masterpieces. You'd have been hard pushed though to find a more enjoyable EP than Cancel The Astronauts' "I Am The President Of Your Fanclub And Last Night I Followed You Home". Twenty minutes of the most addictive indie pop you're likely to have heard all year.

And the guys have only gone and put the EP up for FREE download on their bandcamp page! To mark this very generous offer, Matt and Kieran agreed to answer a few Kowestions. You'll like this....

Kowalskiy: So how did the band come about?
Kieran: Matty, Michael and I all went to big school together, back in the day, back in Kilmarnock, and then we shared a flat for a while, back in the other day, here in Edinburgh. Matty had been writing songs and letting me play guitar over the top of them for pretty much all that time, plus Michael owned some synths, so starting a band seemed like the obvious thing to do.
We recruited the Chris through putting adverts on the Gumtree. I forget where we got Neil. I think maybe we sent off for him. Matty?
Matt: Thanks Kieran. If I’m imagining this correctly, then we got Neil free after collecting twelve breakfast cereal tokens. He came in the post, and he was very thirsty.

Kowalskiy: What's the story behind the name "Cancel The Astronauts"?
Kieran: The best story we've come up with for the name is that Matty is deeply religious and doesn't believe we should be up all in God's business like that, but the truth is probably way too mundane to relate. I suppose it was excitingly last minute though -- there we were, demo CD in one hand, marker pen in the other, going 'Well we have to be called something!' And the best we could come up with was Cancel The Bleeding Astronauts, which, you know, why would you want to? Astronauts are great. I think the pressure got to us. We later removed the 'Bleeding'.
For months after we planned on writing an intro song consisting of a big spacey, portentous countdown thing, aborted at the last second and giving way to 'Ladies and Gentlemen: Cancel The Astronauts!' and us, shuffling onto the stage, trying not to giggle. It would have been aces.
Matt: This story contains so many facts it is almost unbelievable.

Kowalskiy: For anyone who doesn't know you already, how would you describe your music?
Kieran: Slightly sinister synthy-indie guitar-pop. It's an all new happening genre.
Matt: I would agree with that. We are getting ever more sinister and scary, which I rather like. Boo!

Kowalskiy: Aaargh! So who or what are your musical influences?
Kieran: I'm going to let Matty bang on about The Smiths here for a bit...
Matt: The Smiths! The Smiths are unquestionably the best band ever, and that can’t be questioned. Morrissey is a bit of an arse these days of course, and I certainly wouldn’t ever want to meet him or be his friend, but his contribution to skinnywhiteboyindieguitarpop cannot be overestimated. He’s the best lyricist ever. Johnny Marr is the best guitarist ever. He seems like a nice chap and Id love to meet him and possibly become his friend and the imagination and sheer overpowering melody of Marr’s guitar lines really cannot be overestimated and his influence over floppyhairedpastyrockguitargods has been unrivalled over the past thirty years and I wet myself a little every time I listen to the end of Well I Wonder and ooh The Smiths The Smiths TheSmithMozfatherSmithsMozzerandMarrandoohhh...
... They are better than Radiohead.
Kieran: That is definitely true.

Kowalskiy: What bands (other than yourselves) would you like to see do well this year?
Kieran: Our indie-pop compatriots Kid Canaveral and Come On Gang! have both got albums out this year, and they're both brilliant, brilliant bands and lovely, so I'd like to see them do well. Also this year will be a big year for French Wives, or I'm a big wrong idiot.
Matt: Babygod. They have a song called "Throw It on the Fire" which, in all seriousness, is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. We've had the enormous privilege of playing with them twice now, and they really are a phenomenal live band. I encourage everyone to go buy their stuff. They don’t play very often but if you do ever get the chance to see them then don’t miss out. Lovely, thoughtful, intelligent people as well.

Kowalskiy: What are your desert island discs?
Kieran: My computer - which knows such intimate things - says my most listened to album is Four Tet's Rounds, so I'd have to take that. Also Elbow's Asleep In The Back. Probably OK Computer, though I imagine most desert islands are lousy with Radiohead records so many people choose them. You'd be tripping over them. The Midnight Organ Fight. Um. Fifa 10.
Matt: Different Class by Pulp. Dizzy Heights by The Lightning Seeds. Definitely Maybe by Oasis. A compilation of Randy Newman's best songs and, ooh, Strangeways Here We Come by, er, The Smiths is it? I am very cool.

Kowalskiy: What can we expect to hear from you in the future?
Kieran: We've just finished mixing our second EP, which I can exclusively (exclusively!) reveal will be called Funny For A Girl and out at a time that we don't know yet. Soon though.
Matt: That is all true, but not so exclusive.

Kowalskiy: What would your dream gig be?
Matt: I’d like to play with Roxy Music. And Talking Heads. And Frightened Rabbit. And Babygod.
Kieran: NASA launchpad. Early evening. Right before launch.
Matt: There is also a band called The Smiths who I’d quite like to play with.
Chris: Whitesnake.
Kieran: Shut up Chris.

Can't wait for the new EP! In the meantime that link again for their free EP is ----> HERE! and if you fancy keeping up to date with all the goings on then heep tabs on their blog too. Oh and there be rather a lot of demos up on their last.fm page too for your downloading pleasure. Enjoy!