Battle Of The Bands: Round 11

With the Festive Season fast approaching, this is the final round of Battle Of The Bands of the year.  Going into Round 11, Team Kowalskiy held a one point ahead in the series, and with that pesky Neil from Scottish Fiction on home turf this time around, I'd be lying if I said a shock away win would not make for a great early Christmas present.  The full tweet-by-tweet summary can be found on twitter using the #battleofthebandsround11 hashtag, but here's the short version...

Thanks to my victory in the last round, courtesy of my seasonal choice lovely The Winter Tradition's narrow win over Shambles Miller, I opened up a one point lead meaning I couldn't be behind going into 2013.  I'm not one to rest on my laurels though, so I recruited the wonderful Glasgow duo The Mouse That Ate The Cat.   You could say I was... feline lucky going int this duel.  Unknown to me, on the other side of the virtual, musical ring,  was fellow acronym lovers Where We Lay Our Heads.
 
Before we see how they shaped up, here's the all-important rules.  You can of course read them in full over here.  This round, we were on Neil's turf, so he picked the three stats.  For each of the three, the person with the highest value gets one point.  Both get a half-point if the stats are the same, and losers get absolutely nothing!  He plumped for Band Name Scrabble Score, SoundCloud Tracks, and Number of Members.  All stats were correct at the start of battle.

Right, here's the all-important stats.  Ding, ding, Round 11...

And would you believe it, the away team jinx is over!  It's a DRAW!  It was always on the cards (pardon the pun) after Neil's first stat choice.  Both bands proved the Scrabble equals of one another with a whopping 34 points.  My TMTATC boys' superior SoundCloud Tracks threatened an unprecedented upset until Neil's WWLOH tied the contest on account of their better man, and woman, power.

A draw is fine by me though.  It keeps my one-point lead intact going into the Winter break.  Expect that to be stretched to 2 points after Round 12 on the 9^th of January.

But... you've guess it, it's not about me or Mr. Scottish Fiction... it's all about the music people!  So let's kick off the pre-Christmas plugging with my boys, The Mouse That Ate The Cat, who I've just noticed have added yet another track to their SoundCloud as part of their daily Advent giveaway.  If you've missed it so far, you can catch up here.  It's full of acoustic versions, demos, videos... you name it!  Here's the latest, an acoustic version of I Am The Hottest Fire.

If that's not enough to tide you over until Christmas, Bri and Col will be at King Tuts this Friday.  Those boys are well-and-truly showering you with goodies at the moment!

On to Where We Lay Our Heads now.  It's been a wee while since they've featured on here... too long in fact.  Last year they released two EPs, one conventional in From The Roots, We Grow Limbs, and one not-so in wwloh, a collection of acoustic demos.  You can get those both here.  If you check out their SoundCloud though, there's some teasers from their next release for you.  Here's my pick from them, the brilliantly-titled Keanu Leaves.  Enjoy!

And that's your Battle Of The Bands fill for 2012.  We'll be back on the 9^th of January.  I hope you'll join us as I ritually humiliate Neil and extent my lead to a massive two points.  See you then!

Kowalskiy Singles Club #12

So Valentine's is over for another year, yet it seems there's more singletons out there than usual!  Time then to hand the floor over to those harpless romantics (yes, these introductions are getting worse!). If you like what they have to say for themselves, click on the artwork, have a listen, and if you're boxes have all been ticked, get downloading! There's a bumper bevvy of beauties this time so there's gotta be one out there for you. Take it away...

The Day That Friction Overcame Fun by Johnny and the Giros

"Young and slightly attractive males seeking other males and females to join us in watching Omnibus's (omnibi) and having private sexy raves. Loves spending Sundays in pubs and trawling social networking websites for the possibility to obtain more cyber friends. Hates feeling alone and unwanted by all of you. Ambitions - The boy who ate all the cake in that film... Yeah him." - Scott Forsyth (JATG)

With that mention of 'friction', it's clear Johnny has been on his own trawling the net for far too long! So if you fancy joining him and his Giros, maybe watch some Hollyoaks or River City omnibi at the weekend, then get clicking on the artwork. The single came out at the beginning of February and is a belter!

Jealousy/Sinking Ships by Capitals

"Two Highland ex-pats seek friendship (and maybe more?) in the Big Smoke. We humbly bring you our double A-side 'Jealousy/Sinking Ships' by way of a present. With dark production, broken beats and haunting lyrics of heartache and loss, we don't wish to scare anyone off, rather express that really we're just two sensitive souls looking to find that special someone. Could it be you?" - Angus & Keir (Capitals)

Awwww, don't they sound lovely!? Not half as lovely as their double A-side though. If you loved Hello World, you'll lap this up. Don't you know it's bad manners to refuse a present...

Eikon by Two Wings

"Eikon seeks some hairy fairy ears to put the 'Two' back into 'Two Wings'. Enjoys long walks in the countryside, cheap wine and cosy nights in with some dank smelling records. The featherless and/or flightless need not apply." - Owen Curtis Williams & Ben Reynolds (Two Wings)

Sucks for you flightless wonders out there!  This 2-track single is out on the 12^th from twosome Two Wings.  Fans of RM Hubbert's brilliant new album may recognise the unique vocals of Hanna Tuulikki.  Ben's ain't too bade either!

WEAR BLACK by PET

"Must enjoy heavy petting from the word go. Mutual masturbation by midnight. In it for the honey. Wear Black knickers" - Pete Boggon (PET)

Oooh kinky! Talk about being unlucky in love though. This is PET's third appearance in the Singles Club. Three appearances, three brilliant tracks. As usual, it's proof they're one of the finest new bands in the country.

Push/Pull by The Cat That Walks Alone

"Mr Yin WLTM Mrs Yang for polar opposites attract. Animal magnetism a plus. Must have lovely hair and own transport." - Cameron Laing a.k.a. The Cat That Walks Alone

Feline lonely? Well spare a thought for this cat. If what Cameron say's 'pushes' your buttons, then grab your coat... you've 'pulled'. The single has been out for a few weeks, so go bag a copy pronto!

The Halfway House by Letters

"5 piece dark cello pop noiseniks seek delightful young brunettes interested in a post valentine dark, medium to fast paced, throbbing 3 minute and 27 second encounter that'll have you smiling, singing and leave you crying as you deal with that all too familiar feeling of 'le petite mort'." - Mikey Ferguson (Letters)

We all know by now that Letters can do no wrong in my eyes. So it goes without saying I think their upcoming third single is suuuperb! It's out on the 19^th March with their Scottish tour starting just after that.

Heart Attack by The Draymin

"Hairy-faced strobe-lover with a dirty disco heartbeat, good mover on the dancefloor with a fondness for late nights and talking shite. WLTM something, preferably human, with a bit of stamina, sick SOH and big pair of binoculars for nights out in the bushes." - Gec Livingstone (The Draymin)

With their debut album out next month, The Draymin are giving away this track free to anyone out there with a fondness for dirty disco beats and good dance moves.  Binoculars optional!

Photograph/Cold Water by Tom Fool

"Newly single nob twiddler seeks compassionate listener. Must have own transport and be able to see the wood for the trees." - Rick Webster (Tom Fool)

Missing Unkle Bob yet?  I am!  But fear not, the newly-single Tom Fool is here.  With a stellar line-up comprising Unkle Bob's Rick, Gang of Four's Andy Gill and backing vocals from Eddi Reader, this double A-side promises a lot!  And it delivers.  You can get your hands on it from the 12^th.

Bury You by Where We Lay Our Heads

"Glasgow foursome seeking companionship and more. If you like dancing with your hips, milkshakes, greyhounds and macaroni pies we could be the ones for you. Non smokers preferred.x" - Wull Swales (WWLOH)

I defy you to say no to a combination of greyhounds and macaroni pies! WWLOH's new single is out on the 19^th of March, same day as Letters' latest offering. Why's that relevant... well, they're both on tour together, that's why! More on that on Kowalskiy in the future. Watch this space!

The Seed by Plum

"Artistic, passionate female seeks creatively minded, big-hearted, generous and empathetic listener to share stories with...and maybe fall in love. Must enjoy gardening, planting seeds, flowers, making wishes and believe in fairies. I look forward to hearing from you." - Shona Maguire a.k.a. Plum

Oooh awkward! Both Shona and her beau (Capitals' Keir) have both supplied singles ads this month. Read into that what you will folks... Anyway, this is the title track and single from her upcoming album. Should have featured this before but I... 'plum' forgot!

Footnote To Love by Ajimal

"Interchangeable and shape-shifting fluid line up of members, occasionally manifest as solo artist, occasionally smothered in face paint. Likes: Beaches, Baths and Brel Dislikes: Gymnastics and lipgloss (don't ask). WLTM woman* to make child with and thereafter dedicate aforementioned song (Footnote to Love [Part One]) to aforementioned child. It is probably worth noting that embarking upon a relationship with Ajimal does mean embarking upon a potentially lifetime partnership with whosoever happens to be in the line up at that time (see Three Musketeers).

* If you happen to actually be Jacques Brel, this requirement is void, we'll find a way." - Fran O'Hanlon a.k.a. Ajimal

Last but in no way least, is the magnificent specimen that is Ajimal. A specimen who oddly likes face paint but not lip gloss... go figure! Footnote To Love is available to pre-order now by clicking the artwork. It, and indeed all his music to date, is just phenomenal. Go get!

Kowalskiy Belated Review #7

The Plimptons - '00s Nostalgia
Quite possibly the best cover art so far this year... or maybe towards the end of last year.  I lose all track of time when it comes to these Belated Reviews.  Anyway, onto the music.  Glasgow's D.I.Y. pop trailblazers The Plimptons are another band I'd heard of, but not actually heard until they sent me '00s Nostalgia, their third album.  I never know what "D.I.Y." means in this context.  In my experience, it usually means a lot of things being thrown haphazardly together, but somehow coming out serving its purpose.  Hang on... that's pretty much it!  The Plimptons have tried their hand at everything pop and punky from the accordion-led Celtic variety (Lonely Old Man) to some Costello/XTC-inspired quirky pop (Virgin On The Ridiculous) and even some ska (The Day My Baby Said She Hated Ska)... and a lot more in between.  'Haphazardly' is doing them a disservice though.  As ramshackle and shambolic as it sounds in places, I don't doubt that a lot of effort has gone in to perfect that very sound.  If I was to plump for a favourite, it'd have to be This Is The Story Of My Self-Pity (Baby).  Like Belle & Sebastian playing an old-fashioned variety club gig... and using the club organ.  It has a real retro feel and it sounds amazing!  It is just one of many highlights on this surprisingly diverse album, chock full of moments of lyrical genius in their own unique storytelling style. 

Where We Lay Our Heads - From The Roots, We Grow Limbs
I should really pay more attention in future.  For a while now, the name Where We Lay Our Heads have been bandied about, and for a while now, I've not taken much notice.  Wull 'Define Pop' Swales though, is a man I tend to listen to when it comes to new band recommendations.  Turns out, he's a bit biased with this one, what with being the frontman an' all!  Like I said, I should pay more attention.  Anyway, their From The Roots, We Grow Limbs EP is an assured debut.  Opening track Lined With Trees is a great piece of indie-folk with a wee nod or two to Frightened Rabbit shining through in places.  Next up, the standout Gies A Wave is a gorgeous mix of handclaps, tinkling keys and the enchanting vocals of The Second Hand Marching Band's Jennifer Sinclair complimenting Wull's own dulcet tones.  The laid-back Roses On The Beach finishes things off nicely with a wee bit of a Beirutty undertone.  Once again, it may just have those boys from Selkirk looking over their shoulders.  Nice one Wull!

New Town Triptych - Just How You Designed
The thing I really love about these posts is I get to take my time listening to the releases without feeling any pressure to rush out a review.  So you could say, the longer I take to post it, the more I've enjoyed the releases.  That's certainly been the case with this one.  Rounding off the KBR#7 trio is Glasgow-based 3-piece New Town Triptych, who are a relatively new name to me.  It hasn't taken them long though to find themselves very much on my radar, thanks to their debut, 3-track Just How You Designed.  Musically-speaking, they occupy the small piece of folkspace between Admiral Fallow and Randolph's Leap what with their warm, gorgeous, folky melodies and their instantly-likable, upbeat side.  The multi-layered title track embodies that straight from the off with its deep orchestral bass, stunning harmonies and intertwining flute and acoustic guitar arrangements combining to produce something quite breathtaking.  Track two, The Things That Keep Me Here is a non-stop, boy-girl, pop-folk delight which threatens to steal the show!   They cite The Decemberists as one of their influences, something which starts to come through on closing track Killing Time.  A great ending which cements their place as one of the most exciting, new Scottish bands around.  In their own words "our aim is to continue producing our own music with interesting lyrics, nice melodies and layered harmonies".  Fingers crossed they keep true to their word!