Hello! I'm Shambles Miller, singer-songwriter or singer/songwriter, depending on your personal punctuation preference, and this week I am taking over Scottish Fiction! I am taking it the fuck over. I hope to furnish your minds and eyeballs with some interesting features over the next few days, but first things first, let's get to know each other a little better shall we? By which I obviously mean, let's get to know ME a little better.
I've been performing around Scotland and releasing music (and having a good laugh doing it) for around four years now. I played my first ever gig in Kilmarnock's Fanny by Gaslight to about six people (maybe eight, if you count the barman and a bloke who left right after I started) and haven't stopped since. Since then I've played in King Tut's, Cabaret Voltaire, on the top deck of a bus in Edinburgh, in a place called Failford, for a group of protesters occupying a university building, at festivals, in a tea room, in someone's kitchen, and I still miss the Captain's Rest.
I'm not shy about using humour in my lyrics, something which is evident in my last two singles, Confessions and Deadpool. Humour is so important that it would seem strange not to use it to express myself, especially in music. More about that later in the week though...
I also have a tendency to write about things that make me angry. That's how I came up with the inspired song title "Things That Make Me Angry". I recently did an interview and session for the guys at Occupy Sound, which I think gets both of these sides across pretty well. Plus I'm wearing sunglasses during the interview, so you can tell I'm cool.
So what else is there to know about me? Well, I'm a big fan of Internetty things like Twitter, and Vine. For example, I came up with a wee Twitter game where I watch a film, tweet about it in a very vague way, and see if anyone can guess what the film is. It has the admittedly-slightly-creepy-sounding title of Shambles is watching (or #shamblesiswatching). There is a prize if you win: you get badly photoshopped into a scene from the film. Like this photo of previous winner Colin as the rock from 127 Hours.
This might be the best thing I've ever done.
Play along the next time you see me using the hashtag #shamblesiswatching! As for Vine, I'm particularly proud of my impression of a fish laughing.
Wait, no, that's the best thing I've ever done.
When it comes to music, I'm really focused on the lyrics. I find it hard to enjoy a song with bad lyrics, and I'm always surprised when some people tell me they don't really pay attention to them. This means that I find myself listening to a lot of hip-hop and a lot of songwriters. At the moment I'm listening to quite a bit of Jay-Z (I always am), Chance the Rapper, Randolph's Leap, and RM Hubbert. Yes, I know RM Hubbert doesn't quite fit my lyric-heavy music taste, but have you heard him? Jings he makes that guitar sing. I also recommend checking out Randolph's Leap's latest album. It's a corker.
(this isn't Randolph's Leap, it's Chance the Rapper, but it's brilliant)
"All this music-based stuff is all well and good" I can hear you say, "but what about YOU, Shambles. What are YOU into? Who is the REAL Shambles?" You're quite right of course, but what else is there to say? When it comes to the real Shambles, I took the title of "Shambles" after I killed the previous Shambles in a fight to the death. I plan to hold it forever. Come at me bro.
I think that'll do for now, don't you? Pop back tomorrow for...whatever I have planned for tomorrow. I've totally planned it out way in advance. Honest. It won't just be me talking about myself though, don't worry. That's today only. Unless you live with me. In which case it's probably a lot.
In the meantime, here's my favourite ever photograph.
It feels like it's taken years for this album to be released, and that's because it has. Four years, to be exact. If you've been a fan of the Glasgow folk poppers formally known as Kitty The Lion, you'll know exactly what I mean when I say Deerheart is *long* overdue. But trust me when I say it has definitely been worth the wait as, like a phoenix, they've risen from the ashes of their former selves as Blood Relatives armed with a record that, while possessing all that we loved about them from previous singles and EPs, has a feeling of maturity, showing Anna Meldrum and co to have grown both as musicians and as people over their years together.
One worry that I'm sure many people had was that the début would feature no Kitty The Lion songs at all, the concern that, with a new name, the band had decided to shed their skin and lay to rest all previous material. Luckily that is far from the case here, with not one but four Kitty tracks making a happy appearance, starting with no less than the opener. Now down to just a four piece, the band's signature harmonies are by no means jeopardised, as illustrated clearly by opening track Fowl Mouth where vocals are front and centre all the way through. These harmonies continue throughout the record and sound much more controlled and better executed than ever before, showing the band to have taken time in the studio to get them just right and keep them as a proper stand out aspect of their music.
In saying that, however, when Meldrum's in charge, you definitely know it. Take title track Deerheart, for example, in which her lovely breathy vocals take centre stage, sounding a zillion times more powerful than the girl we heard sing Lion In The Bed all those years ago. With great power comes great responsibility (yeah, I just used the Uncle Ben line, deal with it) and in Bone Idol, Meldrum takes it upon herself to raise awareness of negative and unhealthy body image, pleading with young skinny girls to "get some meat on your bones", whilst creating a neat little pop ditty at the same time.
There's something particularly interesting about Murder of Crows which makes it stand out but it's hard to say exactly what. Like much of Blood Relatives' music, it's got that great driving beat and catchy melodies to boot, but perhaps it's the changing moods, alternate rhythms or more seriously folky aspects of this track which give it its 'je ne sais quoi... Not to mention a cracking little harmonica solo. Dead Hip, on the other hand, is much more the Blood Relatives we know and love, with Meldrum's quirky lyrics, bright shimmering melodies and infectious chorus.
Things get a little slower and more subterranean with the ethereal Cold Fish followed by enchanting ballad Bird Flu (given a new lick of paint since its days as a Kitty set-list staple) and then the bright and perky Duck!... Do you see a pattern emerging here at all? Fowl, deer, crows, fish, bird, duck... This record's track-list is absolutely teeming with wildlife but Meldrum's lyrics are so cleverly conceived that the titles are as far as this nature reserve theme goes. She draws comparisons between both wildlife and real life, which is just one of many reasons why this writer believes her to be one of the most underrated Scottish songwriters of recent times.
As the record comes to a close, Cheek By Jowl excellently displays Meldrum's vocal talent, with only softly plucked guitar and cello accompanying her as she sings of embracing the fear of the future and growing old. But, of course, we wouldn't expect anything less from this gang than to end their début on a high and with The Spit, they do just that. Those glorious harmonies make a reappearance as Meldrum puts a rather poetic spin on family life and every girl's fear of becoming her mother, building up to a magnificent fanfare which is one of many moments on the album that makes you realise why it's taken so bloody long! We can only hope we won't have to wait quite as long for album number two but, until then Deerheart is finally here and, quite frankly, we couldn't be happier with the results.
- Nina Glencross
Blood Relatives - Deerheart is out now on Comets & Cartwheels and is available to buy here and in all good independent record shops.
It's official. It's Christmas time. Not only have I been taking in the lights of Glasgow, I've been sneaking in some Christmas songs to the playlist while you weren't looking. This week's Cover Lover track comes with a festival tinge courtesy of Julia and the Doogans. There's also room for #tweetatrack and Re-Mixing It Up in terms of features. During the show I yap about the UK Blog Sound of 2014, upcoming gigs and the Nordoff-Robins Big Apple Award as well as spinning new music from the likes of The Pastels, CS Buchan, Over The Wall, The Amazing Snakeheads and much more. Tuck in.
DEATHCATS!!! - I Wish It Was Summer Honeyblood - Bud
King Post Kitsch - Complacency Beerjacket - Cave
Michael Cassidy - Everybody's Scared
Cover Lover - Julia and the Doogans - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
The Pastels - Kicking Leaves
Call To Mind - A Family Sketch
Robbie Lesiuk - Come Around Again
CS Buchan - I Can Feel, Can You
Eastcoastdefector - Love In The Wrong Direction
#tweetatrack - The Blue Aeroplanes - Jacket Hangs - As chosen by @manicpopthrills
The Won Over - Open Arms
Drunk Mule - California
Over The Wall - Radiator
The Spook School - I'll Be Honest
There Will Be Fireworks - So Stay Close
The Amazing Snakeheads - Flatlining
(a is to b) - paper states
Re-Mixing It Up - A Sudden Burst Of Colour - Aphelion (Vehicl3 Remix)
The idea of making happy 60s pop
songs with a proper 70s punk twist sounds like something that just
shouldn't work, even on paper. Alas, Edinburgh based four piece, The Spook School do just that, with some other genre experimenting thrown in
just for fun.
Their debut record Dress Up is an ace collection of
three-chorded, three-minute bursts of vibrant indie pop delights and, to
be quite honest, it's pretty impossible to hate or even remotely
dislike a band that can pull that off to the extent that they do. You'll
no doubt find yourself involuntarily tapping your foot along to the
bass drum of opener Are You Who You Think You Are, and from then on,
each body part will become subsequently more uncontrollable than the
last.
I'll Be Honest had previously been released as a double
A-side single, making it a solid fan favourite prior to the album's
release, and rightly so, with its carefree, relentless melodies and
catchy sing-along chorus. Nye Todd's distinctive voice is sure to become
instantly recognisable in years to come as this debut record gives them
a well deserved boost on the Scottish music scene. Meanwhile brother
Adam has a bit more of a punky swagger about his vocals, especially
during the likes of I Don't Know and oppositely titled You Don't
Know.
But where there is this hyperactive,
dizzy-on-lemonade indie punk rock side to The Spook School's music,
sometimes they do calm things down a little and show their softer side
on tracks such as You Make It Sound So Easy which has some fantastic
lead vocals from the band's Anna Cory, as well as the insightful and
atmospheric Something, almost serving as breathers between the more
crazy moments.
Things get a bit more manic once again on the
lengthy titled, Can You Ever Trust A Man Who Thinks Matt Damon's Really
Cool?, which even has a fantastic, post-rock, almost sleazy breakdown,
with Adam giving us his best Frank Black impression as he waxes lyrical
before the band break into a heavy riff. Let's be honest, after that
first half, we're now thinking, "what the hells going on here?". Who knew
such an otherwise sugary sweet band that brought us the likes of indie
pop gem The Cameraman, could pull such a phat riff? Then in another
genre twist, there's Devil of Mine which explores deeper lyrics with a
bit of a folky feel to it which builds to almost anthemic proportion.
If
The Spook School teach you anything with this debut (see what I did there?)
it's that the genre of pop is far more versatile than we give it credit
for, and they prove this by bending and stretching it in so many
different ways whilst maintaining a great signature sound and producing
great results every time. At first, it's easy to assume Dress Up is
just a quirky name for a quirky record by a quirky band. After hearing
the album straight through, it becomes clear that it's more of an
instruction. This record is packed full of great songs, the type to get
everyone dancing and partying. So get your gladrags on and have at it.
- Nina Glencross
The Spook School - Dress Up is out now via FortunaPOP on vinyl or CD. The album can also be download on iTunes.
Olive Grove Records continue to release and work with interesting and talented artists. Further proof, as if needed, can be found in their latest single release A Family Sketch by Highland band Call To Mind.
Call To Mind come across like a Scottish Sigur Ros with a glacial sound reminiscent of Iceland's favourite sons. There's a Cocteau Twins vibe at play here too and a simply gorgeous piano melody that leads us into the main body of the song which is over all too quickly. This is a great track and really whets the appetite for the band's début album in 2014. Ones to watch for sure - David McElroy
Call To Mind - A Family Sketch is out now via Olive Grove Records as a free download.
Dundee five piece The Mirror Trap are no shirking violets. Confident, sure of themselves and their sound, and willing to work hard to do things their way. They returned earlier this year with an EP The Invisible Hand, and recently released single American Dreams. Here's lead singer Gary Moore chewin' the fat with us ahead of the bands forthcoming sophomore album.
Hello, how are you?
I am soldiering on. Plate spinning and planning. Trying to figure out how to change the world from a one bedroomed flat in Dundee.
It's the question everyone hates, but could you tell us a little bit about your music and your influences?
Our music is pretty much a mash up of our collected influences, in an extreme sort of way. We've never sat down with a sonic game plan, we just listen to a fuck-ton of music, old and new, then sit in a small room together and see what comes out. We all like things a bit loud, and a bit intense, that's the general theme, then all the quirks and hooks fall into place depending on what each of us has been listening to. At the moment everything we write comes out sounding like Dinosaur Jnr. or The Strokes. But then we just completed a tune that is perhaps the most minimalist and hip-hop thing we've ever done. The early days of writing songs is often like that, we now have to spend time tweaking and fixing until we have something that sounds like us, only better.
What's your song-writing / creative process like?
There is no real strict process to the way we write, we all bring in bits and pieces then work them out together as a band. Sometimes one of us will have an idea that we see as following a particular musical path, but someone else might hear another vibe in it, and want to take it elsewhere. Recently Mikey J came into practice with what he called a Pixies style guitar part, but the chord progression made me think more of Sigur Ros, so from his punk idea we ended up with a massive slow building song. We constantly make live recordings when we are writing, that way I can go away on my own and dream up melodies and words whilst listening back. I've usually got bits of lyrics saved on my phone, or written on the back of receipts and scraps of paper, once I have a melody I can then start weaving them into song form.
Album number two is ready and in the bag, what can we expect to hear and how does it depart from your debut The Last Great Melodrama?
The new album is a lot more focused than the first one. That might sound a little vague, and clichéd but its the only way I can describe it. The first record was a bit mental. We maybe had too many ideas for our own good. How many rock n roll bands choose to put a spoken word song with tribal drums and Kanye-esque auto-tune effects as the first track on their début album? Then follow it up with an Americana style pop-rock song then a jaggy punk tune. We still bring together a bunch of influences but with the new album we have taken a lot more time over creating a solid album that sounds like one band, instead of a some kind of creative explosion in a lunatic asylum. The new album, Stay Young, sounds bigger, and the quality of the song-writing has taken a step forward. I want to write all time classic songs, that are ever lasting and genre crossing, we are not there yet, but this album is a step nearer. It's hard to say much about how Stay Young sounds, there is still no definite genre, but we have come closer to 'The Mirror Trap' sound.
What could we expect to see from a live show?
Anything and everything. Expect five young men playing rock n roll music, out with that anything goes. Bad dancing, guitar power-stances, blood, lots of blood, lipstick, suits that don't fit, and an overhanging threat that something may go wrong. Mikey J has recently taken to wearing no shirt on stage, instead he paints his bare chest with massive ancient Greek symbols. At our last show I discovered I could control the venue lights from the stage, so had some serious fun fucking about with that. The show usually spills off the stage, percussion instruments end up in the hands of the crowd, I slid down a bannister mid-song recently. We just want to have some fun, and be as free as possible. Real life is rubbish, rock 'n' roll should be an escape and break the strict routine of everyday.
What's the creative culture and music community like in Dundee at the moment?
God knows. This is a topic I could go on about for hours and come to no solution. There are really good bands in Dundee just now, more so than at any time I can remember. Dundee had a massive 'scene' after The View broke through, everyone was in a band, every pub wanted to put shows on and people wanted to be involved. But the music was pure balls. Now no one goes to gigs, all the venues are shutting down and Cash Converters is wall to wall with traded in guitars. But the bands that have survived are great, doing whatever they want and doing it on there own terms. Dundee loves to slap itself on the back about its cultural achievements, but I think there is a bit too much elitism in it, its all a bit middle class, there is one cultural quarter which represents a very small section of Dundee. Most of the city is bleak and brutal, but this is swept neatly under the carpet. The reason I think the music scene is in a good place is because it embraces that side of things, in a way that the other arts tend to ignore.
What would you say has been your greatest achievement so far?
Writing good songs. Getting to play at T In The Park. Supporting Placebo. And doing everything ourselves and on our own terms. No one comes to our shows or buys our records and we are generally ignored by all the trend setters and weegie mafia of bloggers and promoters, but we will not be broken. We know what we want to do, and we will do it. We believe in people and freedom and honesty. I have not given up on the hope that people will one day see what we are all about and everything will click into place. Or maybe we will all hold hands and jump to an icey death over the side of the Tay Bridge. Only time will tell.
What have you got planned next?
We have nearly completed a plan for the release of the new album in the new year, so we are now working solidly towards that. There will probably be a single and a few mad videos as well. And if anyone will book us then I hope we can get out and gig across the country as well. All the dates and things will be finalised soon, so keep an eye on the Facebook/Twitter pages.
What other artists (Scottish or not) would you recommend to the Scottish Fiction readers?
90% of the Scottish music that gets written about and thrust into the public consciousness is complete horse shit. I follow as many new music blogs, radio shows and podcasts as I can, and will check out as many new bands as I can, especially the ones that seems to be getting a bit of hype and buzz around them. But so often its just the same tired, whinging blandness. Boring young men in plaid shirts singing about how their Dads never hugged them enough. Or, the new hot Glasgow thing seems to be bands that dress like extras from Grease that spend more time sculpting theirs quiffs than studying that one Cramps record they own. But hell, its not all bad... I really enjoy the Glasgow band Casual Sex, I watched them at GoNorth this year, and heard one of their sessions on BBC 6Muisc. I love them. And Vladimir from Dundee are great. Big, gloomy, loud gothy indie. I also really like Swim Deep, Drenge, Iceage and a bunch of other noisey things just now . I think the new Arcade Fire album is the best album of the year, followed closely by Kanye West and Surfer Blood.
Thanks for speaking with us, would you care to share a joke with us?
Thanks for having me!
I don't think I've heard a good joke in years. The only jokes I seem to see these days are the horrible ones that surface after every nation tragedy or unsavoury event, and which are best not repeated.
After three minutes 4 seconds I have literally no idea what has just happenned but whatever it was I enjoyed it. In the shape of Chicken Slippers, the lead single from their new album Oozing A Crepuscular Light which is out now on Song By Toad Records, The Leg have seemingly written a silent film soundtrack to a film that I presume is about a person tied to a railway track about to be run over by someone wearing slippers made out of a chicken. It's Syd Barrett at his Piper At The Gates of Dawn best at points mixing the childlike imagery of chicken slippers with an almost baroque on speed arrangement. You will never forget this song once you've heard it. Brilliantly off the wall.
- David McElroy
The Leg - Chicken Slippers is out now on Song By Toad Records and available to download for free here.
