Kowalskiy Singles Club #14

It's been just over a month since I last played matchmaker to some of Scotland's most eligible singles.  So, it's about time we heard from some more!  Have a read of what they all have to say for themselves, click the artwork and let them whisper sweet nothings into your ear, and if you're smitten... make your move!  Don't leave them sitting on the cybershelves for too long!  Take it away singletons...

Gone Fission by Fatherson

"Three boys seek confirmation of the existence of fairytales. Having spent many years in each others company they are looking for someone with good sense of humour and an appetite for Scottish Indie Rock." - Marc Strain (Fatherson)

It's criminal that I'm only just featuring Killie's Fatherson.  Their brilliant, eponymous EP last year fell foul of another of my reviewing hiatuses, but was still up there with the years' best.  This FREE single, as well as appealing to the nuclear physics geek in me with it's title, is just amazing.  Which is probably why it's on BBC Introducing's playlist at the moment!

The Game by Kate and After

"After love, there is more love to come. So are you looking for a long term commitment with lots of passion and fun experiences. Make sure to wear your heart on your sleeve and give Kate & After a chance." - Micke Rydbeck (Kate and After)

"Fuck me!  They're not Scottish".   While that's outburst is very true, I absolutely love Sweden's Kate and After.  Ever since my K&A with K&A I've been itching for some new material, and with The Game (out on May 15th), they've pulled out all the stops.  Don't know what the Swedish for 'superb' is, but this would be it!

Armbands by M A D I S O N

"Four athletic, strong and muscular males are searching for a party of small and chubby women who can swim well. Must be willing to vogue dance on cue and be available for long, tearful and full hearted conversations whenever needed. Bingo wings are a bonus, willingness to play Nintendo games is an essential. Let us be your knights in shining armour.  (P.S. we are not athletic...)" - Russell Ferguson (M A D I S O N)

I R E A L L Y L I K E T H I S M O B!  I am reliably informed that this is "as honest as possible".  This is the debut single from the latest cracking band from... "What's It Called?".... Cumbernauld!   So, regardless if you're a larger lady or not, keep your eyes and ears on them.  It's quality!

The Fear Of Love by Collar Up

"A bunch of excitable egomaniacs seek a bunch of equally egotistical drama queens for short, beautiful, stormy, unfulfilling, damaging, and bad tempered good times." - Stephen McLaren (Collar Up)

The second outing for Collar Up who it seems are still very much on the shelf.  You should all be ashamed of yourselves!  This FREE track is again out courtesy of the brilliant Permwhale Recordings so get it snapped up.  After all, good times are good times no matter how unfulfilling and damaging they may turn out to be. 

Duck! by Kitty the Lion

"Pun-loving twitcher seeks companion to dip toes into the ocean of love, although may settle for pond of love. Webbed feet and feathered breast preferred, and wingspan does matter. Will provide one loaf of stale bread (mould scraped off)." - Anna Meldrum (Kitty the Lion)

Funny how things turn out.  Just this week I hear this glorious wee song from Kitty the Lion, not really knowing what this 'Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose' this was all about, and then in an unrelated conversation, the same childhood game crops up!  Must be a sign.  It's out on the 16th May for FREE.  That's a bargain to hear the dulcet, sugarsweet tones of Miss Meldrum.

My Tiny Robots by My Tiny Robots

"Mutinous font of ill-defined rage, seeks the ragged trousered philanthropy of a lupine beast. Must enjoy libraries, morris dancing and the cleansing waters of the fifth circle of hell. Oh! And maybe romance?" - Dylan Childs (My Tiny Robots)

The third in a trilogy is supposed to be the worst!  Tell that to My Tiny Robots.  After the joyous, indie-pop wonderment that was previous Singles Club ads Guild of Defiants and Zut Alors, they've saved the best 'til last with this self-titled belter. It's out on May 28th, so there's a wee while to wait.  But you can hear it, in all it's glory by clicking on the artwork opposite.

Kowalskiy Singles Club #11

Hey folks, it's been a while, but the musical lovedoctor is back.  Back with another batch of recent singles that'll hopefully catch your eye, warm your cockles and maybe, if you're especially lucky, maybe even take you to Heaven and back.  So, let's not waste any more time.  Here's some new singles for the New Year.  Just remember though... No likey? No clicky the artwork to take you to the download page!

Cosplay The Hard Way by Blue Sky Archives

"Four Glasgow Bears and one Lady-Bear WLTM knights and knight-ettes in shining armour to download their free single, and do romance / dirty sex stuff. Loving, loyal and a big fan of Prince, looking for the same in someone special. Likes: GSOH, GBH, pina coladas, walks in (purple) rain and Primus. Dislikes: people who kick cats, pigeons and other small creatures. And anyone who plays Paul Stanley’s solo material in a public place." - Lauren Mayberry (Blue Sky Archives)

Ooh err missus Mayberry!  Well, if that kinda thing sounds right up your street, then you can get your hands on the latest single from these five Glasgow bears absolutely free... so long as you sign up to their mailing list.  But that's a very small price to pay for something which is pretty damn good!  Pina Coladas not included.

Never Again/Simple by New Town Triptych

"Having been misunderstood and burned in the past I am a total contradiction. While I say Never Again, here I am writing a lonely hearts ad. If you are interested enough to see my face, you'll find it hiding behind my silent mouth unable to decide what to do...." - Scott Thomson (New Town Triptych)

This further hammers home their burgeoning reputation as one of the country's most exciting new bands.  Now a 5-piece, this is New Town Triptych's new double A-side funded by Creative Scotland.  If you ask me, there's definite touches of early Broken Records to the A+ side Never Again.  The single will be available to the first 200 downloaders for FREE.  Here's hoping I've not posted this too late!  

This City by The Last September

"Grizzly, well travelled character, with perhaps too much life experience seeks harmony and a renewed faith in humanity. Surely there’s sunshine and rainbows out there? Must share a love of a catchy chorus. Can’t we all just get along?" - Pete Deane (The Last September)

Yes, yes we can!  Now this one isn't out to buy until the beginning of March but teasing bastards as they are, The Last September have put it up on their SoundCloud to whet your appetite.  The eagle-eared amongst you might recognise it as a re-working of Tough Love from their As The Crow Flies album which hit the shelves... last September!

Traps by So Many Animal Calls

"Young, overly emotional boy seeks companions to help him dig a hole. It's definitely not for a body.  Ownership of a spade, a penchant for aggressive pop and willingness to accept 6/4 timing a must.  The hole is not for a body. Definitely not." - Sean McKenna (So Many Animal Calls)

Hmmm definitely sounds to me like it's for a body!  This is failpoppers So Many Animal Calls' debut single which is out on the 13th February via the rather lovely Overlook Records.     

Zut Alors by My Tiny Robots

"Four unconventionally handsome musicians, assorted shapes and sizes, seek the public face of their music. Ideal candidate will have the looks of Thierry Henry, the anger of Eric Cantona and the sexual prowess of Nicolas Sarkozy. Zur Alors, out now on iTunes and Bandcamp." - Gareth Anderson (My Tiny Robots)

Ooh la la!  This is one of my tips for 2012, My Tiny Robots' second appearance on the Singles Club, with this, their second in a set of three singles being released this winter.  Much like the first one (Guild of Defiants) this one is tres bien!

Smart E.P. by Smart

"Three young men seeking like-minded individuals to share a love of deep-pocket grooving and hook-laden pop. Must possess ears, a funky disposition and at least one suit which isn’t for court. Open to men and women of all ages. We just want someone to hold us…" - Graeme Macdonald (Smart)

Ah so nothing to do with Mark Speight and Kirsten Whatseherface... oh well. Still, this is a great debut from newcomers Smart.  They just want someone to hold them... is that too much to ask??

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #19

The eagle-eyed among you will no doubt have noticed I've not posted my tips for 2012 yet.  Well, I'm gonna level with you.  More and more lately, I'm finding less and less time to blog.  So this year, I figured I may as well kill two birds with the one stone and combine those tips with this years first EP. I thought long and hard about which five bands to pester for a track, and ended up going for the five bands responsible for my favourite singles of 2011.   Thankfully they all said yes!  One of them even allowed me to give away said favourite single for gratis in this month's EP!

So here they are, my five tips for all-round-musical greatness (in the order they appear on the EP)...

1.  My Tiny Robots - Other People Matter (Anyone who has heard last years' epic single Rock Bossa Nova Fourbeat Black will understand why these guys have been tipped.)

"This track is taken from the 'Rock Bossa Nova' EP that we released last year and recorded with the good people of Tape studios Edinburgh. The session's for the EP took place in a little cottage near Aviemore and some how ended up with six grown squeezed into a four man Hot Tub, I'll leave the rest to your imagination!!! Once enough time had past after this incident we went back up north and recorded the three tracks we are currently releasing as a series of singles, which can be purchased through our band camp or on iTunes, Spotify etc." - Gareth Anderson (My Tiny Robots)

2.  The Machine Room - Broken Love Game (demo) (First caught my attention with their single Girly and I'll happily go on record as saying these are one of the most exciting bands in the country at the moment!)

"I tired to meld some sugary shoegazy guitar sounds with a more disco rhythm, telling a tale of a broken love game." - John Bryden (The Machine Room)

3.  PET - Anchor (Now a three-piece, Singles Club favourites PET blew me away with their single Middle Child Syndrome.  There's just nothing else quite like it around these parts!  Here's a great demo Björk cover.)

"Bjork is quite a woman. This PET cover of 'The Anchor Song' from her debut 'Debut', came out of a love of her playful, simple repeating melody. Stripped of all of the free time joining horns bits it seems to leave more of a Song - duly we called our demo Anchor." - PET

4.  Wolves Of Winter - The Art Of Temptation (My favourite single of 2011 was in fact, this very song.  New single The Thaw is out soon.   If it's even half as good as this, then I can't wait!)

I'm sure we'll hear from Wolves Of Winter in due time.  Until then though, let's just let their music do the talking for them...

5.  French Wives - Blue Boy (Orange Juice cover) (Last but by no means least, are this fantastic Glasgow bunch.  Numbers burnt itself firmly into my brain last year, as did this.  With any luck, 2012 will be their year.)

"Blue Boy is one of only 3 covers we've ever done as a band, the other 2 being Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses and You Give A Little Love from Bugsy Malone, so it's easily the most credible! We first worked on it to play live for "one night only" as part of a single launch at the Glasgow School of Art in order to pay homage somewhat to the musical legacy of its alumni. However, we quite liked the version in the end, and when asked to do a cover version for Vic Galloway's BBC Scotland show it was an easy choice." - Scott Macpherson (French Wives)

Here's hoping we hear a lot more from these five bands in 2012.  Each have singles, EPs and/or albums already in the pipeline, so there's plenty to look forward to!   Anyway, I hope you enjoy this months EP... and the 18 others over on my bandcamp page.  That's your lot 'til February 16^th.  If you fancy appearing on a future EP, fire me over a wee email (kowalskiy2@gmail.com) and we'll go from there.

Kowalskiy Singles Club #9

Hey folks, I've got a brand new bevvy of beauties for you.  All ready to whisper sweet nothings into your ears!  If any of them sound like they're up your street, then click on the artwork, have a wee listen and get downloading.  Who knows, one of them might strike a chord with you...

Middle Child Syndrome by PET

"Middle child Hilton heiress seeks last born ‘Golf Sale’ sign holder to spawn progeny and re-adjust the imbalances of world" - Matthew (PET)

Sounds like a very worthy cause!  And a brilliant song to boot!  Middle Child Syndrome is the second release from one of Edinburgh's brightest new bands, PET.  All three tracks are very good indeed!  Oh, and it's out today!

Change by Mummy Short Arms

"Lonely Mum with arm disability seeks a nice man or woman to listen to her stories. Must like shaving Mummy’s legs." - Stuart Brown (Mummy Short Arms)

How tragic does that sound?!?  The song though, is anything but.  It's a great song, and one of a surge of beauties from newbie Glasgow label Flowers In The Dustbin... whose name sounds ever-so-slightly romantically-tragic too.  

The Art of Temptation by Wolves Of Winter

"Devilishly handsome, charming, gentlemanly types seek patient listeners with an interest in melancholy, movies, pianos and reverbs. Must also have a keen interest in sitting, xbox, sleeping, football, more sitting, eating, wine, sleeping." - Scotty (Wolves Of Winter)

This one's a revelation!  They've just popped up out of the blue with a track that is fast-becoming one of my favourite tracks of the year.   Keep an eye on this mob!  The track was recorded at Elba Studios and it's out NOW!

(I Am So Bored Of) Acoustic Guitars by Otherpeople

"Video Director seeks emotionless band, willing to sit and stare at a square of black sticky tape on the wall opposite for 4 minutes straight while being doused in various substances.  Reverse thinking a bonus, catchy indie music preferable, hatred of acoustic guitars vital." - Ben Cowie

You may know Ben from the brilliant video-blog Detour. So you know he's a dab hand at making videos... just like the one he done below for this track from Otherpeople's EP!  Feast your eyes below...

Numbers by French Wives

"Lonely 1 seeks another 1 to make 2 for general enjoyment and constant reassurance. 3 favourite things are arithmetic, thermometers and The Count from Sesame St.  You will be required to count to me like him late at night. It helps me sleep." - Scott Macpherson (French Wives)

A nice wee number this one is too!  It's the first track from their upcoming, and much, much, MUCH anticipated, debut album.  Stay tuned later this week for a wee interview with the band.   

Guild Of Defiants by My Tiny Robots

"Lonely and looking for love, four tired-looking males of differing size and shape seek friendship or more with anyone willing to listen to their inane ramblings and temper tantrums. Must love Chris Rea, own at least three fifths of the Kajagooggoo back catalogue, have an interest in amateur robotics and enjoy casual wood thievery of a weekend. An enjoyment of a certain brand of arty odd-pop would be good, but is in no way necessary." - Gareth Anderson (My Tiny Robots)

Kajagoogoo??  Get off my blog!!  This is the new single from odd-poppers My Tiny Robots.  It's out a week today from their Bandcamp site and follows hot on the heels from their free giveaway of the OUTSTANDING Rock Bossa Nova Fourbeat Black.   Until next week, you can hear the new single streaming on Soundcloud by clicking the artwork.

Crater (Mogwai remix) by Laki Mera

"Variable sound waves would love to meet primed ear canal for ritual union. Must be willing to vibrate violently to the sound of one hand clapping." - Laki Mera

Last but by no means least, here's a track from Glasgows Laki Mera's album The Proximity Effect, remixed by the mighty Mogwai.