Kowalskiy's Free Monthly 5-track Scottish EP #29

Time now for the 29^th of these free monthly EPs.  I hadn't noticed, but there's been a few wee themes developing recently... my artwork is making less and less sense, there's been a few more cover versions than usual, and I've been including a fair amount of previously-released singles to give them a well-deserved extra plug.  So, I hope you've been enjoying that wee mix of tracks, because this EP is no different.   We even have a repeat offender who you may remember from last month...

1.  Saint Death - El Metro (Hot off the press!!  This beauty was recorded last week and mixed last night.  Hope you all appreciate the lengths these guys went to for you!)

"El Metro by Saint Death. a post-rock instrumental roar from the grimy suburbs of Glasgow. This track was created for this months Kowalskiy release; for even more melodic whitenoise like this, go to Saint Death or facebook.com/saintdeathmusic.  Thanks for listening." - Ivan (Saint Death)

2.  Plum - Smile (Early Version) (This is an early version of the lovely Plum's new single which is out on the 19^th of November.  Hopefully this will keep you entertained until that's out, along with it's Teklo collaboration B-side.)

"Smile was an important track from the start. The subject matter of the track is really dark, so I needed the production to match that. The earlier version was sadder than the final, but I really wanted it to have a lot of aggression. At the same time, I wanted the vocals to remain fairly passive. I sampled a music box to capture the childlike nostalgia to give it a creepier edge, and the early version used strings and samples from a crowd at a comedy gig. I worked with Ben Phaze (www.tunnelsounds.com) on drum production for the earlier version, using some of his field recordings from the London Underground. We used to work together quite a lot when I lived in London, and used to play together under the band Plaze (Plum & Phaze). He's not only a great producer, but an accomplished DJ too, having masterminded the Beat Feast Collective. I like the clumsy chopped vocals being very static, but when I got the chance to work with Kyle MacKenzie (Dirty Disco/El Hatred) I grabbed it with both hands. Kyle is an incredible producer, and we chatted through a few ideas, and he had some fantastic ideas for co-production, so I'm really really pleased with the final result. This is the heaviest track on the album, but it suits the track perfectly." - Shona Maguire a.k.a. Plum

3.  Thank You So Nice - Hurry Home Tonight (A cracking non-album track from their recent debut album sessions... that make sense?!)

"This was one of the first songs we recorded during the sessions for our album Make Friends Not Money and I guess you could call it a rarity as it didn't make the cd and we've only played it live once, I think. We tend to refer to it as 'the 50s song' even though it's probably nothing like a 50s song. I've been listening to the 50s doo wop band the Flamingos lately and they have a song called 'Hurry Home Baby', so from now on I can pretend the track's real title is a reference to that." - Alex Hendrikson (Thank You So Nice)

4.  yaya club - House Of The Rising Sun (Touch of deja vu here... yes, he's back for a second month in a row with another sublime cover... this time, Darren takes on The Animals' classic.)

"Recently I conducted an experiment to see what happens when you don't drink or smoke for a whole month. On the seventh day, I found out that you get bored so I decided to record some acoustic tunes. This one here is an Animals cover, after which I went out for white russians." - Darren Vincent a.k.a. yaya club

5.  White Heath - In A Glasshouse (This BEHEMOTH of a track was released by the wonderful White Heath earlier this year.  It's well overdue a extra plug!)

"You can explore the world of the song further at glasshouse.whiteheathmusic.com and see White Heath live on the 16^th November at Broadcast, Glasgow in support of Bwani Junction; the 30th November at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh; the 21^st December at King Tut's Wah Wah Tent, Glasgow." - White Heath

How's about that!?  Hope you all enjoy it.  A huge thanks to each of the artists involved in this month's EP.  All you have to do to get your FREE copy is to click the artwork above, or here if you can't be arsed scrolling back up.  While you're there, there's another 28 there crying out to be downloaded for FREE.

Now to get cracking on December's EP.   If you fancy making my life that wee bit easier, and contributing a track to one of these, then send me a wee email (kowalskiy2@gmail.com) and we'll see what we can do!  

Coastal Skid Spy Wok v4.0

Time for notcast numero four now. Next week I'll stop with the counting. In fact, I won't be here next week. You'll not be denied a notcast though, you'll just be in the very capable, probably moreso, hands of another of Scottish music's most mysterious chaps. Not that I'll be revealing who it is. Just have to come back here next week to find out. Anyhoo, onto the tracks which have been tickling my fancy on SoundCloud this week.

Starting off of course with a grovelling apology to a band I've been neglecting recently.  One of the most memorable albums I was sent last year was the undeniably creepy and downright brilliant debut by Young Hunting.   I said as much over here.  Well, this Edinburgh bunch released the follow-up some time ago.  It's much the same impressiveness-wise.  There's no streams online (not on their site anyway) but here's the sinister Forebode from their debut album Attachment In A Child And The Subsequent Condition.

   Forebode by Young Hunting

Nothing like starting off with a cheery one eh?!  Anyway their follow-up EP is called The Night of the Burning and you can get your hands on it over here.  Shall we have an upbeat one now?  Lets do that!  Remember Johnny Reb?  I do.  They released The Portugal Years, songs recorded in Portugal (funnily enough) by Morrissey guitarist Boz Boorer,  last year.  Yeah?  Well, they have sadly split!  However, out of the ashes of many a great band springs another.  So here's the phoenix-like Father Sculptor for you.

   Ember by Father Sculptor

Next up is a blast from the not-so-distant past.  Before Christmas, Wiredrawn released his fantastic Loose Lips Sink Ships EP which is still in my car.  So let's continue with the opening track from said EP which you can of course download for free over here.

This City On Fire by Wiredrawn

That guitar!  Ooft!  Like I said, it's pretty fantastic.   OK, moving on.  We'll just have 5 songs this week since the last is a weighty beast.  This weeks penultimate track comes courtesy of one of the finest singer/songwriters in the land... Will Hanson.   He released his latest album Moving A Body last year.  'Twas one of the years finest if you ask me!  Here's one of the many standout tracks from it.

   The View From Ebury Bridge by Will Hanson

Last one now and as I said before, it's a biggy!  White Heath have been incredibly quiet of late.  In fact, it's been bloody ages since their last single GG came out.   Well, somewhat out of the blue, they're back with their latest offering, In A Glasshouse.  It isn't just a single though.  They've teamed up with some of their artistic friends to bring you a brilliant, interactive website to accompany it.   Here it is.  Be sure to download it free here.

In A Glasshouse by whiteheathmusic

Remember, next week's notcast will be brought to you by a very special guest. See you then!

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]

Foxgang Presents: Festival Special

The wonderful Foxgang would like to invite you to their fantastic Festival Special this Tuesday at Bristo Hall (above The Forest Cafe) in Edinburgh for a great night of music, dancing and shenanigans! They've assembled a cracking line-up, with five of their favourite Scottish bands joining them on stage. The stellar cast for what is shaping up to be a pretty special night, is White Heath, French Wives, Sebastian Dangerfield, Fiction Faction (formerly Casino Brag), Washington Irving and, of course, your hosts, Foxgang.

It takes place on Tuesday 24th August from 9pm until 3am. "It's a festival-sized Rock N' Roll Dance Party and it's all FREE!". Facebook users can read more about it here.

Speaking of free things, to mark the occasion, Foxgang, Kowalskiy (but mainly Foxgang) and the other bands on the bill, have teamed up to bring you Kowalskiy's Foxgang Presents: Festival Special EP. Six cracking tracks, one from each of the bands, and like I said, it's 100% free! You can download it from here. Hope you enjoy!

Tracklisting

1. White Heath - Election Day
2. French Wives - Deaf
3. Sebastian Dangerfield - Morris
4. Fiction Faction - Stop/Go
5. Washington Irving - Parts (demo)

6. Foxgang - We Can Be Twins (live)