Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #20

I'm sure you know the drill by now. It's the 16^th of the month, so time for another EP! As always, I've pestered five of my favourite up-and-coming Scottish artists for one of their cracking tracks.  This time 'round we have...

1.  Little Fire - Feel It All ('Tis a great pleasure to have Ayrshire's award-winning Jamie McGeechan on this EP. One of the finest songwriters in this fair land... and a man that knows how to plug!)

"I'm gigging at the Brew at The Bog Festival on the 5th May with Three Blind Wolves, Mike Nisbet, Beerjacket and loads more great artists, then I've a gig with the Queen on May 20th at the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations thing at Glamis Castle, my album will be out this year and I've got a gig with

Joan Armatrading that I'm really looking forward to also. Oh and I'm really looking forward to an event called Third Degree Burns I'm putting on at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum on Saturday 2nd June with Ayrshire musicians Rose Parade and Alan Frew, that will be a good un. thanks!!!" - Jamie McGeechan a.k.a. Little Fire

2.  Brown Bear & The Bandits - War Of Loves (The best thing to come out of Largs since Sam Torrance and Nardini's! Although not on it, this is a great taster of what to expect from their upcoming debut EP.)

"This track War of Loves is one of the first songs we played live and is now a staple in our set, it won't be featuring in our soon to be released E.P. that will be out at the end of March so now is the time to get it before it disappears. Be Excellent To Each Other." - Stuart McArthur (Brown Bear & The Bandits)

3.  New Town Triptych - Never Again (This is the A+ side to their recent, third, and my-favourite-so-far single. You can download the rest here!)

"This is a song about the friends I've lost that I never really had in the first place, sounds depressing but it's surprisingly upbeat... Hope you like it!" - Scott Thomson (New Town Triptych)

4.  The Last September - Tears and Broken Glass (acoustic) (Here's a banjofied version of a track from last years album. It'll be the B-side to their upcoming single This City.)

"The B-side to the single This City is a sort of hillbilly version of the song Tears and Broken Glass from the album As The Crow Flies. I was testing out some mics and stuff in the house and just recorded this acoustic version of the track. I kind of liked its humble charm and then had the idea to ask Stuart Cartwright from Unkle Bob to play some Banjo on it. I think he's really added something magical in an old timery kind of way! It's a nice example of the fun you can have making something when there's no pressure on." - Pete Deane (The Last September)

5.  Ajimal - Your God Is Not In Burgos (demo) (Absolutely stunning! When he's not studying Medicine at Edinburgh University, Fran O'Hanlon makes some of the most exquisite music you're likely to hear all year. Thanks to Fran, you can singalong too! Lyrics are up on the track page.)

"Your God Is Not In Burgos is a song about two very different places, which I came across whilst walking the Camino de Santiago through Spain. I stopped in Burgos, a very pious and historical site, and have never left a place feeling so unwelcome, rejected and angry. I felt that there was very little for me that felt spiritual or 'religious' in Burgos. Then walking on I came to a tiny little church-cum-hostel called San Nicolas, it was an ancient, humble little place and had welcomed pilgrims since the 12th century. I had planned to keep walking that day but stayed to rest a little and get some water. The welcome there was so wonderful and the people so kind and generous that I stayed. They were Italian hospitaleros of the Dominican order, and in Dominican tradition, they washed the feet of the walkers staying there, and cooked us genuine Italian pizza and shared some cakes which they had bought from a nearby monastery. I wrote this song that night on the altar, on an old acoustic guitar and then set off again the next morning. I didn't play it for a long time after that, but I found myself at the same little place the following year and stopped there and played the song again, on that same guitar I'd written it on, a year or so before." - Fran O'Hanlon a.k.a. Ajimal

Not bad eh?!  Well, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do... and the 19 others over on my bandcamp page.  Time to put my feet up for a few days before I start sending pestering emails again.  If you fancy saving me the hassle though and want to appear on a future EP, fire me over a wee email (kowalskiy2@gmail.com) and we'll go from there.

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??

K&A with The Last September

I'm normally never one to pass up a gimmick, so as much as it pains me that I'm posting this before Thursday, I've sat on it long enough, plus I'm gonna try and squeeze in another interview this week  Anyway, after a 5 year hiatus, Edinburgh's The Last September are back with their second album As The Crow Flies.  I was only introduced to the band with their gorgeous recent single Precious Time and its the perfect taster for what is not only a very impressive comeback, but a downright, lovely album too.

   Precious Time by The Last September

With the launch gig preparations taking shape (10^th September at the Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh since you ask), I asked that man above, Pete Deane, a few questions...

Kowalskiy:  Who are The Last September?

Pete:  We're a bunch of pals who have been in a few different bands over the years.  We're sort of half way between a singer-songwriter situation and a conventional band.  I tend to write all the material, but the songs take on their own life once the rest of the guys add their parts.  Which I think is more interesting than simply a band hired to back a singer.

Kowalskiy:  How would you describe 'your sound' to all the good folk out there?

Pete:  I think when we started out years ago there was a slight Americana feel to the band, which was nice at the time, but now we just want to sound like us I think.  We're essentially an Indie band I suppose, but some of those other influences creep in from Americana or folk stuff.  I think a slow drip of influences is much better than all members liking exactly the same stuff and ending up like a pastiche of one or two bands.

Kowalskiy:  After a five year sabbatical, you're back with your second album in a few weeks. So er... why the wait? What have you been up to in the meantime?

Pete:  We split up a few years ago because we simply got a bit fed up with it at the time.  I had personally lost faith in my songwriting and felt like I was simply writing the same songs over and over.  I want to be in a band which always excites me and where I feel like we're genuinely progressing musically or stylistically.  That's why I took the time out and went to study music, which in turn has given me a new thirst and loads of new ideas about the creation of music and the inception of ideas, which in turn made me want to get back in a band again!  We're the band that I wanted us to be six years ago but didn't know how.

Kowalskiy:  So what can you tell us about As The Crow Flies? Is there a story behind it?

Pete:  It may sound an unusual starting point for a record but it began with me having to write music as part of my degree.  That was a weird situation to be judged all along the way, but I think made me explore different styles of writing and different techniques.  I think a lot of the writing process was a real cathartic outlet of frustrations and darker thoughts which hadn't been let out for a while.  It sounds very cliched, but As The Crow Flies represents a journey to me hence the title.  That and the fact that I bloody love birds!  It's another of my themes.

Kowalskiy:  It's only a few weeks 'til the release gig in Edinburgh. Was it a conscious decision to release the album in 'September'?

Pete:  Not at all.  It's purely the way it had worked out.  I'm quite chuffed with that however.  I'm not superstitious but it feels nice.  We've had the album ready to go for a wee while now, but would have been daft I think to do it during the festival.  September just seemed like the next opportunity to do it.

Kowalskiy:  How would you describe a typical Last September live show?

Pete:  I hope we're a band who don't simply make a racket.  There are powerful moments to the sets, but we're not believers in "louder, harder and faster is better" kind of thing.  We use a bit of a mixture of sounds like acoustic guitars and piano and then some noisier stuff when needed.  Jos has built a little activity centre for himself which he beavers away at during the gig, sometimes on his ebow and sometimes tapping on his glockenspiel!  Other than that, we just play pretty songs without too much fanfare or banter.  I'm not Freddie Mercury, so I don't try to be!

Kowalskiy:  What would be your ideal gig?

Pete:  Since I was a nipper I've always loved the Queens Hall in Edinburgh.  It's such a great venue and holds a lot of memories of bands I've seen there.  To fill that place would be incredible.  As long as the gig went well I wouldn't be bothered about any other details!

Kowalskiy:  What other Scottish bands are you listening to at the moment?

Pete:  Hidden Orchestra's debut album Night Walks is fantastic and has been great seeing them have a successful year.  Poppy from the band played some string parts on As The Crow Flies and they're a lovely talented bunch.  Other than that, I still listen a lot to Hobotalk, who haven't released anything for a wee while.  Their keys player Ali Petrie co-produced our album with me and played some keys on the record.  Jeez, sounds like I'm one big name-dropper!

Kowalskiy:  What else can we expect from The Last September in the future?

Pete:  I think we'll release another single sometime in the autumn or winter.  That and just lots more gigs really.  We're really enjoying playing live right now.  Hopefully we can put together a Scottish tour soon.

Kowalskiy:  Anything else you fancy adding??

Pete:  I think I've rambled on enough!

So that's that then.  The Last September release As The Crow Flies on the 12^th September, with the launch gig two days before that in the Wee Red Bar at Edinburgh's College of Art.  Until then, I'll leave you with Ventolin, my favourite track from the album.  Enjoy!

   Ventolin by The Last September

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.