Glasgow PodcART Approved - Nov 2010 (E#002)
Greetings from Caledonia. We have picked a diverse bunch of Scottish noise makers for your listening pleasure this month and, if I do say so myself, you're in for quite a treat!
From punk to folk, lo-fi to post rock, established to brand new, we have all bases covered with our five choices. It feels only fair that we share these bands with you now as I'm sure we won't be able to keep them as secret loves of our own for much longer anyway. These bands have helped soundtrack our year so far and we hope that they excite you as much as they have us! So, without further ado, here are our five recommendations for this month. Enjoy!
Astral Planes
http://www.myspace.com/
Three parts Glaswegian, one part sassy New Jerseyite frontwoman, Astral Planes are without doubt one of my favourite Scottish bands of recent times. Having originally planned to move here for only a short spell while studying at the Glasgow School of Art, singer Jen Paley has now fronted the band for the last two years - the thrill of being part of one of the city's best loved groups obviously too hard to leave behind. Effortlessly mixing 60's surf and pop with a large helping of post punk, the band make a great live watch and their EP 'Sit Still Child' only serves as a delicious taster of what to expect next from this lot, leaving you hungry for more.
I must admit, I was a latecomer to this band but now wonder how they could ever have passed me by. They are a quintessential Scottish band in the best possible way, mixing tragic sadness with hope and joy like only us Caledonian folks can. Their album 'Boots Met My Face' is one of the best of 2010 and brilliantly displays everything they have in their armoury, from the heartfelt folk of the nostalgic 'Subbuteo' to the slow-building 'Squealing Pigs' that rises into a cacophony of woodwind and brass. They end this year supporting Frightened Rabbit on their UK tour, a band whose success they could definitely emulate in the near future.
PAWS
Paws are a lo-fi, alt. pop band based in Glasgow whose stock has risen fast this year. They have recently supported the likes of No Age, Wavves, Happy Birthday, Male Bonding and Dum Dum Girls and have plans to release an EP in January. I interviewed them earlier in the year and they seem to be extremely focused on what they want to do and how they want to do it, having learned lessons from previous bands. They have a strong DIY ethic, youth on their side and judging by the strength of their single releases 'Violent Vicky Violet' and 'Winners Don't Bleed', the next year should be a big one for PAWS.
Remember Remember
Remember Remember is essentially the post rock, instrumental solo work of Graeme Ronald. I say essentially because live the act swells to include local music royalty such as Steven Kane from Happy Particles and Andy Brown from Divorce. I recently saw them live at their EP launch for RR Scorpii (released through Mogwai's label Rock Action Records) and was completely blown away. The use of repetitive samples, melodic guitar, twinkling glockenspiel and just about any other instrument you can think of, create huge stellar soundscapes that have earned comparisons to Sigur Ros and Animal Collective amongst others. Post rock fans, in particular, take note. I assume there's a few of you since your from the country that gave us Constellation Records - for which I give you my humble thanks by the way!
Skies Fell
The final band I'd like to present to you are Skies Fell. They are the newest act of all my choices and currently only have three songs on their MySpace but that's been more than enough to impress me. They've garnered a lot of praise recently for their short Scottish tour and subsequent debut Glasgow show at The Arches, one of the city's most famous venues. Comparisons have been made to Biffy Clyro due to the anthemic nature of their songs, particularly 'Statues', but they have definitely developed a uniquely recognisable sound of their own - intricate guitar patterns jarring for position whilst backing strong vocal melodies and harmonies. Keep your eyes peeled to MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, whatever your social network of choice be, as there will be more news on the band shortly, including their next release.
Again, we hope you'll take the time to give all these guys a good listen. You might even find something you love! Needless to say, we're big fans of them all but it's our job to help them get their music listened to by as many people as possible. Including your good selves!
Speak to ya soon,
Stephen and Team Podcart.
From punk to folk, lo-fi to post rock, established to brand new, we have all bases covered with our five choices. It feels only fair that we share these bands with you now as I'm sure we won't be able to keep them as secret loves of our own for much longer anyway. These bands have helped soundtrack our year so far and we hope that they excite you as much as they have us! So, without further ado, here are our five recommendations for this month. Enjoy!
Astral Planes
http://www.myspace.com/
photo from Myspace
Admiral Fallow
photo from Myspace
PAWS
photo from Myspace
Remember Remember
photo from Myspace
Skies Fell
photo from Myspace
The final band I'd like to present to you are Skies Fell. They are the newest act of all my choices and currently only have three songs on their MySpace but that's been more than enough to impress me. They've garnered a lot of praise recently for their short Scottish tour and subsequent debut Glasgow show at The Arches, one of the city's most famous venues. Comparisons have been made to Biffy Clyro due to the anthemic nature of their songs, particularly 'Statues', but they have definitely developed a uniquely recognisable sound of their own - intricate guitar patterns jarring for position whilst backing strong vocal melodies and harmonies. Keep your eyes peeled to MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, whatever your social network of choice be, as there will be more news on the band shortly, including their next release.
Again, we hope you'll take the time to give all these guys a good listen. You might even find something you love! Needless to say, we're big fans of them all but it's our job to help them get their music listened to by as many people as possible. Including your good selves!
Speak to ya soon,
Stephen and Team Podcart.
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