Coastal Skid Spy Wok v18.0

Apologies for how quiet things have been on here of late.  I've been a busy bee, but I'll try and get my finger out so you're not forced to read two of these notcasts in succession again!  What with guest hosts and festival specials, it's been three weeks now since I had a proper trawl through SoundCloud and shared my favourite findings with you.  So here goes...

...starting with a beautiful, bearded man with whom I enjoyed a very, very sweet victory recently.  Something I plan on repeating this Tuesday.  Scottish Fiction... you've been well warned! 

   Michael Rocket by The Pictish Trail

Yup, none other than The Pictish Trail.  Around now, he's probably just about cleaned up the last of the mess left over from last weekend's Fence Records Away Game.  From what I hear, it was predictably spectacular.   Michael Rocket will feature on Johnny's upcoming 7" EP, The Summer Is Empty Of Idiots, which you can pre-order here as part of the Buff Tracks series.  Moving onto someone I've not featured on Kowalskiy in quite a while.  I noticed recently that the lovable Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse had uploaded a new, FREE track on his website.  As per usual, it's brilliant.  You can download Nowhere Know Where from his site and then head back here to have a listen to this 'orned beast from his debut album One Zero One Zero One Zero.

   My 'Orns by Ramisco Maki Maki

Strange, strange man... but we wouldn't have him any other way!  We'll continue this week's whistle-stop tour of SoundCloud with this gorgeous, new, acoustic offering from Penguins Kill Polar Bears with a little help from i build collapsible mountains.

   Scarce (Acoustic) by penguinskillpolarbears

A big surprise this one, but a very refreshing change of direction. Saying that, you still cannae beat a bit of this from February's Vessels & Veins EP which you can snap up over here.

   Lungs by Penguins Kill Polar Bears (courtesy of A Badge Of Friendship)

Now here's a lovely new one from Bottle Of Steven, him what is also in Bottle Of Evil, who "was playing around with good intent and this fell out".  True story!  It's free too, so be sure to grab a copy while you can. 

   Darkest Fools by Bottle of Steven

While I'm on topic, as I was getting those links above, I happened across this from Benbecula Records... yoink!  Right, time for one more track.  'Tis only a wee one.  You'll all know I love How To Swim.  Well, along with the wonderful trio of The Paraffins, The Plimptons and Gums! (and others of course), they've contributed to The Littlest Album 4.0, a collection of one-minute tracks available on vinyl from September.  You can pre-order it over here if this tickles your fancy.

   Condensed History of Rock (Berkeley's Folly) by How To Swim

And as I've not has Apology Corner for a while... supergroup Gums! have a free EP out which I keep forgetting to feature.  You can get your hands on it over here.  Tell them I sent you!

Straight From The Horse's Mouth

Let me introduce myself, I'm The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse, I've never reviewed a record in my life. Alas, here I am, ears cleaned thoroughly and equalised by Steve Wonder's Higher Ground. I've got two records in the pile, first up is All That Glitters by Homework.

If I could dance myself into another dimension, I'd like to feature this record on the soundtrack. There's something cosmic about it, something that displaces reality with visions of another universe. I'm wearing a space suit. My synth envy is heavy. There's a tinfoil tree on a hill top and it's fruit glows. I'd like to taste the fruit, but I'm timid, the bass line leads me towards it regardless. I see fuzzy shapes. Everything seems so fantastic when you're travelling through sound, each track is an adventure and each adventure is unique. Have a listen, start at the beginning, go on an adventure with Homework and take your friends with you.

Next up we have What Might Happen by Hold The Suspect, atmospheric and melodically frantic. I'm swimming in puddles of wonder, slightly fearful, the darkness comes for me, but I have a pocket light switch. Redemption is available, there's a slice for you too. Visions of yesteryear are present, it's kinda emotional, slightly haunting, but the Horse don't cry. Hold The Suspect would like to get acquainted with your ears, nice to meet you.

From Kowalskiy (with love):  The EPs can be bought here (Homework) and here (Hold The Suspect).  Thanks to The Horse for his unique, eye (and indeed, ear) opening take on two EPs from last year.  Hopefully this will whet your appetite for later in the year when The Horse returns to TakeOver the offices of Kowalskiy!  In the meantime, you can have a listen to the man himself over here.

Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #14

How 'bling' does that look?!!  Very 'Beyonce' if you ask me, which is strange given my complete indifference to R 'n' B, and lack of it on the EP, or any of my EPs for that matter.  So the cover art may not match the great mix of tracks on the EP but I'm sure you'll enjoy it nevertheless as once again five of the country's best up-and-coming bands have been kind enough to contribute a track.  You know the drill by now, but if not, click the cover art to get your free download.  Here's the five cracking bands on KEP#14... 

1.  Black International - Dead Languages (An exclusive unreleased track from the brilliant Edinburgh three-piece.)

"This is one of the first songs Black International ever rehearsed. The lyrics had popped into my head fully formed one night when I was in that weird dream zone between being awake and asleep, and luckily I kept a notepad beside my bed in case of any nocturnal revelations. It's intentionally 'dumb' musically, and the words are a tongue in cheek vignette about a couple forging a relationship in the midst of cultural decline, or something like that. We recorded this demo in 2008, and it was dropped from the set not long after, never to return. I still quite like the economy of it, the whole thing's done and dusted in under 2 minutes, almost child-like in its simplicity. A little piece of bubblegum pop." - Stewart Allan (Black International)

2.  Negotiations. - Tiger Heartbeat (Third time Mr. Healy has contributed, and it's another belter.  This time with a cracking cover of mitchell museum.)

"I normally play in Loch Awe, but here's something completely different. I played everything on this. Thanks to Mitchell Museum for letting me cover their incredible song, and to Oliver Roditi for his invaluable help with mixing." - Matthew Healy (Negotiations.)

3.  Aerials Up - I Am ('Tis my great pleasure to bring you this amazing live version of this unreleased track.)

"We didn't have a demo version of 'I Am' so we decided to get a live recording, pretty soon after it was written a few months ago.  It was our first proper attempt at writing a love song. We'd tried before, but it always came across as a bit cheesy or cliched. But this time we got started with a few good lyrics, a couple of nice riffs and it all came together from there." - Aerials Up

4.  Edinburgh School For The Deaf - Mantra (Yet another unreleased gem - a fragile demo from Edinburgh's finest noisters.)

"This was one of three we recorded off the cuff. We usually get a rough idea of a song then go about destroying it until we're happy. This one seemed a little too sentimental and fragile to put it to the guillotine as it may have killed it stone dead, so we left it as it is.   And as it is it didn't seem to fit anywhere on the album.   So there you have it." - Jamie (Edinburgh School For The Deaf)

5.  The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse - Or My Bones (My love and admiration for this strange, strange man have no bounds!  Another 90-seconds of perfect, acoustoblasting pop joy.)

"As a man of the hoof, I believe we all have cracks in our universes, some too small to see with the naked eye, some so big we can fit someone else's universe in it tenfold. A universe can present you with opportunity and cover you in awesome sauce or it can swallow you whole and leave you to clean up your own dribble while the shithawks peck at your eyes. This track is leaning towards the pecking of my eyes and that's why you may find me, or my bones, in the sea." - Ray (The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse)

Not too shabby if I don't say so myself!   As always, it's FREE, so head on over to my bandcamp page now to get your download.  Have a wee look at the other 13 while you're at it!

Next month there'll be more of the same, five great free tracks from Scotland's finest!  If any bands out there fancy making my life that wee bit easier by volunteering a track for one of these EPs, then send me a wee email too and see if it tickles my fancy.  Enjoy!

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!

Acoustoblaster Tour 2011

The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse has been pretty cryptic recently on twitter with all his "Acoustoblaster" talk.  At the weekend it all became clear...

On April 2^nd i.e., this Saturday, www.glasgowmusic.co.uk brings us a day-long FREE extravaganza at venues around Glasgow, including King Tuts, Bloc, Vintage Guru, The Ettrick, Mono, Brass Monkey, The Ark and The Arches (with more to be announced).   The aforementioned Horse and Tragic O'Hara will both be putting on 10 minute sets in each venue whilst artist Harvey Greendog gets to work on his flip chart!

Now comes the cooool part... the fabled Acoustoblaster!  No photo's exist yet, but rumour has it that this is an acoustic guitar with a whole load of gadgets gaffer-taped onto it: amp, microphone and tape recorder to name a few.  Each microset will be recorded and given away to a lucky fan along with Harvey's creation.  As well as that, the whole thing will be filmed for a documentary for GlasgowmusicTV.

If you fancy coming along to one or more of these microsets, keep tabs on www.glasgowmusic.co.uk or here for venues and times later on in the week.  Here's a taster of what you might hear...

In related news, The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse's new release, Fajita's Basement EP is out now to download for £1 over here, with CDs and cassettes available here.  As for Tragic O'Hara, he's got a whole host of goodies over here too!

The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse - Fajita's Basement EP

There's a few reasons why I tipped The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse to light up 2011.  I won't bore you with them all though.  Needless to say, the main one is that he's really rather good!  Batshit crazy mind you, but very, very good indeed.  His debut album One Zero One Zero One Zero, released last year, was a breath of fresh air, and unlike anything else around.  At only 18 minutes long, it was quite a short breath!  Fajita's Basement EP, his latest offering, is no different.  Four songs long, and lasting just over six minutes, it's clear that quantity isn't really this mysterious chap's style.  His music may be durationally-challenged, but it more than makes up for it with it's unrivaled likability.  Besides, if you can pack as much into 90 seconds as others struggle to do in three times that, who cares!

There's programmed drum beats and a whole host of sublime guitarmanship (and plenty of guitars too) crammed into four brilliant wee songs.  It all kicks off with Blame You, Blame You.  Now, whether this is a dig at the blame culture that exists in our world today, or whether that's overthinking it slightly and it's just an innocent song about a hole in someone's shoe, who knows?  Well, Ramisco probably, but either way, it's a cracking song that's bound to get you singing and clapping along.

The minute-long One Thousand Big Ol' Trees hammers home the sense of fun and knack for penning a great, addictive tune that seemingly comes naturally to Ramisco.   However, it's the closing track, the countrified, americana-esque romp, Chew Chew which inexplicably steals the show. 

I don't have a Scooby what a "Chew Chew" is in this context, but one thing's for sure... having had the song lodged in my head for a while now, if I don't got mine, I'll "put my hands in my mouth and dribble all over myself".  Yeah, that's a what I'll do, do.  Powerful stuff!

The EP isn't out until March 28^th but The Horse has set up a promotional streamer, codenamed My Left Hoove, especially for you and your listening pleasure.  So, how best to sum up the EP?  In the words of the man himself, it's "crazy awesome".  Ramisco really is in a league of his own.  In fact, he's on a different f**king planet!

Kowalskiy's Eleven for 2011

Happy New Year folks!  I said I wouldn't do this after my half-arsed attempt last year, but I suppose there's no harm in sharing my eleven tips for the year with you.  Besides, it gives me a chance to try out the playlist widget below!  There's a few familiar names in there that are no strangers to the Kowalskiy blog, and a few getting their first mention.  Either way, keep a look out for them in the year ahead.  In no particular order, they are...

Rachel Sermanni [MySpace][Twitter]
Indian Red Lopez [MySpace][Twitter]
Dear Mountaineer [MySpace][Twitter]
Trapped Mice [MySpace][Twitter]
Johnny Reb [MySpace][Soundcloud]

Rose Parade [MySpace][Twitter]
Weather Barn [MySpace][Twitter]
The Son(s) [Soundcloud][Twitter]
White Heath [MySpace][Twitter]
The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse [Website][Twitter]
King Post Kitsch [Website][Twitter]

K&A with The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse

Weird name?  Check!  Weird photo?  Check!  Shirt?  Check!  This is a guy who, quite literally, ticks all the boxes.  The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse is however, a guy shrouded in mystery.  Believed to be indigenous of the Highland region, there's no denying that this part-man, part-eagle, non-horselike being is a freakishly talented so-and-so.  With his debut album One Zero One Zero One Zero released last month on Planet Groucho Records, I tracked him down for a wee chat, his very first interview as it goes.  I think we're both a bit honoured to tell the truth!  So here's what he had to say, straight from the... er... eagle's mouth...

Kowalskiy:  Who is The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse, and what's the story behind the name?

Ramisco:  I am the Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse. According to legend, or leg end, since it's written on the end of my leg, Ramisco means "he who runs with the broken robots", it was given to me by an Italian banshee while I was adventuring through moose country with my favourite sidekick (who shall remain unnamed for the duration of this interview). Maki Maki represents my love for the small parcels of Japanese cuisine by the same name and Rocking Horse is a very very deep metaphor for my state of mind.

Kowalskiy:  Despite the name, you look more like an eagle (from the neck up anyway), and yet on My 'Orns you say you're a bull!  Could you clarify, once and for all, what you really are? It's all a bit too inconsistent for my liking....

Ramisco:  I'm neither, nor, both and all. The multiverse is a really big place.

Kowalskiy:  Your music is so varied and nigh-on-impossible to pigeon-hole. How would you describe your music and can you shed some light on your main influences?

Ramisco:  I would describe my music as a collection of melodies, broken thoughts and noise. I guess I'm drifting towards the alternative folk end of the musical spectrum, but there's no real direction behind that. I'm influenced by everything and anything, I think most songwriters are. Whether it's a string of words that comes into your head while you're building a cardboard universe or a melody that suddenly rings out from a guitar as you pluck it's strings, you don't have to search for it, life presents inspiration.

Kowalskiy:  You recently released your debut album One Zero One Zero One Zero through Planet Groucho Records. What can you tell us about it?

Ramisco:  I can tell you that it's available on iTunes and sounds a lot like the Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse's debut album. I'm not authorised to tell you anything else.

Kowalskiy:  One Zero One Zero One Zero converted from binary to decimal gives 42 which incidentally in The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy is the number from which all meaning can be derived. Coincidence, or is there conspiracy afoot?

Ramisco:  Actually, the 42 reference is hugely coincidental. The title is binary, representing the asterisk symbol which coincided with the release date 10.10.10. This date also represented the original launch of my first mini rocketship named Noah, which ended up being launched 3 days early on the 7th due to unforeseen circumstances.

Kowalskiy:  Well you would play down the whole conspiracy thing!  So what were these 'unforeseen circumstances'?

Ramisco:  The unforeseen circumstance was in fact a false premonition of an electric storm, volcanic eruption and solar flare, as foretold by my good buddy Ramses.  Had it actually happened, it would have caused quite a ruckus with our plans, so we launched early.

Kowalskiy:  Are there plans to play live, and if so, how will you manage to bring your multi-instrumental sound to the stage? Will you be wearing an eagle head?

Ramisco:  Yes, however nothing has been booked as of yet. I plan to make another record before putting a band together. At which time I'll be looking for a group of bodacious folks to join the Horse. Will I wear the eagle head? I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

Kowalskiy:  What would be you ideal gig?
Ramisco:  I don't think the venue really matters, it's the people who come out to see you who make the night. Stick me in a barn with a crowd of awesome folks and it'll be a rockin' night for sure. As for a support act, don't think I could find anyone more special than McRorie. [ http://mcrorie.net ]

Kowalskiy:  WHaT'S WiTH THe uPPeRCaSe CoNSoNaNTS aND LoWeRCaSe VoWeLS THiNG? Is that not a bugger to keep up?

Ramisco:  I have absolutely no idea, I don't even write like that, it's just how it appears on the website.

Kowalskiy:  At just under 18 minutes long for 10 songs, your album will leave a lot of people out there, myself included, wanting more. What do you have in store for the future? And is there more from the past?

Ramisco:  At the moment I'm working on some music for a video game, maybe I'll release it as an EP or something. After that I'll get into the 2nd album, I already have a couple tracks in mind. There are no previous releases from the Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse, but I have released albums as part of the Kazoo Funk Orchestra and El Jugador, which I also produced.

Kowalskiy:  Anything else you wanna add?

Ramisco:  I'm always up for a bit of collaboration, so if there are any artists out there who'd like to hook up with the Horse, please get in touch and we'll see what kind of melodies we can create.

One Zero One Zero One Zero is available from Planet Groucho Records' Bandcamp and from iTunes.  It may only be 18 minutes long, but it's one of the most enjoyable, memorable and downright, brilliant albums I've heard all year.