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!
 

The Little Kicks - The Little Kicks Kommentary

I've not really been the sort to do the whole 'track-by-track' thing other than my brief soiree into it with Trapped Mice a year ago.  It may have something to do with the fact that it involves the post going up before the release - something almost unheard of around these parts.  That being said, when Steven Milne from Aberdeen's The Little Kicks sent me their fantastic second album and asked if I was up for it, one listen was enough for me to give him a resounding YES!

The eponymous second album is out on the 26^th of November but you can pre-order the album (for a limited time only) here.  Here's Steven to tell you all about the tracks, and you can have an exclusive wee listen to each below.  I'll pipe in with my two cents too...

"Our new album is our second album release –debut album (“Boxing Clever” was released in 2009). We recorded the album over the summer in Edinburgh at the Depot Studios which is a great studio space by the Shore in Edinburgh ran by Craig Ross (Broken Records/ Easy Tigers).

We’re all really excited about being at the point now where we get to let people hear the songs so it’s nice to be able to fill in a bit of background on what shaped the finished product." - Steven Milne

Intro/Anti-Work Song

Anti Work Song was probably the hardest song to get down. I remember we were going to give up on the Intro idea until it was saved by adding some weirdness by playing an electric guitar against a table through a Space Echo unit. The main song itself came from listening to old disco music that usually bases itself around one key/chord/note but has a lot of intricate parts which add up to an overall groove. Talking Heads and APB do this really well as do a lot of other more modern bands (Hot Chip etc). Lyrically its pretty self explanatory- it’s about hating your job and not wanting to be a slave to it. We’ve been starting with this live and it seems to be a good party starter.

Kowalskiy Verdict:  This funky little number shows a slightly different side to The Little Kicks than what we're used to.  Still, that's a very good thing indeed.  By the time it hits the refrain at the end, the party will well-and-truly have been started!

Before Today

I bought a Korg MS10 synth off EBay last year – I had wanted one for years. I was very lucky in that they rarely come up there and also never go cheaply but luckily for me I got a bargain (relatively). One of the first things I wrote on it was this songs main riff but the song and lyrics didn’t come till much later. It started as a really soft acoustic song almost like The National with a low vocal. I took it to the band and switched back to the MS10 as opposed to guitar and the song completely changed. It was a great example of us writing collaboratively and for the better. The acoustic version goes down well too though so were going to do a recorded version of it in the near future for a B-Side.

Kowalskiy Verdict:  Now that's more like The Little Kicks I've grown to love!  Upbeat indie-pop, insanely-catchy ooh-la-la-la's, and a huge singalong ending.  Two songs in, and already it all seems much more polished and tighter compared to their brilliant debut.  Loving the Korg too!

Making Big Decisions

Lyrically this song is about writers block as I had a long time when I couldn’t write anything and felt pretty unsettled by it. Then this song came out of nowhere one night and the words just fell into place over it. Of the new tracks it’s probably the closest of the tracks (along with “Call Of Youth”) to the perceived sound of The Little Kicks of old. We did try and subvert it and play around with it but in essence that beat and feel it has are pretty popular in modern songs for a reason. We felt it served the song better to play it as it was written – as a jangly indie pop song. I’ve been told it’s probably the one you’d most likely hear on a radio -here’s hoping that’s true.

Kowalskiy Verdict:  Steven's right, this is the Don't Give Up So Easily of the album, the track which, were there any justice in the music world, would see The Little Kicks get the widespread acclaim this album, and indeed they themselves, rightly deserve.

Loosen Up

This song took a long time to write but it is my favourite song on the album. It initially had no middle eight and was more along the lines of an 8 minute electronic jam. We abandoned that and honed, trimmed and tightened it. We went to town on the synths as every new layer we added seemed to take it somewhere else so we just kept going. We have played this song out and it seems to be the song that most people ask about to make sure it’s on the album. We managed to mix of a heap of influences together on this one including everything from Fela Kuti style drums to Blondie guitar to DFA style synths and claps. The title is the name of a club night we run in our home-town.

Kowalskiy Verdict:  This song had me nervous listening to it first time 'round.  Good nervous mind you.  It slowly builds up, layer upon layer, and you just know it's gonna eventually kick off!  When it does (and even beforehand) it's brilliant.  Another funky masterpiece!  It's easy to see why it's Steven's favourite.

The First Place

When I first demo-ed this song I never thought it would ever be playable live. In my head I could hear so much going on (brass parts alongside harmonies and percussion etc) and we are a 4 piece. This song wouldn’t work without the extras so it made our decision for us that on this record that we not be shy to add things that couldn’t be played live. Lyrically I wrote it when I was in a pretty frustrating situation and the band was always coming second for me which was getting me down. I worked in a music venue 24/7 but had no time for my own music so I was pretty downbeat at the time. We have played it live with guest brass players and it goes down really well- girls particularly seem to really like it.

Kowalskiy Verdict:  I go back to what I've said in many a post on Kowalskiy.  Steven Milne is one of, and in fact, at this moment in time, I'd probably go as far as to say, thee best songwriter around these parts.  This gorgeous , brassy, slow-burner could have been lifted straight from his outstanding solo debut last year, but instead it takes pride of place here slap-bang in the middle of the album.  Out of all of Steven's frustration has come pure songwriting perfection! 

Call Of Youth

This was the first song we recorded. We made it a single in the summer as a teaser for the new album. I guess it’s too long really to be a “single” but it was going down well live and it’s very upbeat so we wanted to share it. It has an influence from old Motown and older pop which has those kinds of clean jaunty guitars and rolling bass. Lyrically it was a bit of a dig at someone who shapes their tastes and opinions on what they think they should like instead of what they actually like. Hipsters essentially -for lack of a better word – really annoy me. It’s fairly close to the LKs “sound” of old but I think its way beefier and rockier than anything we’ve done before and a good stepping stone song for linking the two albums.

Kowalskiy Verdict:  The first single, and the only track I'd heard before I was sent the album.  'Twas a great choice to build up some hype.  From the pulsating drum beat, jangly guitars, through the singalong chorus, all the way to the haunting outro, the track perfectly sums up the album. 

Do Something New

I think bands like Orange Juice or Mystery Jets are great. This is an attempt to make one of those kinds of summery pop songs tracks in their vein. I wrote it very quickly but the band version has changed a million times before now since it was first written. It’s become shorter and leaner along the way and poppier too. The Outro has potential sing-along quality to it which is fun and when we recorded it we had fun adding Violin (courtesy of Rory from Broken Records), Moog synths and group vocals. We wanted it to be a really fun track and I think that comes across.

Kowalskiy Verdict:  If I was pushed, I'd say this is my favourite.  Is it the fact that, at many times throughout, it sounds like it's gonna burst into an '80s disco anthem?  Is it the lots of lovely, subtle layers, harmonies and melodies all intertwined?  Is it that Rory from Broken Records is there with his violin?  Or is it the great big smile that forms on your face as it comes to an end?  It is in fact, all those and much, much more!

Far Too Honest

This song comes from the same place as Loosen Up where there is an almost Latin influence to it. It’s another song that we wrote quite early on together but it wasn’t until we got into the studio and heard it back that it really came together. It’s quite moody for us and gets quite heavy but I think it’s a nice way to wrap up the record as a book end with Anti Work Song. This was the first track we wrote with our new drummer and the first example that we could write together. It started as me having a chord progression on a synth and a melody and become the finished product by jamming it out over time as a unit and was that was a big first for us.

Kowalskiy Verdict: Moody and heavy to say the least!  I love the atmospheric synth that permeates the whole track, complimenting the Latin-influenced guitars and drums.  But what I love the most is this heavier side to The Little Kicks, lots of power and passion like all things Latin should be.  Bravo!

So all-in-all, a very, very welcome return from The Little Kicks, and a huge thanks to Steven for his track-by-track walkthrough of the album.  With so much going on, so many little subtleties, a wee tweak of their usual style here and there, throwing in some brass, string and synths, I can imagine it'd be easy for things to become over-complicated and simply not work.   No such problem for The Little Kicks though.  They have absolutely nailed it! 

The Little Kicks' self-titled second album is out on the 26^th of November.  If you like the track previews above, then you can pre-order the album here.

Kowalskiy Singles Club #3

Time for Kowalskiy to play matchmaker once again as I try to pair you up with half-a-dozen-or-so 'singles'.  Each one, gorgeous in it's own way, is more than worthy of a place in your hearts/music libraries.  Before we see how our singles got on last time round, lets have a look at the new hopefuls.  If any do it for you, then click on the cover art and get better acquainted.  Happy downloading...

Girly by The Machine Room

"Long enough to make love to, doesn't wet the bed anymore and will make you breakfast.“ - The Machine Room

Ever by Dead Boy Robotics

"Hexagonally limbed, three headed new wave nerd, seeks the progressively minded for creating epic Vangelisian soundscapes and summoning thunderstorms with tribal drum pummelings.  Must like our owl, glitter and Xbox live. 4EVER" - Dead Boy Robotics

Two singles for the price of one!  This is the first in what will hopefully be a lot of split singles from Edinburgh's Tape Studios!  Released on the 23^rd May.  More below...

Darkness Coming by Galleries

"Grandiose, non-gender specific, lonely heart with no trace of a sense of humour and as old as time itself seeks similar. Enjoys black and white film, walking in the dark and large quantities of sound.  Must have a good imagination and a void in their soul." - David (Galleries)

Fit the bill?  Then click on the cover art!

History/Hallam by The Spook School

"Early/not-yet twenties indie-pop band seek friendly ears. Boy-girl-boy-girl harmonies, jingly-jangly guitars, lots of reverb, partially-naked drumming and GSOH. Likes walks by the seaside, John Cleese, androgyny. Will you eat Jaffa Cakes with us?" - Naomi Todd (The Spook School)

Well, will you?  (Please note: Must supply your own Jaffa Cakes)

Call Of Youth by The Little Kicks

"For us Call of Youth = a summery indie pop song with a stack of catchy vocal hooks, nice shiny guitars and a fair bit of balls thrown in for good measure. It also has a deliberately big thumping outro- just like all the best songs should have!" - The Little Kicks

So if you fancy a teaser from these Aberdonians' second album, then click on the cover art for your FREE download!

If that's not enough, let's hear from one of the men behind the Tape Singles Club.  I give you Mr. Stephen Watkins...

"Big shot record producer/scarecrow impersonator exquisitely tailored in female fashion, equally afraid of germs & sleep seeks fun outgoing rekkid buying humans with similar outlook. And money. For possible barter agreement or otherwise May 23rd. Cheers."

Why should you get to know Stephen Tape?
"Possible 1% royalty prospect, will fire your rhythm section and program the Linn drum. Interested in cutting goddamn records ( hitz ) , Solid State Logic console dynamics, Dimension D's, Lexicon 480's, distressing snares, room mics, aqua eyeliner, Pike Place roast. Having a G. Lagavulin on the ROAKZ. Can't cook. Can mix. Looks a bit like Dr Who n that. Casual. G.S.O.F***ING.H."

He describes his ideal match:  "Trevor Horn. All Terts with coin and a record player.  Fans of the Machine Room / Dead Boy Robotics / The big sound YO.

Country of origin: United Kingdomz
Location: Bang in the centre of your Edinburgh.
Gender: Male I think
Age: Twentys Nine
Star Sign: Leo
Height: 6'1" ( loads of cm )
Status: Cheerz
Looking for: Penpals, Fans, People who are ok with him widening the space time continuum by connecting 3 Dimension D's together in series. Anyone at all to buy a vinyl copy of Tape Singles Club #1.
Have children: Yes, nonidentical twins, Dead Boy Robotics & The Machine Room. Born May 23rd 2011.
Want Children: Yes. Having it off with my console is loved.
Education: You bet your ass
Occupation: Record Producer / Mixer at TAPE
Income: More than 50,000pence a year.
Ethnicity: White/Coakasianz
Home Language: Absolute STATE.
Other Languages: Fairlight Page R
Religion: NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh
Do you tweet: I twot - @stephentape

All I can say is... approach with caution!  If you've bought any of these singles and want to report back on how you've both been getting on, then drop me a line at kowalskiy2@gmail.com and I may pop one or two up on the next post.

K&A with The Little Kicks

Having contributed a track to Kowalskiy EP #2 and being the L in my Scottish A-Z, Aberdeen's The Little Kicks are no strangers to this blog. That being said, how much do we really know about them??

With that in mind, I posed them a few questions. Here's what frontman Steven Milne had to say...

Kowalskiy: Who are The Little Kicks?
Steven: The Little Kicks are a four piece band from Scotland who are based in Aberdeen. We are four individuals who very much enjoy playing together despite somehow all liking different bands - maybe it helps to keep it interesting as somehow it comes together really well. We are Toby (lead guitar), Lewis (bass), Scott (drums) and myself Steven (vocals, guitar, keys). We may be adding people to that list very shortly but for now there's four of us.

Kowalskiy: How did the band get together, and what's the story behind your name?
Steven: I guess quite a while back, I was in bands (mostly awful ones) in my teens from 14 onwards in Aberdeen that basically fell apart despite my best efforts. None of them had ever been my own band as I'd always been a bit part but I had written a lot of songs and had found my confidence growing as a singer. From that I met Toby at a party who was into a lot of the same music and influences and from there we played acoustic for a bit and made an EP as the Little Kicks with a different rhythm section to what we have now. The EP did really well but following that the said rhythm section fell apart and (probably the best thing that happened to us) we recruited new friends (at the time) Lewis and Bobb to play bass and drums respectively. Very quickly we hit it off and collected a good following and found ourselves getting tighter and writing more and more. As a result we were being offered lots of good gigs and even festival slots so we recorded another two EPs along the way before we found ourselves (over the course of a summer) playing with the likes of Editors, The Kooks, Maccabees, Sunshine Underground and T in the Park. Following that summer we decided to take a break to write and disappeared for a while and the decision was we should make an album which we brought out last year in 2009. Shortly after the release of Boxing Clever, which we are all very proud of, our drummer Bobb got an offer to live in Japan and made a move abroad, so we again stopped for a while to re-group but decided to carry on. We are still pals. In November last year we began gigging again and writing with a new drummer (Scott) and also a new sense of purpose (you learn a lot when you put an album out) and that brings us up to date. We're now working on new songs and the plan is to work on a new album for next year. The guts of it is written but I need to show the band the songs and then we need to practice!

Kowalskiy: OK, one sentence. Describe the band's sound.
Steven: Upbeat, melodic, catchy, indie disco pop music.

Kowalskiy: You're about to hit the studio to work on your follow-up album to your cracking debut Boxing Clever. Can we expect something a little bit different? Any hints as to what (and when) we can expect?
Steven: We actually just came back from recording last weekend. So far we have done three tracks and they are coming out really well. I think our second album will surprise a lot of people judging by these early songs we have. We have very different influences compared to before and it's coming across in the music that we're prepared to be a bit more experimental than before. We were always hesitant to not add too much in the studio that can't be played live, but we've realised that is the point of doing an album! So I guess that's different for a start. The three tracks we have recorded are very different to each other but are still hooked by our style to be cohesive. One is called Do Something New and sounds like one of those catchy summer singles that get in your head for days, another is called Call of Youth and it was initially the weakest track in my mind but now it's recorded, it's really come together and is a possible single too so hopefully they all turn out like that! It will likely be aimed for a Spring/Summer release in 2011 - no point in rushing.

Kowalskiy: Will there be a tour to accompany the release?
Steven: There will be eventually but before we get to that point I have a solo album I want to promote for a while and we need to rehearse the new material and write as many songs as possible together so it will be a wee while before we tour fully. We have dates coming up with headline shows in Aberdeen booked to play some new songs and also some offers to do out of town shows so we'll see but from November 1st until likely end of December I'll be gigging the solo albums arse off so it'll be writing time for the LKs!

Kowalskiy: What would be your ideal gig?
Steven: I think we've been quite lucky to play with a lot of bands on their way up so that's a tough one. My favourite band live is LCD Soundsystem closely followed by The National so a triple bill with them would be a dream. Preferably in a tiny sweaty venue like The Lemon Tree or 13th Note if were talking really small. Or a packed tent at T in the Park - that would mean a lot to me and be very special.

Kowalskiy: What's been your highlight of being in the band so far?
Steven: Japan was cool but it nearly killed me! I think we overdid it shall we say at Hogmanay and gave Scotland a bad name! Highlight for me has to be probably either supporting Maximo Park in the Caird Hall to 2000 people - that was mental. OR when we played T in the Park, the T-Break tent was full. We worked so hard all weekend to spread the word and flyer the festival as we were up against Kasabian / Interpol and Kings of Leon! When it came to 8pm on the Sunday I couldn't look in before we went on in case it was dead and when we walked on we just got this massive roar - that is something I'll never forget. Weirdly, I know it isn't the be all and end all of gigging and we don't even play any of the same songs as we did then but we were young and excited and it was a big deal at the time!

Kowalskiy: Glasgow and Edinburgh seem to hog the limelight when it comes to new bands. Are there any local Aberdeen bands you'd recommend we sit up and take notice of?
Steven: We are quite pally with a lot of Aberdeen bands and I think there is a good, if small scene in Aberdeen. I'd recommend Indian Red Lopez, Right Hand Left, Stanley, Joseph Bull, Copy Haho and Debutant as acts that have come from Aberdeen and I think have great music/ songs.

Kowalskiy: What else can we expect from The Little Kicks in the future?
Steven: Hmm, don't want to guarantee anything but I think our second album will be really strong and I'm looking forward to working on that. I think we have it in us to make some really great music at the moment so that's the plan is to focus on that. Gig wise, we need to tour more and work harder at building a following up again out of Scotland (which we achieved for a while but lost after our writing break) and there is still a lot of life in the debut album to push also - so in short, we have plenty to get on with!

Kowalskiy: Any interesting/unusual/embarrassing facts about the band/bandmember you'd like to share before we go?
Steven: Hmm, I don't think there is anything that can be public - ha! We all have embarrassing traits that we like to mock each other frequently! Thankfully when your quite close you can go quite far without being punched. Scandalous items aside, its pretty boring - normally Lewis get his Warwick bass mocked for being a "Jazz" bass, Scott makes a horrific drum face when playing which we all like to mock, Toby is English so in a band of Scots that can be quite readily mentioned and its well known that among other things my in-between song banter is pretty shit so there's plenty to slag me for! But any real embarrassments I think would be best saved for over a pint as opposed to here.

Upcoming Gigs
23^rd Oct - Snafu, Aberdeen
29^th Dec - Cafe Drummonds, Aberdeen (DJ set)
27^th Jan - Snafu, Aberdeen (supporting We Were Promised Jetpacks)
28^th Jan - Hootenanny's, Inverness
29^th Jan - Electric Circus, Edinburgh

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #2

It's the 16th (at least that's what this post will forever say) of the month, so it's time for another Kowalskiy's Free 5-track Scottish EP. Once again I've batted my eyelids at some of my favourite Scottish bands around to bring you 5 more rare and/or exclusive tracks. This month, on EP #2, we have these super-talented souls:

1. Beerjacket - "VCR" (a cover of The Xx's debut album track)

"The Xx album is darkly romantic and epic in its intimacy. VCR is a pretty succinct portrayal of this. I hope your readers enjoy the countrified Beerjacket version, recorded one night on 4-track" - Peter Kelly (Beerjacket)

2. The Fusiliers - "Out Here In The Rain (live)" (recorded live, on minidisc, at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh in February 2009)

"Out Here In The Rain is what happens when you ask a heavy metal drummer to put a disco beat to a heartfelt acoustic break up ballad" - Jonny Wilson (The Fusiliers)

3. Evil Hand - "Returned In Time" (exclusive demo from his upcoming EP)

"It's pretty heavily effects laden, once again, but I do enjoy the walls of fx surrounding the acoustic & vocals, which were the original parts of the song. It's the first track I've written for an EP I plan to release in a couple of months, and I'm spending more time perfecting this Evil Hand release than I have done in the past. There's 3 tracks finished now and a couple more in the works so hopefully it'll all work well together." - Derek Bates (Evil Hand)

4. The Little Kicks - "I Know It's Over (live)" (recorded live at The Mill before its revamp)

"It's the second track off of the Little Kicks album Boxing Clever and is basically a punchy upbeat melodic guitar led pop song which is usually a live favorite. It was originally a slower subdued song but then I re-wrote it with influences in mind like Jetpacks, Mystery Jets and early Strokes. It's about a guy I know who has things much better than he realizes but still complains all the time - I guess everyone knows someone like that - the message in the chorus is if things are bad they can only get better If you just keep on trying. It's a good example of the band making a song better as when I took it to the band it changed shape massively. I initially wanted to ditch the chorus completely thinking it was weak but they said it was good and between us we made it work. It's really fun to sing live and I like the album version a lot because it has double tracked tambourines and synths on it which were fun to record." - Steven Milne (The Little Kicks)

5. Washington Irving - "Parts (demo)" (demo recorded live on a pier! )

"I am afraid I'm at a bit of a loss about how to describe the track. It's a song Joe has written that we've been trying to make into a full band effort but keep ballsing it up so we just ended up doing a wee acoustic recording anyway. Joe plays it on a pier!" - Chris McGarry (Washington Irving)

Thanks to each and every one of them for giving up their time, and of course, their song. I can't thank you enough!

Anyway, for those who like the sound of it, the EP is now up for free download on my shiny bandcamp page along with last month's EP #1. Hope you enjoy it!

Time now to get cracking on EP #3. So far, it's looking pretty good and might just be the first one where I'm not rushing about last minute! Once again though, if you have a mouthwatering exclusive or rare track and fancy appearing on a future EP, then send me a wee email.

L is for .....The Little Kicks!

I seen The Little Kicks woo the T-Break stage at T in the Park a few years ago and have followed them ever since (albeit from afar). Earlier this year they (finally) self-released their debut album "Boxing Clever". It's a smashing wee album so get it bought!! It begs the question "Why are they not huge?". Standout track "Don't Give Up So Easily" is one of those songs that you find yourself ooooh-ing to out loud in the car, then just won't leave your head all day!

Take my advice and go see them!

Upcoming Gigs
11 Nov - Cafe Drummonds, Aberdeen (supporting Broken Records)
20 Nov - Mad Hatters, Inverness
22 Nov - Nice N Sleazy's, Glasgow
27 Nov - Doghouse, Dundee
28 Nov - The End, Newcastle
29 Nov - The GRV - Edinburgh

Here's some rave reviews...

"Their set is another winner; the jangly guitars and pounding rhythms, reminiscent at times of a less electronic New Order, if there is any justice then The Little Kicks shall be massive." - The Fly

"Despite claiming to be influenced by Radiohead, The Little Kicks still manage to make upbeat disco-rock. Lead singers Steven’s voice does emcompass Thom Yorke’s drawl, but he’s got a bit of Richard Ashcroft to him too. Mixed with Smiths-like melodies it’s pretty fresh-sounding stuff.” - NME

mp3: The Little Kicks - Don't Get Up So Easily
mp3: The Little Kicks - One More Time