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!
 

K&A with Prince Edward Island

Say hello to London-based Prince Edward Island.  Not content with releasing one of the years best singles in the recent You look like I need a drink, they followed it up last week with arguably, one of the best albums of the year too.   Hardly surprising though from a band billed as 'a happy Arab Strap'.  What's not to like about that!  Their debut album This day is a good enough day is chock full of upbeat quirky songs (and slightly weird song titles) offset by the dark Scottish humour of frontman Darren Bruce.  It really is a wee bit of an understatement to say this album is a very good album indeed!

   Prince Edward Island - You look like I need a drink

I asked Darren a few probing questions.  So here's what he had to say about the band, the unusual circumstances surrounding their big break, and his marketing proposal for Bassetts.  You can take the boy out of Scotland...

Kowalskiy:  Hey folks! Who are Prince Edward Island?

Darren:  A Scot, obviously, and a lass from the debatable lands, and some other riff-raff from around the fringes.

Kowalskiy:  How did the band all get together?

Darren:  Well...it wasn’t an advert in MNE or through a module at Brit School. The normal way, I guess, through work and social drinking. And then Phil bought some recording equipment and that was that. It’s still just a big excuse for a drink and a natter.

Kowalskiy:  You got your first break in quite unusual circumstances. Do explain!

Darren:  The short version is someone sent our song to Xfm who were running an unsigned band competition at the time. Basically the listeners voted for their favourite song to be played on the radio that week. What we didn’t know was they were running a simultaneous competition for unsigned bands to play at the O2 festival and somehow our CD got added to the bag. For reasons still unknown to us we won both. And we didn’t even bother to rig the voting. In fact we actively dissuaded all our friends from voting, primarily as the song we entered was the only song we had. Hardly enough for a 45 min showcase set. I can still remember the strange feeling of euphoria and panic when they announced the winners.

Kowalskiy:  You're debut album This day is a good enough day is out at the end of the month, and a very impressive album it is too! Is there a story behind it? How'd you describe it for those who haven't heard of you?

Darren:  Well, ta very much. There’s lots of stories behind it none of which I’m going to share with you. Primarily they illustrate our poorly spent and often unsuccessful lives to date. And it’s about sex.  More specifically, it’s a bunch of miserable buggers trying to make sense of their previous mistakes set against a 3 minute pop song melody. And did I mention it’s about failed sex.

Kowalskiy:  There's a lot of influences running through it. Who/what/where have had the biggest impact on your music?

Darren:  Any number of influences (Chemical Underground, punk, childhood, John Peel, Jenny from 3rd Year Chemistry who broke my heart...etc) but music-wise ‘a happy Arab Strap’ is usually the one that’s thrown at us most which frankly we’re more than happy to accept. There are some eclectic ones hidden away in there too that might not be immediately recognisable to the listening public. From a lawyer’s point of view that’s probably a good thing.

Kowalskiy:  With the Scottish connection in the band, are there any plans afoot to come north of the border and tour?

Darren:  Err..we have done. Where the hell were you?

Kowalskiy:  Kicking myself!  So, for anyone else whose missed out, what's a typical PEI gig like?

Darren:  Usually fun for us but I can’t speak for the audience. I imagine, if nothing else, we provide sufficient visual intrigue to keep people interested beyond the first beer. Then we’ve pretty much got them until they sober up.

Kowalskiy:  What'd be your ideal gig?  Any place, era, venue, support acts, celebrity roadies, entourage, backstage snacks etc etc.....anything you like really!

Darren:  Ah, now there’s a question. Okay, I’m going with –

• Stornoway, Isle of Lewis
• Late 70’s (punk, innit)
• Sounds In The Grounds Festival (look it up...)
• Aidan & Malcolm obviously
• Emmanuelle Beart (look her up...)
• and beer-flavoured Jelly Babies (made it up...)

There’s a definite marketing opportunity there though. Look, if ACDC can release a range of wines for chrissakes...’PEI Piss Babies’. Yep, I like it.  (You could be onto something quite unique!  This is the closest I could find.)

Kowalskiy:  Pardon the Scottish theme again, by are there any new Scottish bands on your iPods at the moment?

Darren:  Not necessarily new but current Scottish fodder includes Broken Records, My Latest Novel, the entire Delgados back catalogue etc, etc.  As for Phil, he doesn’t have an iPod. To be honest he has enough difficulty operating the van door and Faye just prefers to stalk bands. She finds it much more immediate.

Kowalskiy:  What else can we expect from PEI in the near/not-so-near future?

Darren:  The usual amount of laziness and general inability to focus our collective mind. We seem to take a painfully long time to achieve anything. I offer you exhibit A, this album. 5 bloody years. Then again, maybe that’s no bad thing - some things benefit from a bit of fermentation.

Kowalskiy:  Anything else you'd like to add?

Darren:  Nope, I don’t think so unless Bassett’s want to get in touch? Oh, and thanks for not asking where we got our name. Pets will sleep well tonight.

This Is A Good Enough Day is out now via Crocfingers Record.  You can have a listen to it on SoundCloud and get yourself a copy over here.  Here's one more to whet your appetite.

   Prince Edward Island - Are your mother-in-law and your mother in love?

 

Kowalskiy Singles Club #6

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...

Moon Yodel by The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse

"Half-eaten, star-gazing horse seeks enlightened wonder for nocturnal tea parties. Must be fluent in hieroglyphics and paper mache with a keen interest in space travel. Access to a coin operated helicopter would be considered an asset." - RAMisco

Ladies... and gentlemen, if strange, eagle-headed men do it for you, then look no further than The Horse.  He's back with two FREE tracks for you to wrap your lugs around.  They're a bit more 'spacey' than his previous material, but mini belters nevertheless.  Just click on the wee upside-down green man to the left! 

LOVES005 from Gerry Loves Records
feat. Lady North/PAWS

"Slim, youthful male with split personality seeks nerdy older lady for sweaty dancing and fun. GSOH not required. Must love long walks on the beach and Japanese literature. Weird fetishes a plus." - Andy Lobban (Gerry Loves Records)

The saviours of the 7" are back with another two brilliant bands.  So if you've any weird fetishes, perhaps you're into vinyl in a big way, then Andy's your man.  The bands have done the artwork for the record which has 3 tracks, plus 3 more downloads available with your purchase.  Check out GLR's back catalogue too for more vinyl treats!

Evans Throne/Love Will Always Come by The Cat That Walks Alone

"Absent minded, successful business man WLTM like minded person for coalition pact and treaties. Must be head of a major nation with good ties to oil. GSOH and conflict a must. Hobbies include travelling, talking and contradiction" - Cameron Laing (The Cat That Walks Alone)

A great couple of tracks here from Cameron Laing a.k.a. The Cat That Walks Alone.  Surprisingly cheery and upbeat for such a tragic sounding name.  Poor loney cat!  Anyway, it's his debut single and it's out at the end of August through Align Romance, but you can pre-order it now on Bandcamp.  Just click the lonely cat to the left and it can be yours! 

Deathbed Conversion/The View From Ebury Bridge by Will Hanson

"Heartfelt singer/songwriter, prone to over exaggeration, will take over the world next year." - Will Hanson

In an ideal world that's just what would happen!  Now, why had I not heard of Will Hanson before?!!  Both tracks are stunning, as are all the rest on his Soundcloud.   With an album in the offing, expect to hear a lot more of Will in the future.  Until then, get your hands on this single!

You Look Like I Need A Drink by Prince Edward Island

"Bitter, unsuccessful aging losers wallowing in a never-ending stream of self-loathing and aching loneliness looking for needy leech-like hangers-on to abuse with dull stories, poor sex and Greatest Hits albums. Must have own van." - Prince Edward Island

Last but not least, it's the wonderful London-based Prince Edward Island.  Imagine a cheery Arab Strap and you're on the right track.  So if you're needy, into poor sex, and have a van, then you're in for an absolute treat!