Scottish Fiction Podcast - 23rd March 2014

Last August we dabbled with an all vinyl podcast which went down pretty well.  So naturally I thought it was time to dust off some records and do it again; but this time live in the studio for two hours!  Which given that our wee radio studio is not set up to play vinyl at all was a fun challenge!  So if you'll forgive the odd RPM mishap and some crackles, then dig into music from Errors, Jonnie Common, Withered Hand, Le Thug, Frightened Rabbit and more! 

John Knox Sex Club - Animals
Japanese War Effort - Summer, Sun, Skateboard
Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat - If You Keep Me In Your Heart
FOUND - Machine Age Dancing
Errors - A Rumour In Africa
Django Django - Storm
We Were Promised Jetpack - Quiet Little Voices
Jonnie Common - Shark
Martin John Henry - Span
Admiral Fallow - Beetle in the Box
Aberfeldy - Love is an Arrow
Lightships - Fear and Doubt
Belle and Sebastian - Come on Sister
COVER LOVER - LCD Soundsystem - Live Alone
Rachel Sermanni - Eggshells
Travis - Side
Withered Hand - Heart Heart
Tuff Love - Poncho
Frightened Rabbit - The Loneliness and the Scream
The Seventeenth Century - Banks of Home
Biffy Clyro - Saturday Superhouse
Le Thug - Sense in Scotland
Ambulances - Shine on My Shoes


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E-mail - scottishfiction@mail.com

Scottish Fiction - 23rd March 2015 by Scottish Fiction on Mixcloud

Scottish Fiction Podcast - 15th December 2014

Scottish Fiction gets Christmassy on this week's show as some Christmas tunes both old and new slip into the playlist along side new music from Errors, Collapsible Mountains, Turtle and Vasquez.  T'is the season and all that. 

Keeping things festive are my session guests Campfires In Winter, who joined me in the studio for a stripped back session ahead of their Christmas gig at Sloans on Wednesday 17th December.  The band played three tracks, including a never before heard exclusive, and chatted about their plans for an album next year.

Belle and Sebastian - The Party Line
The Son(s) - Christmas Song
Broken Records - My Beer Drunk Soul Is Sadder Than All The Dead Christmas Trees In The World
Campfires In Winter - We'll Exist - Live in Pulse 98.4 Studios
Collapsible Mountains - Hope
COVER LOVER - Randolph's Leap - One More Sleep 'til Christmas
Now Wakes The Sea - Bear
Errors - Lease Of Life
Campfires In Winter - Janus - Live in Pulse 98.4 Studios
Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers - Believe In Yourself - As chosen by Campfires In Winter
Lady North - Monster Wants A Kiss
Vasquez - Thumbmusic
RE-MIXING IT UP - The Phantom Band - Women of Ghent (Miaoux Miaoux Remix)
Turtle - Lavender
Campfires In Winter - White Lights - Live in Pulse 98.4 Studios
Deathcats - Sprint
Ballboy - Merry Christmas To The Drunks, Merry Christmas To The Lovers
Das McManus - Not My Words
Honeyblood - Biro
CLASSIC TRACK - Travis - Driftwood
Frightened Rabbit - It's Christmas So We'll Stop


Subscribe/listen to the podcast via iTunes.

Connect with us and submit any submissions via:
Facebook - www.facebook.com/thisisscottishfiction
Twitter - twitter.com/scotfiction984
E-mail - scottishfiction@mail.com

Scottish Fiction - 14th December 2014 by Scottish Fiction on Mixcloud

Scottish Fiction Podcast - 29th January 2014

It's a truly eclectic and ecstatic mix on the latest Scottish Fiction podcast.  Fat Suit bring the ensemble jazz, Mogwai provide the shoe-gaze post rock, Foreignfox are all about the soaring anthemic indie-folk, and Young Fathers do cutting edge hip-hop.  Throw a live track from The Twilight Sad and RSNO into the mix, along with features 'Cover Lover' and '#tweetatrack' then this episode is peaking the tip of the braw-o-meter. 

Franz Ferdinand - Bullet
Deathbells - Money Making Sequel
The Mirror Trap - Killing Time
Copper Lungs - How Long
Hagana - Watch My Step
Mogwai - Heard About You Last Night

COVER LOVER - Lenzie Moss - French Disko

Algernon Doll - Spilt Milk Perfume
Monoganon - Ivory and Tusk
Fat Suit - Late Night
Blood Indians - Cold Caller
Jackson Hall - Drawn to the Water
Jack James - Small Pyramids
The Twilight Sad feat. RSNO - Cold Days From The Birdhouse (Live at Paisley Abbey)
Rachel Sermanni - Everything Changes
Foreignfox - Yoghurt

#tweetatrack - Travis - Sing - As chosen by @scottmcarthur88

Lonely Tourist - The Ballad Of Paul Tierney
Young Fathers - Get Up
Passion Pusher - Benzo
Babe - Aerialist Barbette
Holy Esque - Silences


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Scottish Fiction - 29th January 2014 by Scottish Fiction on Mixcloud

Scottish Fiction Podcast - 11th December 2013

This podcast was recorded smack bang in the middle of Shambles Miller's epic takeover of the Scottish Fiction blog, therefore it seemed only right and fair that we allowed him to invade our podcast too.  Shambles chooses three tracks in the middle of this week's show.  There's also new music from French Wives, Over The Wall, Black Balloons and Dirty Lies.  Nestled in amongst all the music delights are our usual features 'Cover Lover', '#tweetatrack' and 'Re-Mixing It Up'.  It's all good!

Over The Wall - Cast Your Stone
TeenCanteen - Honey
The Twilight Sad & Royal Scottish National Orchestra - The Wrong Car (Live from Paisley Abbey)
Sonic Templars - Lessons In My Life

Cover Lover Track - Travis - River

Wullie Mammoth - Factory (Part 1)
French Wives - Long Drawn Goodbye
Angus Munro - The Death Of Me
Jack James - Florence

#tweetatrack - Maple Leaves - Golden Ether - As chosen by @alantheclarke

Shambles Miller - Deadpool

Randolph's Leap - Psychic - As chosen by Shambles Miller
This Silent Forest - Root To The Seed - As chosen by Shambles Miller
James Mackenzie - Boat Song - As chosen by Shambles Miller

Dirty Lies - Shallow Grave
Black Balloons - Haunted
DEATHCATS!!! - Cowabunga Surf Jam
Kobi Onyame - Glory
The Boy With The Lion Head - I'll Hide All The Things That Remind Me Of You

Re-Mixing It Up - The Girobabies - What Could Go Wrong (Sicknote Remix)

A Fight You Can't Win - Jerusalem Crickets
Blood Relatives - Fowl Mouth


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Scottish Fiction - 11th December 2013 by Scottish Fiction on Mixcloud

Album Review - Travis - Where You Stand

It's been a long time coming but finally Travis are back with new album Where We Stand, rightfully reclaiming their status as one of Scotland's proudest musical exports of the 21st Century.

Opener Mother is a slow burner to start with but when the chorus kicks in and frontman Fran Healy aptly asks, "why did we wait so long?", you can't help but feel a tiny bit delighted at their return.  Moving is a definite toe tapper, with a superb vocal performance from Fran on the chorus.  It's one of many tracks on the album, including Warning Sign and A Different Room, which proves that, even after almost 20 years, this band can still craft one hell of a great song.

I could have sworn I'd heard the whistling introduction of Reminder previously on a TV advert but can't seem to find any evidence...  Anyway, this one's a little softer with breathy vocals and percussion which recreates the soothing, rhythmic rolling of an old steam engine.  You'll see what I mean, probably.

Title track Where You Stand, like a few tracks on the album, is quite piano-heavy, giving it a bit of a Keane-esque vibe (please don't shoot me, it really does!)  For a title track, you'd probably expect a bit more 'oomph' but it does the job and sounds good so there's no real need for it to deliver anything bigger.

Another Guy was the first we heard from the new album (if you didn't see the excellent video by German director Wolfgang Becker get it watched below!)  The band exercise muted chords and rim shots to create a really subdued feel and Fran's apathetic vocals give the lyrics a much stronger meaning (that being, he is not a happy bunny).  This subdued vibe continues into New Shoes which has a bit of a reggae dub feel to it.  That may should like it shouldn't work but weirdly enough it does, and very well too.  This makes it a bit of a stand out track, not because it's mind-blowingly epic, but because it just offers something a bit different compared to the rest of the record.

On the other hand, On My Wall and Boxes don't really possess anything which makes them particularly stand out but thankfully closer The Big Screen saves the day.  The piano ballad sees Fran channel his inner Jeff Buckley in one final exquisite vocal performance. 

You may long for the good old days of classics Happy and Driftwood and upon listening to this new record for the first time, you may find a few of the tracks bleed into each other.  If you instantly love it, then great but if not, do yourself a favour and give it a chance.  Stick with it and it's sure to grow on you.  The guys may have hit their peak in the noughties but if this album proves anything, it's that they still have a few great melodies left in them yet.

- Nina Glencross

Travis - Where You Stand is out now on Red Telephone Box on all formats.  Get it in records shops and online here.  Check out the video for Another Guy below.

Scottish Fiction Podcast - 3rd April 2013

(Picture courtesy of Fanny Lambotte / Wolf Teeth Music)

It's a laid back and cultured affair for this week's show as out live guest Siobhan Wilson treats us to some wonderful live music, chat about her time in France and her influences, and selects some tracks for our listening pleasure.  Following our session there's a 'Cover Lover' track from Frightened Rabbit's new EP 'Backyard Skulls', plus brand new music from Plastic Animals, Edwyn Collins, Travis, Black International, and chat about all things from Beers vs. Records, gigs, and babies.  Yes, we cover all bases here.  Enjoy!

Perfume Genius - Normal Song - As chosen by Siobhan Wilson

Siobhan Wilson - All Dressed Up - Live in Pulse 98.4 FM Studio

France Gall - Laisse Tomber Les Filles - As chosen by Siobhan Wilson

Siobhan Wilson - Ta Petite Minette - Live in Pulse 98.4 FM Studio

Adam Stafford feat. Siobhan Wilson - Sound Of Fear Evaporating - As chosen by Siobhan Wilson

Black Balloons - This House
Penfold - Exactly How It Happened
Travis - Another Guy
Esperi - Somersaults
Plastic Animals - Pizarnik
Thirty Pounds Of Bone - Home Faring
Farewell Singapore - Celebrate Your Mother
Edwyn Collins - Too Bad, (That's Sad)

Cover Lover - Frightened Rabbit - Norland Wind

Galleries - Midnight Rush
Colin's Godson - Death Star Ditty
Black International - A Gilded Palace


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Scottish Fiction - 3rd April 2013 by Scottish Fiction on Mixcloud