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

Kowalskiy's Top 10 Albums of 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#8.  Evil Hand - Huldra

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

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

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

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

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

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. 

Evil Hand - Huldra

I've said it before, but I'll repeat it for all you Johnny-Come-Lately's out there.  Ever since starting this blog, there's been one guy who, musically speaking, simply can't put a foot wrong in my erm... ears.  That man, is Derek Bates.  As one half of the Lanarkshire duo Bottle Of Evil, he was partly responsible for one of my favourite albums of last year.  Last month he released new album Huldra for free under his solo guise, Evil Hand.  It's a collection of remastered tracks from his previous four albums and some cracking, new material thrown in for good measure.  So really, what better way to introduce you to the wonder that is Evil Hand.

First thing's first, the name.  Apparently the Huldra is a seductive, mythological Norwegian forest creature.  Not quite sure how to relate that (wittily of course) to the album, other than this too is a thing of mysterious beauty.  Anyway, if you enjoyed Bottle Of Evil's eponymous debut last year, then you're bound to enjoy Huldra.  It has the same combination of "acoustic strangeness", sublime shoegaze, some bits in between, and two or three perfectly-placed instrumental pieces seamlessly added to the mix.

It kicks off with the acoustic gem Garmin, which combines the lot with snare drum loops and screeching, acoustic guitars to great effect.  Then there's one of the many standout newbies, Returned In Time, which Derek kindly gave us a sneaky preview of last year.  For the next half-a-dozen-or-so tracks, Derek takes us on a journey through some highlights from his impressive back catalogue.  None more impressive than the outstanding, atmospheric piece, Ent.

New tracks The Kelpie and the instrumental Largo, No are two of the many belters after that, with the latter showing a slightly different side to Evil Hand, a more upbeat, synthy one which would hear no complaints from me if he went down this road again in future.

It's Returned In Time though that steals the show.  I loved it when I first heard it, and now, after the umpteenth listen, it still blows me away.  Have a wee listen for the distant drum mini-solo about 1 minute and 52 seconds in.  It's the small things that make this album what it is.  Just brilliant!

Once again, I'm left with nothing but praise for Mr. Bates.  Huldra is a breathtaking, seductive mixture of old and new.  Get your free download over here, and while you're at it, check out his back catalogue over on Amazon MP3.  Fans of Bottle of Evil's album can also get their hands on a free instrumental version over here.

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #2

It's the 16th (at least that's what this post will forever say) of the month, so it's time for another Kowalskiy's Free 5-track Scottish EP. Once again I've batted my eyelids at some of my favourite Scottish bands around to bring you 5 more rare and/or exclusive tracks. This month, on EP #2, we have these super-talented souls:

1. Beerjacket - "VCR" (a cover of The Xx's debut album track)

"The Xx album is darkly romantic and epic in its intimacy. VCR is a pretty succinct portrayal of this. I hope your readers enjoy the countrified Beerjacket version, recorded one night on 4-track" - Peter Kelly (Beerjacket)

2. The Fusiliers - "Out Here In The Rain (live)" (recorded live, on minidisc, at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh in February 2009)

"Out Here In The Rain is what happens when you ask a heavy metal drummer to put a disco beat to a heartfelt acoustic break up ballad" - Jonny Wilson (The Fusiliers)

3. Evil Hand - "Returned In Time" (exclusive demo from his upcoming EP)

"It's pretty heavily effects laden, once again, but I do enjoy the walls of fx surrounding the acoustic & vocals, which were the original parts of the song. It's the first track I've written for an EP I plan to release in a couple of months, and I'm spending more time perfecting this Evil Hand release than I have done in the past. There's 3 tracks finished now and a couple more in the works so hopefully it'll all work well together." - Derek Bates (Evil Hand)

4. The Little Kicks - "I Know It's Over (live)" (recorded live at The Mill before its revamp)

"It's the second track off of the Little Kicks album Boxing Clever and is basically a punchy upbeat melodic guitar led pop song which is usually a live favorite. It was originally a slower subdued song but then I re-wrote it with influences in mind like Jetpacks, Mystery Jets and early Strokes. It's about a guy I know who has things much better than he realizes but still complains all the time - I guess everyone knows someone like that - the message in the chorus is if things are bad they can only get better If you just keep on trying. It's a good example of the band making a song better as when I took it to the band it changed shape massively. I initially wanted to ditch the chorus completely thinking it was weak but they said it was good and between us we made it work. It's really fun to sing live and I like the album version a lot because it has double tracked tambourines and synths on it which were fun to record." - Steven Milne (The Little Kicks)

5. Washington Irving - "Parts (demo)" (demo recorded live on a pier! )

"I am afraid I'm at a bit of a loss about how to describe the track. It's a song Joe has written that we've been trying to make into a full band effort but keep ballsing it up so we just ended up doing a wee acoustic recording anyway. Joe plays it on a pier!" - Chris McGarry (Washington Irving)

Thanks to each and every one of them for giving up their time, and of course, their song. I can't thank you enough!

Anyway, for those who like the sound of it, the EP is now up for free download on my shiny bandcamp page along with last month's EP #1. Hope you enjoy it!

Time now to get cracking on EP #3. So far, it's looking pretty good and might just be the first one where I'm not rushing about last minute! Once again though, if you have a mouthwatering exclusive or rare track and fancy appearing on a future EP, then send me a wee email.