Coastal Skid Spy Wok v12.0

Another hastily put-together notcast this week, so not as much pointless babble between tracks as there usually is. First up we have this sweet piece of music from Suite Pea.  The man behind it is none other than Craig Ferrie of Miniature Dinosaurs and Brazil Exists.  The Ullapool EP is out now on Bandcamp on a name-your-price basis.  And 'tis rather good!

   Ullapoolian by Suite Pea

This only went up a day-or-so ago.  It's the B-side to their not-Olympic-themed new single which is out on the 11^th June.  I feel I've neglected The Last Battle having missed the boat with their previous release The Springwell E.P., which is free now too!  It's completely unintentional I can assure you.  Make it up to them on my behalf by grabbing both the B-side and EP for free now!

   The Crunching ('Hope Is Gold' B-Side) by The Last Battle

These intros aren't as quick as I promised at the start, so let me cut to the chase now.  Woodenbox have a new EP out imminently.  To whet your mariachi-folk-loving appetites, you can download the brilliant King's Liar for free. 

   King's Liar by Woodenbox

Alas, the freebies come to an end now.  But this one is well worth your spare pounds because... Maple Leaves are back!  These pop lovelies have been sorely missed.  New EP Robots more than makes up for them keeping us waiting.  Head over here to get your download and/or CD.

   Robots by Maple Leaves

Came across this one on a trip to The Pop Cop.  'Tis his song of the week and it's just become mine too... closely followed by the B-side These Nights!  You can get it for free over here.  I shall investigate further, so watch this space!

Lover's Eyes by The Sunset Clause

Last up, we have some Interpol-infused rock from Glasgow's It Girl.  Andy from the band emailed me a while back and I've only just gotten around to having a listen.  Needless to say, the fact it's on here, I think this track is great.  There's an album to be had at some point so watch this space.

   Firelight by It Girl

That's all folks. All goes well, we'll have the third guest notcast next Sunday!

2010's Top 10 Albums: #10 - The Last Battle

So begins my countdown of the top 10 albums of the year, and what a year it has been, particularly for Scottish music.  Sure, there's been plenty of outstanding non-Scottish ones this year with The National, Arcade Fire, Get Well Soon and a certain, flamboyant Icelandic chap to name but a few!  I've decided though, to do the patriotic thing, and make it an all Scottish Top 10.  Even that's been a hard slog to narrow down my favourites, with another unlucky THIRTEEN brilliant albums missing out! 

Anyway, as the album cover suggests, it's Edinburgh's The Last Battle who get the ball rolling this year with their fantastic debut Heart Of The Land, Soul Of The Sea.  You can read what I had to say about it earlier this year here, and below are two of the standout tracks for you to have a wee listen to...

As a wee early Christmas pressie, The Last Battle are giving away current single Natures Glorious Rage along with two other tracks on their bandcamp.  Weather permitting, you can also catch them before the end of the year...

Upcoming Gigs

9^th Dec - The Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore

10^th Dec - Musa, Aberdeen

12^th Dec - The Adelphi, Hull

13^th Dec - The Well, Leeds

15^th Dec - The Garage, London

18^th Dec - Kid Canaveral's Xmas Baubles @ The Lot, Edinburgh

23^rd Dec - 3^rd Annual Christmas Songwriters @ Leith Dockers Club, Edinburgh

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

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #5 is out now. Yes, that one above that kinda looks like a goldfish! Once again, I owe a great deal of thanks to the five great Scottish bands who were kind enough to contribute one of their cracking tracks. They are....

1. The Winter Tradition - Firelight (their brilliant recent single!)

"Firelight' was the first track unleashed by newly named 'The Winter Tradition'. The track is to be featured on the bands debut album due to be released summer of 2011." - The Winter Tradition

2. Miaoux Miaoux - Ausable Chasm (track from the 'Rainbow Bubbles'-era)

"This track was made shortly after the release of my first record 'Rainbow Bubbles'. I've never been to Ausable Chasm (it's in America) but if I did, I imagine this is what it would sound like, big and deep. For more noises like this, come see me play live" - Julian Corrie (Miaoux Miaoux)

3. JJ Bull - Duck Soup (acoustic version of his album opener)

"The song is a simple one about not being able to get something you want, no matter what you do; which in this case was a particular girl. This song kind of kick-started the whole of 'Ou Sont Les Elephants' and I'm very fond of it. It also highlights why writing about personal things can lead to awkward conversations but if lyrics aren't honest and are about something I can't relate to then I don't really care" - Joseph 'JJ' Bull

4. Dead Boy Robotics - Symmetry Of The Elusive Wolves (demo) (unmastered track from their upcoming debut album)

"The song is from our as-yet-untitled 10 track album, which was recorded at Chamber Studios, Edinburgh, in September. It is currently being mixed at Tape Studio, Edinburgh by Stephen Watkins. We plan to release it in the 1st half of 2011..." - Gregor McMillan (Dead Boy Robotics)

5. The Last Battle - Song From The Last Battle (was going to be the hidden track on their debut album)

"A song that was meant to make it onto the album as a hidden track but never did. The boys in the band wanted it in there but the girls didn't so they won. No one outside the band has ever heard it. Its a nice wee 2 minute long thing. " - Scott Longmuir (The Last Battle)

Thanks a lot to everyone who contributed. If you like the sound of it, the EP is now up for free download over on my bandcamp page along with the first 4 EP's and the special Foxgang and Define Pop Festival EPs. Enjoy!

EP #6 will be out on 16^th December.  Consider it my early Christmas pressie to one and all.   That EP is already under way.  If there's any bands out there who fancy following in The Winter Tradition's footsteps and volunteer a track for one of these EPs, then send me a wee email.

Kowalskiy Belated Review #3

Skibunny - Hugs
I'll be honest. Whenever I get an album from "promoters, remixers, DJs", it doesn't bode well for a review on Kowalskiy. That kinda music is just not usually my thing. Every-so-often though, the odd one comes along that does strike a chord with me. Hugs, the debut from Edinburgh/Belfast's Skibunny, is an album packed full of them. Kicking things off is the chilled-out electropop of recent single Aah Ooh which draws comparisons with The Postal Service, while edgier disco anthems Up Down, Walk Don't Walk and Stand Up are reminiscent of Sweden's finest, The Sounds. There's half a dozen or so choruses on this album that'll haunt your every, waking hour! Guest appearances from The Go! Team and Maps cap off a great album and show Skibunny have already made friends in high places. I'm sure they'll be making a few new friends off the back of this album too.

The Scottish Enlightenment - Little Sleep EP
I had every intention of featuring this on time, I really did! Sorry guys! Anyhoo, The Scottish Enlightenment's follow-up to their acclaimed Pascal EP is now out, and like its predecessor, it's turning quite a few heads. The opening, title track grabs your attention straight away from its anthemic White Lies-esque intro to its brooding, endless post-rock guitar close. Things are relaxed a notch or two with the cracking Get My Limousine, a sly dig at the seeming ease of fame these days which takes time to name-check two judges from a certain Saturday night talent show! It's the 7-minute atmospheric epic When You Hate Me though which stands out for me. All-in-all, this is how an EP should be. Each track contributes something a little bit different and all add up to create a cracking, understated post-rock EP! Plus, at 5-tracks it's the ideal size.... in my completely unbiased opinion!

The Last Battle - Heart Of The Land, Soul Of The Sea
Last, but by no means least, is something a wee bit special from Edinburgh's The Last Battle. Recently, just about every Scottish music blog and more than a few other sites have been heaping praise on the sextet's debut album Heart Of The Land, Soul Of The Sea. I'll be no different! The latest band to emerge from Scottish's incredible alt-folk 'scene' well-and-truly stand out from the pack. Tracks like Ruins and personal favourite Nature's Glorious Rage are up there with the best examples of what this all-encompassing genre has produced lately. The opening and closing title tracks paint the picture of two star-crossed lovers, a theme which is present throughout this stunning album. The heartbreaking Soul Of The Sea has to be the most perfect ending to any album this year. A gorgeous, gentle build up into dreamlike harmonies capped off by the unmistakable vocals of the wonderful Neil 'Meursault' Pennycook. Just stunning! With any luck, 2011, if not 2010, will be the year of The Last Battle.