Having had the pleasure of hearing an advance copy of 'Imaginary Walls Collapse', I was thrilled to be able to welcome it's creator Adam Stafford into the Pulse 98.4 studios. We chatted about the forthcoming LP, which is being released via Song By Toad Records on 15th July, as well as discussing Adam's distinctive and encapsulating sound and stage presence. On top of that, as you would expect from our session guest, there's three live songs from Adam.
Elsewhere, there's a return of regular features 'Re-Mixing It Up' and 'Cover Lover', with a track from Song Of Return and Cairn String Quartet respectively. And keeping us in tune with the freshest Scottish music there's tracks from Profisee, Lovers Turn To Monsters, The Amazing Snakeheads and more.
Good to be back after last week's missed show. Did you miss me? I'll pretend you say yes. As I'm heading off to RockNess on Friday for my good friend's stag do, naturally I focus on homegrown artists playing Scotland's most scenic festival. There's also plently of new music from the likes of Olympic Swimmers, Capitals and Woodenbox. Our featured artist is Biffy Clyro and our Classic Scottish Album comes from post-punk legends Orange Juice.
You've not done one of these for a while, I hear you say. This is true, and whilst my inbox has been bulging with submissions I've been both busy and lazy. So I owe an apology to you for not passing on these fine pieces of music, and also to the artists who've sent me stuff. There's lots more still sitting in my inbox, but for the time being here's a short and sweet post about a few of my favourites.
(Some are relatively old news now, but still deserve a mention 'cause they are that good!)
This bad boy came out on 17th April (yes that's how far behind I am) and
is a behemoth of electronica and dance music. With the spirit of
Kraftwerk in his sails Craig, a.k.a. Satellite Dub, set off on an
intergalactic stellar trip. Mind that bit in the the song 'I Bet That
You Look Good On The Dancefloor' that says, "just banging tunes and DJ
sets"? This is that, but better. Get it on a 'pay-what-you-want' basis
or buy a CD with download for £4.
A new band from Glasgow, so new in fact that I can't find any information on them other than that Daniel Young of Where We Lay Our Heads is involved, and that there's four of them. I'm actually a fool for sitting on this track for so long and doing nothing about it. Consider myself well and truly scolded. This is really good. A little rough albeit, but good. With the female vocals they sound a little bit like my favourite band ever (ok not EVER, but I still like them) The Spook School but heavier. Terrible description I know. Just listen eh. And you can download this song plus another, 'Seven', for free on their Soundcloud. Braw!
Crikey! You though April was ages ago, try March when this brilliant EP came out. Further proof that my head is up my arse in terms of keeping up to date with new music (not good advertising for the blog). Anyhow now that I've devoted full attention to this, you should too. It's a four track EP from the Edinburgh band. They describe it as 'bewitching pop music' and that pretty much does it for me. (They also do a really good cover of Bronski Beat's 'Small Town Boy' which you can hear here.)
Finally a track which I haven't completely neglected! The lads from Wolves Of Winter featured on our February EP with their brilliant track 'The Art Of Temptation'. The follow up isn't half bad either, with it's other-worldly feel and dark beauty. I played the track on our radio show recently which shows that not everything passes me by idly. 'The Thaw' is available as a free download so you've no excuses.
Slightly more up to date now as this EP by Edinburgh's Plastic Animals was released yesterday. 'Automaton' is the band's first new material since their 'A Dark Spring' EP, and it's well and truly worth the wait. It's probably deserving of a bigger spot on the blog, and it may well get that if I can squeeze in some time amidst all the cucumber sandwiches and sub-servitude during the jubilee. For now though, I can tell you that this is good stuff. Available as a 'pay-what-you-want' download, you should give them some cash because it's worth it. 'Yellowcraig' itself is an atmospheric post-rock inspired doozy.
This is another submission which is definitely worthy of more attention, as it is the debut album from one of Scotland's most talented unsigned group Olympic Swimmers. I first saw them supporting Admiral Fallow some time ago in The Arches, and they've taken their time to produce a stunning debut album, full of melody, landscaped guitars, and shimmering strings. This one is released on Monday 4th June, but you can pre-order it now from the link above. Here's the track 'Where It Snows' to convince you why you should buy the album.
Another Edinburgh band, this time it's the biblical named The Seven
Deadly Sins. Despite being sinful, they are actually rather good, even if what they do is nothing new (I always wonder why that's a criticism).
Unless of course they sold their souls to the devil, Robert Johnson
style, in which case everything makes sense. Rambling? Me? Musically,
their EP is pretty strong, slightly darker indie rock. Below is a
video for the EP track 'Yesterday' and you can buy the full 'Misery
Lake' EP from the link above.
And to end this rather long (yet fully awesome) post of recent submissions, something that you can buy on 7" vinyl. North American War are a Glasgwegian based four piece making some rather good alternative pop/rock music. This double A-Side is a prelude to their forthcoming album, which I'm told is dropping in August this year, and showcases two different sides to their sound. 'Ivory And' goes down the loud '80's new-wave path that lots of people are treading currently, and 'Geraniums' is a softer approach. The 7" is available on a limited 250 run and can be found on the above link for £5, as can a download only copy for £2.
Aaaaaaand that's your lot for today. I promise the next Scottish Fiction Submissions post won't be too far off, mainly because there is plenty more excellent music lurking in the depth of my inbox. Toodles.
.JPG)
