Older Motion Pictures - Letters' Kommentary

What is it with Edinburgh bands releasing outstanding EPs this year?!  We're not even finished with May and already I could name at least four.  Five if you include the debut from 'dark cello pop noiseniks' Letters which was finally released on Monday.  I've spent a bit of time already on here banging on about how special this bunch are, so any attempts at reviewing Older Motion Pictures would just end up with me Googling for synonyms of 'spectacular'.  So, with that in mind, I asked Mikey Ferguson to run through each of the four tracks on this stu-pen-dous [stoo-pen-duhs] EP.  Here's what he had to say... along with my tuppenceworth.

Explosions

This has been kicking around for a while. We recorded it during our Aviemore sessions at the same time as Flash! Lights and The Halfway House. I think it might technically be the third song we ever wrote together but we've harnessed and polished it. We usually open our set with it and didn't want it to go to waste. It works well with the other songs and thought it would be a good EP opener. We used to joke about the first ever version sounding like explosions in the sky, (which of course it doesn't now) and so the working title kinda stuck. I think its apt given the dynamics between 'light and shade' and then it suddenly exploding into life.

Kowalskiy verdict:  After their debut double A-side Grand National/Pipe Dreams last year, this was one of the next tracks of theirs that I heard.  At the time I wasn't sure whether it'd remain as an instrumental or not.  I'm glad they kept it this way.  It's the most atmospheric piece on the EP, a dark 4-minute pop symphony if you will.  

Older Motion Pictures

More miserable post uni stuff. I say post uni but the misery seemed to drag on for a couple years after. The opening line is 'I left my home to watch the unions go to bed'. Summed up the time I guess, probably still does. Hardly anything prophetic. More pathetically polemic. Here...I should use that as a lyric! Basically...OK...People's lives more often than not don't turn out they way they envisaged. The idea to the central lyric ...'I'll watch the platform rain and the electric light flicker like a picture, older motion picture' revolves around too much time spent on trains, dreaming of things to be/that could have been and playing it out in your head like a film. Everyone plays their own cinematic experience out in their head. HOW MANY FUCKING WAYS DO I EXPLAIN...OK? Musically...Me and Ed spent one night listening to Annie Lennox and Sinead O'Connor. I FUCKING love Annie Lennox. This is the product.

Kowalskiy verdict:  Mind you, this isn't short on atmosphere either!  The title track is possibly their finest song to date.  Mikey's echoing vocals alone gave me goosebumps when I watched the EP recording session videos they had up a while back.  Now the gorgeous, yet almost mournful, cello has been added, and all the other components have come together, it's difficult to find the words to describe how brilliant this song is.

Torren

SO...Daddy wasn't there. Wee Mikey's a Daddy now. Daddy's gonnae be there. He promises. OK?

Kowalskiy verdict:  This appeared on their SoundCloud at the same time as Older Motion Pictures.  Mood-wise, it's a more sprightly affair in comparison, more in keeping with their previous singles Flash! Lights and The Halfway House... and every bit as amazing. 

From Time to Time

You know those lyrics in the Waterboys song 'Whole of the Moon' where he writes about his relationship from the perspective of his wife? About his delusions of grandeur? 'I saw the rain dirty valley you saw Brigadoon, I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon.' One of the most perfectly formed songs lyrically that I think I'll ever hear. I think we should get round to covering that. Anyway...this is our version...albeit with a completely self indulgent post rock ending. Perfect way to end our set. Perfect way to end our EP.

Kowalskiy verdict:  Perfect just about cuts it!  This was the last song from the EP which surfaced online, so my expectations were pretty high.  I remember listening to it first time 'round thinking "Yeah, this is good... I liked that... still good... good... oh f**k!!  That's brilliant!".  Or something along those lines.  As the song builds up and with every one of Mikey's umpteen repeated chant of "from time to time" the anticipation of something special builds also.  Just have a listen.  It never fails to disappoint.  Then cue the aforementioned self-indulgence... to be honest though, when you've just made an EP of this calibre, who can blame them!

Older Motion Pictures is out now via God Is In The TV Records.  You can download it over on their Bandcamp or you can get your hands on a CD here.  Letters will be playing a few gigs in support of the EP.  Details below:

26^th May - Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh

31^st May - Bar Bloc, Glasgow

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #23

Oooft!  Hard to believe that these Kowalskiy EPs are 23 already.  How time flies!  Kowalskiy though, is a wee bit older than that unfortunately.  More so today, for 'tis my birthday.  Awww... look at him with his wee hat!  So, with that in mind, I spent the last month hand-picking five of my favourite Scottish artists to make this EP all the more special.  In one case, I had specialness thrust upon me as a band volunteered a belter of a track, and in another, my pestering led to me receiving a rare gem from one of Scottish music's gone-but-not-forgotten favourites....    

1.  Northern Alliance - Casiopolis (...and here is said favourites.  I'd urge anyone to hunt down their albums, as well as getting a hold of Doug Johnstone's own solo EP over here.)

"This is an old Northern Alliance instrumental that never seemed to fit on an album, but we kind of liked it. It's called 'Casiopolis' because it was recorded entirely using old Casiotone keyboards, putting them through guitar pedals and such like, I seem to recall. It sounds quite creepy and soundtracky, so when I came to make a trailer for my latest novel, Hit & Run, it was an obvious choice for the music. It was released on a Fence compilation as 'Xmas on the Ocean Floor', I think." - Doug Johnstone (Northern Alliance)

Speaking of Doug's new novel, you can download it over here on the Kindle Store.

2.  Fiction Faction - Turquoise Noise (I was convinced I'd featured Fiction Faction before for some reason.  So they got fed up waiting to be asked and sent me this brilliant taster from their upcoming album.)

"Turquoise Noise was recorded pretty quickly, everything was one take. It was only a b-side to our last single but already many folk have said its one of their favourite tracks of ours. Its picked up some radio play too by BBC Introducing and will be included on our debut album which is being recorded this summer. The song comes courtesy of Saraseto Records who released the some earlier in the year." - David Richards (Fiction Faction)

3.  Letters - Older Motion Pictures (acoustic for Fresh Air) (Letters, I had featured before.  But, since they're one of my favourite bands around, I managed to sweet talk them into parting with this acoustic version of the title track from their upcoming debut EP.)

"I chose this mainly so the rest of the band can laugh at me. We're quite strict with each other in practice and I'm always the first to throw my tuppence worth in when someone makes a mistake. As you'll note from the second line here, I fluff the words, much to everyone's amusement!  We're not really into the acoustic thing, but we think this sounds quite nice stripped down, it's a fairly simple song anyway so it lends itself well to this setting. The people at Fresh Air (Jude Dryden and Brian Pokora) were liking it so hopefully everyone else does." - Mikey Ferguson (Letters)

 

Letters are busy bees gearing up for the release of their absolutely stunning, mind-blowingly brilliant, superlative-dripping EP on the 19^th of May.

4.  Foxhunting - Damocles (EP version) (Here's a unsettlingly-talented young 'un from Aberdeen with a track from his early EP.  It was reworked for his brilliant debut album last year.)

"Damocles is probably the most consistently visceral song I've ever written. It's based on a hypothetical situation with young lovers not being able to express themselves for fear of persecution, but to be honest I wrote it because I liked the strumming patterns I came up with ;) It appears on Come On Sweetheart, Take My Hand, an album you can pour money onto over at foxhunting.bandcamp.com" - Joe Sutherland a.k.a. Foxhunting

5.  The Beautiful Lies - For Far Too Long (Only came across this Glasgow bunch recently, but already I'm finding it hard to stop listening to their demos online.  Here's one they re-recorded last week for this EP.)

"We've had this song for a while but we always keep coming back to it. Feels like the perfect song to close a gig, and we always seem to get completely lost in it whenever we play it live." - Paul Duncan (The Beautiful Lies)

And speaking of playing it live...  The Beautiful Lies will be playing The Berkeley Suite in Glasgow this very night, and The 13^th Note on the 6^th of June.

Let me just say a huge thank you to all 5 for contributing this month.   I really hope you all like it as much as I do.  All you have to do to get your free copy is to click on the artwork above, or here for that matter.  While you're there, help yourself to the other 22.   The next KEP will be out one month today.  As ever, if you wanna record a special version of something for me, or contribute something else you think might tickle my fancy, then you can send me a wee email (kowalskiy2@gmail.com) and we'll go from there.  I shall be pestering bands in due course though!

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v5.0

Happy Easter folks!  Hope you enjoyed the tracks chosen last week by the wonderful Mr. K. P. Son. Since I've had almost two weeks off from doing this notcast lark, there's been a load of new songs on SoundCloud that I'm itching to share with you. As has become the norm, here's half-a-dozen for you with some textual babble thrown in for good measure.

Kicking things off this week is a song which I've played on loop since it was uploaded. Like many Scottish bands, Edinburgh's Letters have been busy over the last few weeks uploading their trio of T Break entries. If they're not on the bill this summer on the back of their three tracks, then the world will have officially gone doolally! Here's one of them, the title track from their upcoming debut EP, Older Motion Pictures.

Older Motion Pictures by Letters

Now, don't tell me you're not impressed.  Seriously... don't!  This band is supoib!  It's funny how things turn out sometimes.  After I'd favourited that track, and said favouritation was sent around twitter, I got chatting to another band who, up 'til then, had flown under my radar.  But no more thanks to their impressive early demos.  A name to take note of folks... The Beautiful Lies.

    Youth Passing Through by The Beautiful Lies

And this next chap ain't half bad either.  Nice chap too.  All those months/years ago, Paul Kelly was one of the five artists I emailed asking if they'd like to road test an idea I had - to be on the first of my free monthly 5-track Scottish EPs.  He, or rather, The Martial Arts, said yes and kindly allowed me to help unleash the demo of Empty Out Here on the world.  Well, it's been almost 2 years but he's now got two more for us.  It's a toughie, but here's my favourite of the pair.  Both are free by the way!

   Nicechap (demo) by The Martial Arts

Right, not wanting to sound like a miserable bastard, but it's no coincidence that if you say T in the Park backwards, it kinda sound like Crap, innit?  The only reason you'd get me anywhere near Balado these days is for T Break.  Especially given one of the other sets I've been listening to.  I assume it's for T Break submission anyway.   Why Trapped Mice still fulfill the 'unsigned' criterion to enter is a fucking travesty!  Still, they are, so for now lets just be thankful that we're getting to hear their three new tracks.  You have no idea how tempted I was to finish off the notcast with all three, but I resisted.  

   Arthur's Seat by Trapped Mice

That's yer Trapped Mice lot!  The other two tracks can be heard over here.  Two more then that's your notcast lot for the week too.  I should probably stop favouriting tracks to be honest since it probably gives you an idea what I'm gonna include here.  So it may come as no surprise, but I love the latest single from Aerials Up.  The Old and the Innocent is out now and you can get your grubby mitts on it over here.   

   The Old and the Innocent by Aerials Up

Signing us off this week we have someone who just launched her new album last night in Edinburgh.  By all accounts, the night was pretty special, and so too is the album itself.  I am of course talking about The Seed by Plum a.k.a. Shona Maguire.  You can buy the album here.  To whet your appetite in the meantime, have a listen to the title track below.   'Til next week...

   The Seed by Plum

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v2.0

Such was the euphoria which accompanied my first notcast (which boils down to a comment from a Dutchman, several retweets and Mr Son(s) saying some very nice words),  I thought I'd make it something of a feature on Kowalskiy.  Maybe once a week.  I might even go as far as putting it up on the same day each week.  Sunday good for you?  Great, let's make it Sunday then.  Sorted!

For those who missed v1.0 and are thinking "what the f**k is this all about?", here at Kowalskiy the "P" word isn't used.  We don't like the "P" word.   I don't wanna sit listening to someone babble on about what tracks they like with the odd bit of banter thrown in.  You're not John Peel or... eh... who's a popular radio DJ these days... ah yeah!  You're not Fearne Cotton.  No Sir-ee!  And if I do like one of the tracks, I sure as hell want a link to click there and then to go buy it.   Granted, this is kinda like all that albeit with ignorable banter and physical links.

So shall we get on with v2.0 then?  As with the first one of these, I'd like to kick things off with what I'll call 'Kowalskiy's Apology Korner' or KAK for short.  Though this track is far from  it!  Things have been hectic of late so I wasn't able to give this album the attention it deserves... 'til now.  Well, that's if this can be classed as 'deserved attention'.  Either way, the ultra-lo-fi debut from Randolph's Leap entitled The Curse of the Haunted Headphones is great.  Go get it here.  But first, here's a wee taster.

   The Nonsense In My Soul by Randolph's Leap (via Peenko)

Last week on SoundCloud saw the triumphant reawakening of mitchell museum with a new demo called Glasshouse from their second album.  As they never made this EMBEDDABLE(!!!), you'll just have to go over here to have a listen.  In the meantime, here's their "last song" which went up all of 7 months ago.  Last song, eh guys?!  Attention seeking b*****ds!

   Bring out the claws, the claws are out. by mitchellmuseum

Welcome back guys!  OK, so who's next?  Well, we have one of Stirling's finest, Brazil Exists.  Their Hermit EP had, until now, slipped under my radar, but it is bloody good!  I'll let you make your own mind up though.  The timing may be suspect, but here's Happy New Year to help you do just that.

Happy New Year by Brazil Exists

Those last two are FREE to download by the way.  Now... to someone who's about to release his first EP under a new moniker.  Rainbow Fisher's debut By The Sea EP is out on the 18^th of March, a couple of days after he, or maybe even they (I should do some digging), launch it at The 13^th Note with Kowalskiy-favourites Adopted As Holograph and Little Fire.  This is the folky standout Benone.

   Benone by Rainbow Fisher

On the 18^th, look yonder!  How many's that?  Geez, four already!  OK, two more then I'm offski.  The penultimate track is one I've been listening to for what seems like an age.  About this time last year, Glasgow's Partwindpartwolf leaked four demos onto their SoundCloud and got this blogger a bit too excited.  They've recently been snapped up by new Glasgow label Comets And Cartwheels so hopefully we'll be getting some sort of release soon.  Until then, one track remains online, the sublime Deep South.

   Deep South by Partwindpartwolf

"How do you top that?" I hear you cry.  Well, you can't really.  But I'll end things off this week with something every bit as mind-blowingly-amazing.  If you're a regular around these parts, you'll know my love for this band knows no bounds.  They're releasing their third single on the 19^th of this month and then they'll be taking their stunning brand of dark cello pop around the country with Where We Lay Our Heads.  They are Letters.  They are brilliant.  And this is The Halfway House.  See you next week folks.  Enjoy!

   The Halfway House by Letters

Kowalskiy Singles Club #12

So Valentine's is over for another year, yet it seems there's more singletons out there than usual!  Time then to hand the floor over to those harpless romantics (yes, these introductions are getting worse!). If you like what they have to say for themselves, click on the artwork, have a listen, and if you're boxes have all been ticked, get downloading! There's a bumper bevvy of beauties this time so there's gotta be one out there for you. Take it away...

The Day That Friction Overcame Fun by Johnny and the Giros

"Young and slightly attractive males seeking other males and females to join us in watching Omnibus's (omnibi) and having private sexy raves. Loves spending Sundays in pubs and trawling social networking websites for the possibility to obtain more cyber friends. Hates feeling alone and unwanted by all of you. Ambitions - The boy who ate all the cake in that film... Yeah him." - Scott Forsyth (JATG)

With that mention of 'friction', it's clear Johnny has been on his own trawling the net for far too long! So if you fancy joining him and his Giros, maybe watch some Hollyoaks or River City omnibi at the weekend, then get clicking on the artwork. The single came out at the beginning of February and is a belter!

Jealousy/Sinking Ships by Capitals

"Two Highland ex-pats seek friendship (and maybe more?) in the Big Smoke. We humbly bring you our double A-side 'Jealousy/Sinking Ships' by way of a present. With dark production, broken beats and haunting lyrics of heartache and loss, we don't wish to scare anyone off, rather express that really we're just two sensitive souls looking to find that special someone. Could it be you?" - Angus & Keir (Capitals)

Awwww, don't they sound lovely!? Not half as lovely as their double A-side though. If you loved Hello World, you'll lap this up. Don't you know it's bad manners to refuse a present...

Eikon by Two Wings

"Eikon seeks some hairy fairy ears to put the 'Two' back into 'Two Wings'. Enjoys long walks in the countryside, cheap wine and cosy nights in with some dank smelling records. The featherless and/or flightless need not apply." - Owen Curtis Williams & Ben Reynolds (Two Wings)

Sucks for you flightless wonders out there!  This 2-track single is out on the 12^th from twosome Two Wings.  Fans of RM Hubbert's brilliant new album may recognise the unique vocals of Hanna Tuulikki.  Ben's ain't too bade either!

WEAR BLACK by PET

"Must enjoy heavy petting from the word go. Mutual masturbation by midnight. In it for the honey. Wear Black knickers" - Pete Boggon (PET)

Oooh kinky! Talk about being unlucky in love though. This is PET's third appearance in the Singles Club. Three appearances, three brilliant tracks. As usual, it's proof they're one of the finest new bands in the country.

Push/Pull by The Cat That Walks Alone

"Mr Yin WLTM Mrs Yang for polar opposites attract. Animal magnetism a plus. Must have lovely hair and own transport." - Cameron Laing a.k.a. The Cat That Walks Alone

Feline lonely? Well spare a thought for this cat. If what Cameron say's 'pushes' your buttons, then grab your coat... you've 'pulled'. The single has been out for a few weeks, so go bag a copy pronto!

The Halfway House by Letters

"5 piece dark cello pop noiseniks seek delightful young brunettes interested in a post valentine dark, medium to fast paced, throbbing 3 minute and 27 second encounter that'll have you smiling, singing and leave you crying as you deal with that all too familiar feeling of 'le petite mort'." - Mikey Ferguson (Letters)

We all know by now that Letters can do no wrong in my eyes. So it goes without saying I think their upcoming third single is suuuperb! It's out on the 19^th March with their Scottish tour starting just after that.

Heart Attack by The Draymin

"Hairy-faced strobe-lover with a dirty disco heartbeat, good mover on the dancefloor with a fondness for late nights and talking shite. WLTM something, preferably human, with a bit of stamina, sick SOH and big pair of binoculars for nights out in the bushes." - Gec Livingstone (The Draymin)

With their debut album out next month, The Draymin are giving away this track free to anyone out there with a fondness for dirty disco beats and good dance moves.  Binoculars optional!

Photograph/Cold Water by Tom Fool

"Newly single nob twiddler seeks compassionate listener. Must have own transport and be able to see the wood for the trees." - Rick Webster (Tom Fool)

Missing Unkle Bob yet?  I am!  But fear not, the newly-single Tom Fool is here.  With a stellar line-up comprising Unkle Bob's Rick, Gang of Four's Andy Gill and backing vocals from Eddi Reader, this double A-side promises a lot!  And it delivers.  You can get your hands on it from the 12^th.

Bury You by Where We Lay Our Heads

"Glasgow foursome seeking companionship and more. If you like dancing with your hips, milkshakes, greyhounds and macaroni pies we could be the ones for you. Non smokers preferred.x" - Wull Swales (WWLOH)

I defy you to say no to a combination of greyhounds and macaroni pies! WWLOH's new single is out on the 19^th of March, same day as Letters' latest offering. Why's that relevant... well, they're both on tour together, that's why! More on that on Kowalskiy in the future. Watch this space!

The Seed by Plum

"Artistic, passionate female seeks creatively minded, big-hearted, generous and empathetic listener to share stories with...and maybe fall in love. Must enjoy gardening, planting seeds, flowers, making wishes and believe in fairies. I look forward to hearing from you." - Shona Maguire a.k.a. Plum

Oooh awkward! Both Shona and her beau (Capitals' Keir) have both supplied singles ads this month. Read into that what you will folks... Anyway, this is the title track and single from her upcoming album. Should have featured this before but I... 'plum' forgot!

Footnote To Love by Ajimal

"Interchangeable and shape-shifting fluid line up of members, occasionally manifest as solo artist, occasionally smothered in face paint. Likes: Beaches, Baths and Brel Dislikes: Gymnastics and lipgloss (don't ask). WLTM woman* to make child with and thereafter dedicate aforementioned song (Footnote to Love [Part One]) to aforementioned child. It is probably worth noting that embarking upon a relationship with Ajimal does mean embarking upon a potentially lifetime partnership with whosoever happens to be in the line up at that time (see Three Musketeers).

* If you happen to actually be Jacques Brel, this requirement is void, we'll find a way." - Fran O'Hanlon a.k.a. Ajimal

Last but in no way least, is the magnificent specimen that is Ajimal. A specimen who oddly likes face paint but not lip gloss... go figure! Footnote To Love is available to pre-order now by clicking the artwork. It, and indeed all his music to date, is just phenomenal. Go get!

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #13

The Second Year of Free EPs starts here... a half hour late!  Ah well, hopefully you'll agree it's worth the wait.  Once again, I've pestered five of the country's best up-and-coming bands for a track, and they've come up trumps again this month.  You know the drill by now, but if not, click the cover art to get your free download.  Here's the five brilliant bands on KEP#13... 

1. Echo Arcadia - Lucinda (Room Demo) (An exclusive bedroom recording of their debut EP track.  Prepare to be blown away!)

"Lucinda is a song that has rather deep personal meaning to me, it's about the moment I realised that I didn't need a religion to have faith. It forms part of our 'Broken Chapters' EP, with the songs on it carving a journey of events through my life." if that floats your boat, 'Broken Chapters' is available on iTunes etc" - Leigh Moyes (Echo Arcadia)

2. Verse Metrics - Oscillations (These guys have only gone and given me half of their upcoming single to give away!)

"This is one of the tracks from our second release, the double-A-side "Sleep &Wakefulness". The idea with these tracks was to layer several guitar parts and have them recurring on a loop for part of the song, as we did with Horoscopes on our first EP, then write everything else starting from the loop and see where it took us. I think Robin lost a few years of his life mixing it!   Official launch night is Tue 19th July where we're playing at King Tut's Summer Nights - should be a great night with Found, Bermuda and Cancel The Astronauts also on the bill." - Bob Dick (Verse Metrics)

3. Letters - Flash! Lights (demo) (The original demo to their amazing new, also free, single!)

"Just as a wee disclaimer, I don't like to think of myself as a whiner or some attention seeking faux manic depressive. But if I'm being completely honest, Flash! lights is about everything that's wrong with me. Anger management, impatience, drive, fear of under achievement, letting go of the past and feeling completely dwarfed by the possibilities of time. It's not exactly original source material but we always try to write things that have been said or done to death and put our own sound and lyrical style to it.   We recorded it with one of our good mates and producer extraordinaire Stephen Watkins in the presence of Tom Nicol and Fiona McNab (the other two brains of TAPE) up in Aviemore and the chorus reminds me of standing in front of a microphone that looked out through a massive bay window on to the Cairngorms. I was extremely hungover after hitting it HARD with Kerr the night before when we went to see 'The Last Battle', which is probably why the vocals are so husky.  The big sound we normally go for probably doesn't come through in this demo as much as it does in the mastered single version (available for free at www.wewriteletters.co.uk/music) but I remember the first time Stephen played the demo back to me and I had that oxymoronic feeling of being joyously sad when I heard the chorus the first time. Same feeling I got when Georgie played her cello line to the intro and that part of the song." - Mikey Ferguson (Letters)

4. Campfires In Winter - Before The Owl Will Fly (One of three new 'very, very rough demos' from Boab et al.)

"To put it simply, this song is about the death of someone close to you. However, the lyrics approach it in a more optimistic direction, looking to find the positives that came from knowing that person and the influence they had on you. It wasn't written specifically about any one person in my life, but it has been influenced by a few people I've known. My intention was to write something which pretty much anyone can listen to and apply to their own experiences. Hopefully people can connect to it in some way." - Boab Canavan (Campfires In Winter)

5. Daniel and the Lions - Of The Times (We'll end this month with a great wee demo from the man that brought us Dalyrimple Goes Wrong.)

"'Of the Times' is a demo from what's going to be an EP from my band - Daniel and the Lions. It's all still in the pipeline, but will be released eventually.  I'm pretty crappy at plugs, but I think as Matthew (Loch Awe) says, "Here is some music, I hope you like it. You can get more, for free, at www.dalyrimplegoeswrong.bandcamp.com..." - Daniel Parry (Daniel and the Lions)

Get your grubby mitts on the EP now for free over on my bandcamp page, along with all those from the last 12 months!

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

Kowalskiy Singles Club #4

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

Talk Down by Homework

"Up-beat musicians seek willing, cynical listeners.

Cynical listeners, seek willing up-beat musicians? 

Beat seeks willing listeners up cynical musicians?!?

Willing listener seeks musicians – up-beat cynical.

Cynical musicians seek up-beat willing listeners.“ - Oliver Kass (Homework)

The single is out today.  If you're a willing cynic then this will be right up your street.  In fact, even if you're not it probably will be too.  It's only £1 and comes with remixes from Dunt and The Japanese War Effort.

Precious Time by The Last September

"Bouncy, bouncy, ooh such a good time. Jangly ditty about having too much coffee and getting in a spin seeks like-minded listener to whizz around with in the sun" - Pete Deane (The Last September)

Well, well!  This single promises a lot, and I do love coffee!  Thankfully it delivers too.  If that's not enough to wet your whistle, then the single is absolutely FREE!

Pacifying Hungry Ghosts/Rubella Rubata by Salute Mary

"Salute Mary are: torque, drone, brutalist architecture, pyrotechnics and volume.
Seek: rain-soaked, wind-lashed individuals with WD40 and high stress tolerance." - Calum Haggerty (Salute Mary)

I like this!  Hopefully you will too.  Get downloading people... It's FREE!  WD40 is optional.

Hey Sound! by Miaoux Miaoux

"Racy tropical loop with joyous hook seeks technicolour diamond girl to reminisce about the golden age of trance. Must enjoy dancing and have access to a yacht. BYOB." - Julian Corrie (Miaoux Miaoux)

Do you have access to a yacht?  Don't think bringing you own booze is a wee bit stingey?  Then get clicking on the cover art and relive the golden age of trance with Mr. Corrie.

Flash! Lights by Letters

"5 piece Edinburgh cello pop noiseniks seek Venders who deal in wooden commodities. Procurement of said items (preferably a Cajon) will be used solely for the purpose of smashing against the SEPTUM of every beard scratching, group chugging, back hand highfive slapping, band swapping SPLASH that keeps trying to nick our cellist for the production of contrived folk music" - Mikey Ferguson (Letters)

Ooft, why don't you just say what's on your mind Mikey!  Anyway, this is my new favourite band's second single!  And it's a belter.  It won't be out until 4th July so you've got a wee bit of a wait.  When it's out though, just download it.  It's as simple as that.

Last time I paired up Grant (21) from Musselburgh and Galleries from Glasgow. Here's what Grant had to say about their single Darkness Coming:

"It's a great, perfectly formed and very easy on the ear single.  We've hit it off BIG TIME.  Hopefully it won't be too long before I hear from them again."

Now I know the pride Cilla must've felt!  Anyway, if you've hooked up with any of these singles, or ones from past features, let me know how you're getting on.

K&A with Letters

Around this time last year, I was sent two cracking demos by Curators, at that point, an unknown-to-me Edinburgh band, who went on to be one of, if not thee band of 2010 in my eyes.  So, it's a good omen that Letters, another band from our fair capital, sent me out their upcoming double A-side single to have a listen to a fortnight-or-so ago.  The fact that you're now about to read their K&A session, the first of 2011, should give you some indication of how excited I am about this "dark cello pop" 5-piece.   

They're set to release their debut double A-side single The Grand National / Pipe Dreams on 16^th February for free!  Both are really rather good but Pipe Dreams is the track that's been on repeat for a while now.  As it starts, it reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy, with the gorgeous strings and the similar vocal style, before shifting up a few gears and taking a darker, rockier turn round about where my SoundCloud comment pops up!  There's a sneak preview of both tracks below, but before that, let's find out a but more about them...

Kowalskiy:  Who are Letters?

Mikey:  The best thing to come out of Scotland since David Hume.

Kerr Donaldson – Drums

Dougie Fuller – Bass

Georgie Williamson – Cello/Vocals

Ed Ellis – Guitar/Vocals

Mikey Ferguson – Guitar/Lead Vocals

Kowalskiy:  How did the band get together?

Mikey:  I should draw a flow chart for this! Erm...I advertised for a drummer and Kerr responded and not only turned out be quite good but also not a cunt. Georgie was playing in other bands in Edinburgh so we stole her. Me and Dougie were school mates and have been in and out of bands for years. Me and Ed are also both actors so we became mates through a theatre group. Add some baking soda, turn the oven up to 200 degrees and let the flan rise.

Kowalskiy:  How would you describe 'your sound'?

Mikey:  Dark cello pop noiseniks.

Kowalskiy:  Who/what/where etc are your main influences?

Mikey:  Literary giants, European cinema, jingle jangle bingo bango.

Kowalskiy:  On Feb 16^th, you're releasing your debut single, the double A-side The Grand National / Pipe Dreams.  What can you tell us about these two tracks?

Mikey:  Pipe Dreams is pretty much does what it says on the tin. The idea that your unrealistic and unattainable dreams, in the end, will fucking kill you.

   Pipe Dreams by Letters (uploaded by Sound and Vision PR)

The Grand National is just a nice piece of nostalgia. Split into three acts - It's starts out with my childhood spent growing up with my brother in a dead end council estate and how you end up pining after a simple more 'innocent' time. Skip through a few years to overspent time reading in cold rooms, devoid of any lyrical inspiration, spending too much time with my (old) band mates in cars having meaningless conversations (which was brilliant), to being part of the real world and feel like you're going nowhere...oops, same as Pipe Dreams I suppose... dreams man... they'll fucking kill you!  It's about feeling old before your time. There. Done.

   The Grand National by Letters (uploaded by Sound and Vision PR)

Kowalskiy:  On the same night, you'll be launching the single at Henry's Cellar Bar - your first gig! Nervous yet?  Any idea yet what folk can expect from it?

Mikey:  Not really nervous, just desperate to play. We've tried to time all this to perfection which means it's been really frustrating being confined to living rooms and practice studios. Every band says this (nearly all of them are rubbish anyway) but people can really expect a live show from us. For not being all that heavy we're mental. No band I've seen that comes from our part of the world is better than us live. And that's only going by how good we are in practice.  Oh and we'll also be giving away free limited edition CD's of the single.  Soon we're going to start using visuals in our shows, it's just taking a while to prepare

Kowalskiy:  What would be your ideal gig anyway?

Mikey:  Don't know about the rest of the guys but I always dreamed of headlining the Barrowlands in Glasgow or one of the stages at T in the Park where everyone sings your song back to you. That would be my dream. The ultimate gig I suppose is the one that people will travel a long way to see you. A gig full of hardcore fans, that's what I'm trying to say.

Kowalskiy:  What can we expect from Letters in 2011?

Mikey:  We're obviously doing the single launch on the 16^th February at Henry's Cellar Bar in Edinburgh. We'll be playing a few gigs around Scotland for the rest of March and April (go to www.wewriteletters.co.uk/live to keep up to date) which are being confirmed as we speak and at the same time we'll be recording an EP which we hope to release in May.  Thereafter, expect to see posters of Kerr's ravaged torso splattered across university breezeblock walls fro June onwards.

Kowalskiy:  Since its that time of year, which band would you recommend we all look out for this year?

Mikey:  Band I'm absolutely loving at the moment are Ideals from London. They've got a handle of that age old relic called song writing which is absolutely devoid in most of the vaccuous shite around at the moment. The Last Battle are also another band to watch out for this year, they hail from the same place as us.

Kowalskiy:  Is there something else you'd like to share? Any interesting facts about the band or a bandmember?

Mikey:  If you put in a request on our website (www.wewriteletters.co.uk/contact), we will actually write you a letter. The title of our website doesn't lie.  Dougie looks like a Duracell bunny when he plays the bass.  Kerr has webbed feet.

For me, Pipe Dreams is the best song I've heard so far this year.  If you like it too and fancy hearing some more, get a free copy of the great single, and see Dougie's best Duracell bunny impression, then you can do all three next month...

Upcoming Gigs

16^th Feb - Henry's Cellar Bar, Edinburgh (with OSO and The Last Battle)