Coastal Skid Spy Wok v23.0

The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted that these at-one-time-weekly round-ups of what's been taking my SoundCloud fancy have been getting increasing less frequent.  To be honest, with the exception of my free monthly EPs and my bi-weekly duel with a certain Mr. Fiction (Round 8 on Tuesday by the way!), there's not much time these days to blog.  So you're gonna have to make do with a threadbare Kowalskiy for the time being. 

With all that in mind, I've been neglecting more bands than usual recently.  It's not intentional folks... honest.  So what better way to say a big "SORRY" than to give a bunch of them a well-deserved plug!  First up, is a man you may know better as Gav Prentice from Over The Wall... it's Gav Prentice.  His debut solo album The Invisible Hand came out on the 15^th.  You can snap it up over here, but first... my favourite track from it.

   How Are You Sleeping? by Gav Prentice

How's about that then??  Next up, and staying in Glasgow, here's Two Wings with the title track from their debut album.  They've recently made a video for it too, which you can watch over here.  Prepare to be taken on a slightly weird, but wonderful musical journey!

   Love's Spring by Two Wings

Two down, three more to go!  I've been aware of this band for some time, but never actually gotten around to having a listen.  In my defence, there's sadly just not enough hours in a part-time blogger's day to listen to everything that's sent.  Anyhoo, I've been hearing some very good things about Vukovi's upcoming Sweet Swears EP (listen/buy it here) so I had a listen.  Ooft... she can sing!  All SoundCloud have of it, is an acoustic version of the opening track... so here it is!

   He Loves Me Not (Acoustic Alternative) by Vukovi

The penultimate, neglected band is none other than ol' favourites Trapped Mice.  It pains me I'm not able to give their debut album Winter Sun the attention it deserves.  So far, it's on a 5 album shortlist for the coveted 'Kowalskiy Album Of The Year' award.  It's that good!  So much so, look... I bolded the 'that'.  It's actually not officially out until the 5^th of November, but you can pre-order it here.  Let this whet your appetite!

   Arthur's Seat by Trapped Mice

Last of all, it's a first-time appearance for Vasa on Kowalskiy.  Chances are it won't be the last going by their debut Never Have Dreams EP.  It's out soon, but the lovely folk over at Overlook Records are giving away the lead track Cynthia for FREE.  Here it is.  Enjoy!

   Cynthia by Vasa (courtesy of Overlook Records)

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v22.0

NOTCAST TIME!!  For those not in the know, I don't do podcasts.  I have as much interest in hunching over a microphone for an hour than you do listening to my monotone for that length of time.  So this is my non-vocal, SoundCloud alternative... hence, notcast.  It makes sense in my head!  Anyhoo, on to this week's selections which we'll kick off with this masterpiece from one of my most-anticipated albums of the year.

   Mona Lisa by Trapped Mice (courtesy of Armellodie Records)

That is of course the brilliant Trapped Mice.  Their debut album, Winter Sun, isn't out until the 5^th of November via Armellodie Records, but you can pre-order it over here.   Speaking of Armellodie... remember they did this for little ol' me??   As well as a wee, free taster from Trapped Mice, there's also one from Cuddly Shark, who as-luck-would-have-it also have a release coming out.  Have a listen to the lead track from their Body Mass Index EP.

   Body Mass Index by Cuddly Shark (courtesy of Armellodie Records)

This one's a wee belter too, and you don't have to wait too long to get your hands on it.  It's out on the 8^th of October but again, you can pre-order it here.  Both those Armellodie tracks are free so knock yourself out.  Right, let's move on to another of Scotland's great, indie labels now... Song, By Toad Records - home of the mighty Meursault.  Their third full-length offering Something For The Weakened is one of the year's finest, and Dull Spark is one of the many highlights.

   Dull Spark by Meursault (courtesy of Song, by Toad Records)

Dull Spark is the second single from the album and can be bought on vinyl here.  If you haven't already done so though, get your hands on the album itself direct from Mr. Toad.  Now it's time for a blast from the past... who remembers Esmé?  I'll be honest... I don't.  But given this track was re-recorded by founder member and Kowalskiy-favourite Wiredrawn, and they contained members of Won Mississippi, it was always going to pique my interest. 

   You Wanted An Indestructible Body? Well, We've Built One For You by Wiredrawn

That one's free too.  Wiredrawn is a lovely man!  We'll have two more then I'm done.  The penultimate track is the latest, and first in a while, from Arran Arctic.  It's the first single to be taken from Arran's new album Like Lovers which will be released later this year.  'Tis a very welcome return!

   Covers by Arran Arctic

And it's also FREE!  Last up, and now sporting a 'V' instead of the more-conventional 'U', this is the fantastic second track from the Scottish-music phenomenon that is CHVRCHES.  

   The Mother We Share by CHVRCHES

The Mother We Share can be bought on 10" vinyl over here.  Even if you don't have a record player, this how much it'll fetch on eBay in 5 years time! 

So that's me done for another week.  Before I go, I'd just like to remind you to remember, remember, the 5^th of November when the brilliant Trapped Mice debut hits the shelves. 

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

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

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v19.0

Time for another trawl through the recent goings-ons in the wonderful musical world of SoundCloud, which this weekend is brought to you by the letters F and S, and by the number 10.  So, first up, seeing as last week we heard from one half of Bottle Of Evil, the bottle half, it's only fair we hear from the evil side of the duo.  Here's Evil Hand with the "first track finished for the next as yet untitled album due September(ish)".  It's called Ten Years.  Can't wait for the album!

   Ten Years by Evil Hand (courtesy of E. H. Studios)

Be sure to check out some of Derek's fine back catalogue over here!  Saint Max is up next.  I've made no secret of my love for his recent EP Saint Max And The Fanatics (get it here).  He's without doubt one of the shining lights of new Scottish music in 2012.  Well, before he sheds his '...and the Fanatics' skin, he'll be playing a free gig in Bar Bloc on the 11^th August.  All the details are here.   And here's a brand new track from the man himself. 

   We're All Part Of The Family by Saint Max

Let's just get all the esses over and done with shall we?! A wee while back, SOS (the artists formerly known as Strawberry Ocean Sea) released Carry On Suzie.  Well now there's a brand new video to go with it.  You know me... I'm not one for videos, but you can watch it over here.  This is more my thing...

   Carry on Suzie by S O S

Which leaves us with the three F's.  The first of which is a newbie around these parts... Forest Fires from Edinburgh.  They've just released Avalanche for FREE on SoundCloud.  It's a belter... as are their other tracks from their Recovery release.  So get downloading!

   Avalanche by Forest Fires

Two more to go now, and it's another first-timer on Kowalskiy.  Friends In America have long been championed by The Pop Cop, so, spurred on by their great 'Tesco interview', I finally got around to having a proper listen.  Just... wow!

   Gaffe by Friends in America

Last up. the third single in as many months from one of my favourite new bands, Father Sculptor, has just surfaced.   Aristide follows on nicely from Rhein and Frances.  In fact, they just get better and better.  They're all available on their Bandcamp.  So, here it is.  Hope you enjoy it.  I'm off to watch Andy now...

   Aristide by Father Sculptor

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!

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v17.0

Time for the latest notcast now.  I'll level with you... I've not really paid much attention to the recent goings-on on SoundCloud this week.  So, instead of the usual, this weekend the notcast will have more of a Thistly twist.  This time next Saturday, down in Dunbar, Thistly Fest 2012 will be well under way with one of the finest line-ups there is going.  So here's my pick of the acts...

First up, the organisers also made good use of SoundCloud and ran a competition to pick the final two acts for the festivities.  In the end, the lovely Yaya Club and Cafe Disco (who are just as lovely) triumphed.  Both great choices if you ask me.  So here's Darren Vincent, a.k.a. Yaya Club to kick us off.

   Cold Night, Be Kind by Yaya Club

Darren's also put up this video to accompany the track.  Next up, is Glasgow's Cafe Disco with their brilliant Terra Nova.  If my snooping has served me right, they'll be playing the acoustic stage.  If you're planning on heading to the festival... best check for yourselves though.

   Terra Nova by Cafe Disco

As well as these two, there's a whole host of amazing Scottish bands on show.  None more amazing than the band of the hour, Meursault.  Their new album Something For The Weakened is their best yet.  Gone may be 'computer guy' and with him, their unique glitchy, electro (just don't call them electro-folk) side, but that's not stopped Mr. Pennycook from producing one of Scotland's finest albums in years!  Here's lead single Flittin' to prove my point.

   Flittin' by Meursault (courtesy of Song, by Toad)

Be sure to get a hold of the single and/or album over at Song, by Toad Records on CD or vinyl.  As well as Meursault, Edinburgh bands FOUND, Capitals and Woodenbox will also be gracing Belhaven Farm with their presence.  All of whom are firm favourites at Kowalskiy HQ, but I guess I don't seem to feature FOUND as much as the others... so here's one from them... Anti-Climb Paint from their album Factorycraft.

   Anti-Climb Paint by FOUND

...which you can buy here.  You should also head over here to find out more about #UNRAVEL... possibly one of the most intriguing gigs of the year!  Should probably mention though that Woodenbox have a superb new EP out called The Vanishing Act, and Capitals have new single All These Years out too. 

Last track now from the fantastic Kitty The Lion.  You can get hold of their recent single Duck! over on iTunes, and while you're there I'd recommend you get hold of the others too.  You'll be happier for it!

   Lion in the Bed by Kitty The Lion

So that's just a taste of what to expect if you're off to Thistly Fest.  All the info is over here including the full line-up.   Good food, good cider, and great music... what more could you ask for?!   You can still get tickets over here if it tickles your fancy!

Coastal Skid Spy Wok... with Jo & Scott

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed my lack of notcast last Sunday. The reasons for that were two-fold. First up, I was busy watching Andy Murray becoming Roger Federer's bitch... again, and secondly, I forgot to 'Reply-All' when sending some questions to the mysterious Jo & Scott mentioned in the blog title. That's Jo Schornikow of The Shivers fame and Brooklyn NYC's finest lo-fi artist Scott Rudd. They're both over here playing a few festivals, including next weekend's Away Game up on the Isle of Eigg. While they're here, they've been recruited by Peenko to play his latest gig alongside the mighty Mitchell Museum.   So, I thought I'd get them to tell you all about it, let you hear a few of their tracks, and hear what's tickling their fancy recently.  First up, here's one of Jo's brilliant solo efforts which you can download for free!

   Bird's Nest by Jo Schornikow (courtesy of Blank Tape Music)

I can't mention Jo and not talk about how great The Shivers' album More.  Anything Fence Records bring out is always gonna be pretty special, and this is no different.  You can get your copy from those Fifers over here.  Right, back to the topic at hand.  Before we hear from Jo and Scott, here's some Bullshit Love from the man himself.  'Tis also free!

   Bullshit Love by Scott Rudd

A few not-so-probing questions now.  Here goes...

Kowalskiy: First up, how'd the idea to do this gig come about?

Scott: It was really Jo's idea. I believe it stemmed from an offer The Shivers got to play the Away Game for Fence Records. Keith couldn't make it due to other commitments and Jo had a bunch of great solo stuff that was ready to be released to the world - we built the tour around that.

Jo: We basically booked the tour around the Fence Away Game Festival, the Imploding Inevitable Festival (which was amazing) and the Cloudspotting Festival. We have been very lucky to be helped by some amazing people and promoters along the way to get the rest of the gigs.

Kowalskiy: What are you most looking forward to about the gig, and your trip to Scotland in general?

Jo:  Oatcakes & King Creosote. In that order.

Scott: Have heard wonderful things about Scotland and the people. Looking forward to making new friends! (talk to me Scottish ladies! No really - I'm lonely ... And sad... Pathetic really. Haha!)

Kowalskiy: What can folk here expect from your live show?

Scott: My music is pretty sad and very personal. Hopefully people can relate to the songs and what I'm singing about though. But depending on my mood I'll either be really quiet or really loud between songs. Well have to see.

Jo:  Just to be wowed, generally. It's like an Olympics opening ceremony. But better. Bigger budget. Larger tech crew. More pyrotechnics trickery. It's a laser light spectacular.

Kowalskiy: That's promising a lot!  Last one... what gives you the shivers?

Scott: Depends how u define shivers! I'll let Jo answer that one.

Jo:  UK SUMMER.

Says it all!  Before I go on, I would just like to state for the record, that I would never, ever, put King Creosote before an oatcake.  NEVER!  Right, onto their song choices now.  Scott first this time.  He went for this one, simply saying "check out the album - it's unbelievable".  He might be on to something there!

   Funeral Song by Siskiyou (courtesy of Constellation Records)

As for Jo she went for these "words harmonies and weirdness. I love listening to my friends sing".  Here's Don't Be Cruel by Los Angeles' RACES from their Year Of The Witch LP.

   Don't Be Cruel by RACES

So that's that.  If you're away to Eigg for Away Game... I hate you!  If not, or even if you are, they you can see Jo and Scott at The Captain's in Glasgow on Wednesday supporting mitchell museum.  Speaking of which, here's Scott's pick from their SoundCloud.  "Great stuff!  Sound a lot like Animal Collective. Gonna listen to more!!!"  His words, not mine.  Though I do of course agree.  Enjoy!

   Morning! (The Old Bear Remix) by mitchell museum

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v15.0

No shite intro this week.  Instead, let's get straight into the first track from Dolfinz.  It's a free taster from Song, by Toad's recent split 12" with PAWS, Sex Hands and Waiters.  You can read more about it over here, and get your hands on it here.

   Kitsch Craft (Radge Version) by Dolfinz (courtesy of Song, by Toad)

 
What was that about guitar music being dead?!   If that's not enough, the wonderful Mr. Toad is also gearing up for the release on Meursault's third album Something For The Weakened.  First up though, is the 7" release of lead single Flittin' which can be bought here.  Probably their finest moment to date I hope you'll agree... until you hear the album that is.

   Flittin' by Meursault (courtesy of Song, by Toad)

The album will follow on the 16^th of July but you can pre-order it from Song, by Toad Records on CD or vinyl, or you can treat yourself to a limited edition boxset if you're feeling flash.  Right, that's enough music of an amphibious nature.  Here's a track from the brilliant Saint Max's EP.

   Die Annie Die by Saint Max (courtesy of Braw Power)

An EP which is frighteningly good!  Next up, here's something new from Kill The Waves that went up on SoundCloud a week or so ago.  They'll be releasing new single Oak Tree in July via Glasgow's Strange Fish Records.  Here's the B-side Friend.  I love this track!  Can't wait for the album!

   Friend (new single B-side) by Kill The Waves (courtesy of Strange Fish Records)

Call me lazy, but I think we'll just have 5 tracks this week.   What better way to round things up than with this beauty from Rachel Sermanni, someone I don't feature half as much as I should around here.   Her Black Currents EP (available here) is one of the must-buys of the year, and according to the email I got yesterday, her album Under Mountains, will be with us in October.   Enjoy!

   Breathe Easy by Rachel Sermanni

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v14.0

And I'm back! First of all, thanks to Boab from Campfires In Winter for taking over notcast duties last weekend. I hope you've all downloaded their new album demos over here. Geez they're a beardy bunch aren't they?!   Just four ill-fitting suits and broad-brimmed felt hats away from being sued by the Amish Andy Warhol Society for copyright infringement.  There goes my Ohio readers... oh wait... no computers.  Anyway, when it comes, the Campfires In Winter album is gonna be amazing.

Right, on to this weekend's tracks.  First up, a blatant plug for the latest free Kowalskiy EP which came out last Saturday.  Six great tracks from six brilliant bands, including the übertalented M A D I S O N who even went to the trouble of recording an alternative version of their single Armbands especially for it.  You can get said EP#24 here for FREE.  And here's the original version of Armbands to kick us off.

   Armbands by M A D I S O N

That is fairly amazing!  As is this.  It only dawned on me on Friday that I hadn't listened to, let alone bought, the French Wives album yet.  Suppose it has only been 2 months since it came out...

   Younger by French Wives

I've since at least had a listen and it's even better than I thought it would be.  And I did think it would be one of the best of the year.  So I guess, logically, that must mean that it is.  If you liked the sound of Younger, then you can hear the rest over here where you can also buy the album Dream Of The Inbetween.  Less of this inane babble now.  Let's move onto one of the best song names on SoundCloud courtesy of Edinburgh's DanDanDan, great song too.

   The Sexual Freedom of Cats by DanDanDan

Kowalskiy Fact #65:  The third most read interview on Kowalskiy is the one what I done with Futuristic Retro Champions.  Well, they're no more.  Carla and Sita though have swapped roles and formed Teen Canteen.  'Tis early days, but they're sounding every bit as good as FRC! You can read all about them over here on Everything Flows.

   How We Met (Cherry Pie) by Teen Canteen

It's about now that I receive an email from Stars with their latest single.  I love Stars.  I'm hoping this new single is a grower.  It's no Take Me To The Riot is all I'll say.  This is though, on account of it actually being Take Me To The Riot.

   Take Me To The Riot (Bedroom Demo) by Stars

Last up, time to "get in the Buff"... The Pictish Trail's words, not mine.  Read all about the upcoming trio of Fence Records 7" EPs over here, first of which is by Mr. Trail himself.  Given that Fence don't seem to release anything short of brilliant, you'll be in for a treat.  Besides, if you subscribe, you get to pocket this great Meursault remix.  That's all for this week.

   Of Course You Exist (Meursault remix) by The Pictish Trail

Dancercise Paint Frost Wimps

There are surprisingly few 'wimps' images on Google!

Hello there, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Boab, and I sing and play guitar in band called Campfires In Winter. Mr Kowalskiy has very kindly invited me into his domain as a guest host for his wonderful weekly notcast (a podcast without all the talking bits) to give you a little insight into what I've been enjoying over the last few weeks and months. So sit back and enjoy...

Pronto Mama – Love You
I reviewed their new EP for Peenko earlier this week, and said that this track was the best I've heard all year. I need say no more about it, it's just perfect.

Cherri Fosphate – Passion
We met the guys from Cherri Fosphate at goNORTH in Inverness the other week. I hadn't listened to them at all before but decided to go and see them at their showcase. They blew me away with their Jetpacks-esque guitar pop.

Passion by Cherri Fosphate

The Winter Tradition – San Diego
Another band I caught at GoNORTH this year. A strange one this because I'm not normally into this kinda stuff at all but this is a great tune.

San Diego by The Winter Tradition

So Many Animal Calls – Traps
Good friends of ours, but if I didn't like them I'd tell them they were shite. They're not and, as a result, played the main stage at Rock Ness last week. Then they killed it all over Scotland and in the Catty in Glasgow through the week there. This is their excellent latest single.

Traps by So Many Animal Calls

Profisee – Magikal (We Were Promised Jetpacks remix)
There's some pretty decent Scottish hip-hop around at the moment and Profisee is among my favourites. Magikal was already a cracking track but this remix has brought it into its own. Have a listen for yourself.

Magikal (WWPJ Remix) by Profisee

Ghost Lake – Late Spring Morning
The list so far has been pretty Glasgow-centric (with a wee dash of Edinburgh thrown in). That's only because I chose the songs by making a longlist of tracks from all over Scotland and eenie-meenie-ing it all down to the final five above. However, this track is one I had picked out at the start as a definite for inclusion, and is our only offering here from outside of Scotland. It comes from a Swede named Henric Wallmark (aka Ghost Lake). I've chosen this not only because he's a Swede with an absolutely fantastic first name which brings back many childhood memories, but because it's a very beautiful and delicate piece of music, and is a lovely way to end our wee podcast-without-all-the-talking-bits. Thanks very much for listening, and many thanks to Mr Kowalskiy for asking me to pick a few tracks for him this week. Boab. xx

Late Spring Morning by Ghost Lake (courtesy of Them Records)

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v13.0

In a chance to the scheduled notcast, you've got me again to babble my way through my new favourites on SoundCloud.  Next Sunday though, once the GoNess/RockNorth musical happenings are out of the way, we'll have that special guest notcaster.  Still, there's plenty of great tracks here to keep you entertained.  First up, a new track (with the longest, most-hyphenated title imaginable) from those lads in The Beautiful Lies recorded specially for Scottish Fiction. 

   The Pale King (The Ever-Declining Returns Of The Never-Ending Youth) by The Beautiful Lies

How's that to kick things off?!  Let's follow that up with a track from one of my favourite EPs of the year so far.   Will there be a more fun release this year than the debut from Edinburgh's Toy Machene?  Is that sentence even grammatically good?  Don't know, don't care.  Here's their eponymous tale of unrequited, possibly cougar-related, love.

   Toy Machine by Toy Machene

Right, here's another question... is there a better indie label in our fair land than Armellodie?  The answer is... maybe, possibly yes.  But if that is the case, our paths have not crossed yet.  With a series of gigs on the horizon, they'll be all like 'in your face' in the coming months.  Here's one of their finest rosterees with one of their finest tracks.

   This One's Not Waiting by Le Reno Amps (courtesy of Armellodie)

It's all been quite rocky so far.  So here's a wee breather for you.

   Tiger by Bronto Skylift

All relaxed?  Good stuff.  Here's the next one from Dirty Keys.  It's an unmastered version of one of the tracks from their upcoming album The End And The Exit.  I've heard it and it's gonna knock your socks off.  With any luck, there'll be more on that in due course!

   Urban Adventure Land (unmastered) by Dirty Keys

Penultimate one then.  Great to have some new material from Edinburgh School For The Deaf.  God help those little blighters, cos this is a delight to the ears.  I have absolutely no idea what she's saying though... 

   La Nostalgie De La Boue (demo) by Edinburgh School For The Deaf

And so, we come to the end.  Hope you've enjoyed this week's tracks.  Next week we will have that guest notcaster.  My lips are sealed as to who it shall be though.  Changing the subject quickly... here's one of Campfires In Winter's brilliant new tracks.  Enjoy!

   Twelve Thousand Drops by Campfires In Winter