A recent conversation:
My friend: I always thought Mogwai were a rubbish indie band.
Me: No they’re not.
My friend: I know. I’ve been listening to them. They’re really good.
Me: Yes. Yes they are. They’re new album Rave Tapes is awesome.
Both: Nod heads with quiet satisfaction.
Stream it here, as a pointer ‘Replelish’s’ spoken word sampling and eerie melody are spine-tingling.
l found these two tracks next to each other on Soundcloud just now, by two bands I have never heard of. Listen loud and then say thank you.
These folks are from Stirling I think, found via Fat Cat Records!
This is little Play a Song For Me’s 100th wordpress post! A tiny figure for some, for me an occasion akin to getting an ice cream on a sunny day.
For those of you who are new to the blog musicians I discover share suggestions of new, rare and important artists/songs/albums. Along the way other things have also evolved – I invent sporadic new features (for the last month I’ve been posting a happy song every day), review new material and spraff on about new discoveries. Other folks stories are at the heart of why I’ve kept up the writing, I always love reading submissions and love to see that people still reading them.
End ramble: to celebrate and in case you missed them here are some great picks. Click the links to take you to the full articles and music!
The first ever post I received was from Karl of The Son(s), whose music is beautiful.
I’m slightly ashamed to say I’d never heard of Townes Van Zandt before this post from Mike, who himself is supremely talented. Check out the full read here.
A personal story you’ll remember, a blues record you’ll love. Adam has a new album coming out really soon and it’s a beauty. Keep your eye on Song By Toad for more.
Without a doubt my favourite picture submitted, Glasgow’s Olympic Swimmers wrote a beautiful piece on Richard Youngs.
A close contender in the picture stakes, Human Pyramids shared a love of the glacial Mum.
The tragic story of The Bhundu Boys, retold by Glasgow’s State Broadcasters.
Have a root around for many more great things in the friends and contributors section. Listen, discover, enjoy.
Hello to the weekend! Kick start it with Nevada Base‘s new single ‘Foresight’, ace tune. For anyone in Glasgow they have a single launch at Broadcast tomorrow (Saturday 27th April) kicks off at 8.30pm. Get yourself down for a shimmy…
The Besnard Lakes new album Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO came out this week on the Jagjaguwar label, keepers of an roster including the excellent Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Sharon Van Etten. The space related title might reflect the album’s atmospheric soundscapes, ever so delicately woven.
The Montreal born soft-rock act was first formed in 2003 by husband and wife duo Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas who later fused with now longtime bandmates Kevin Laing and Richard White. Their fourth album it was recorded in Breakglass studios, Montreal and features several accomplished musicians.
All eight tracks hold something distinctively their own. At almost seven minutes long – an duration average of the album – ’46 Satires’ might not be the most obvious choice for an opener, however it’s entrancing undulating melodies spin round an ethereal vocal. ‘The Specter’ has echoes of dusky eighties melodies, while ‘At Midnight’ builds into cleverly effective penetrating vocals. First single ‘People of the Sticks’ is the most commercially friendly choice, while closer ‘Alam0gordo’ leans towards a darker sonic instrumentation that proves oddly captivating.
Your world is one of unrushed daydreaming.
The band play Stereo in Glasgow on 24th May, as part of their European tour. Teeny venue = likely to be a great show.
Check out the band’s website for more.
It’s Friday and instead of doing anything practical or useful I decided to make a list of songs I have on rotation for you. Kidding, this is probably the most practical and useful thing I could do with my time! Enjoy some great tracks, freebies and the beginning of your weekend.
The first single from Sparrow and the Workshop’s upcoming album Muderopolis, out on Song, By Toad this May. You can download entirely for free via the Glasgow band’s sound cloud link. It’s really very good.
There’s something about The Twilight Sad, they’ve been around for the a decade and although I’m not a fanatic there are moments when sinking in to their semi-dark, progressive Scottish rock is incredible. This tune is another one you can get for free, via the band’s label Fatcat
I like Minnesota’s Low. Their stunning new album The Invisible Way will be released literally in days from now, you can listen to it in advance via NPR and in the meantime check out this heartily beautiful new track So Blue.
Perhaps the appeal of the new Postal Service track is that it reminds the more mature amongst us of listening to them the first time around? Thoughts on a postcard please.
I started listening to Blues maestro Howlin’ Wolf by accident this week, and have since been working my way through his back catalogue. A new animated video of ‘Evil’ and live performance for your eyes and ears.
Hey there music fans! Over the last month things have been so busy that everything I have been meaning to post has just ended up in as sporadic notes on my computer, instead of here for you all to read it.
It’s one of the great thing about being a blogger: you don’t have deadlines, there’s no recompense due if you don’t file something on time or the word count’s over – the downside being it’s too easy to put things on the back burner, the longer you leave it the easier it is to let things pile up.
Enough of my prattle – here are some things to get your ears wholly stuck in to.
There are certain festival’s whose line up I will always have a good rummage through, as they are sure to possess great up and coming talent. Brighton’s The Great Escape is one, where I discovered folkish ruffians Eliza and The Bear. Listen to the single Brother’s Boat below, which you can also download as a freebie.
On the subject of boats here’s a second one I plucked from The Great Escape’s sea is electronic duo Cloud Boat, this track I Left For a Reason (It Escapes Me Now) is certainly bewitching stuff.
The band’s new double album Opposites is a collection of standout rock rooted tracks that are a happy progression from the pop friendly Only Revolutions – more a move back to the band’s glory days. Surefire hit ‘Biblical’ will leave you wanting more, while the bluesy ‘Trumpet or Tap’ and the eighties tune melancholic ‘The Fog’ are highlights. All round there’s a compelling narrative and the trio’s drumming and guitar riffs alone make it a winner. Succumb now.
Wolf’s Law is the title track from the Welsh act’s recently released second album and it’s incredibly purty. Overall catch the whole record, out on Atlantic, for upbeat beginnings, a gorgeous vocal from frontlady Ritzy Brian and scattered, emotional strings.
As we hurtle towards the end of the year I’ve been getting returning to listen to things I really loved over the last twelve months. It’s not quite a best of list as I find it hard to narrow things down that far, rather just a rundown of great songs…Merry Christmas Eve!
These tracks are both from Neil Pennycook’s alternative folk band Meursault’s stunning 2012 album Something For the Weakened. Amongst a number of accolades it’s received it just topped the Scottish BAMS, an award set up by the great Peenko blog and voted for by Scottish bloggers including me, you can read the full list of winners here.
Both of the these tracks from Falkirk musician Adam Stafford’s spilt single, released on independent label Gerry Loves Records are so well crafted I’ve listened to them many times.
I bought Malcolm Middleton’s first Human Don’t Be Angry album on CD in Inverness, because it was playing in the shop and even though I had it on download it sounded too good not to own. Stunning instrumental guitar…
Having first seen Glasgow four piece Three Blind Wolves live in May, I then listened to their joyous, country rooted album ‘Sound of the Storm’ on repeat for many weeks after.
Husband and wife duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley released ‘Young and Old’ in February, blissful sugar pop to make you happy.
The first track which was released from the band’s album Bloom, it’s a beauty.
An album which is amongst the best releases of the year (and has indeed appeared near the top of many tastemaker album lists) US singer-songwriter Van Etten’s Tramp is sublime. This is the video for ‘Leonard’…get to listening!
The most poignant and unusual kind of chamber folk from the Oregon ensemble Loch Lomond, this is the title track from a European EP produced exclusively for Chemikal Underground. It’s a tearjerker.
For ex Fleet Foxes drummer Josh Tilman his 2012 album ‘Fear Fun’ is likely to define the point where people had begun to listen to his solo work. This is the first track I heard from it…
Watch this video and I’d defy you not fall in love with Damien Jurado’s latest record.
Australian prog-instrumental rock trio The Dirty Three just seem to get better and more distinctive, their quivering instruments conjuring a rugged, turbulent landscape.
If you like properly old fashioned song writing, this release from Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson is just plain good.
Two excellent bands, one reworked song.
For non regular readers Play a Song For Me is mostly about asking musicians and people involved in music for their suggestions on something which is great, new or rare. Of all the great submissions I’ve had this year there were a couple which really stuck out for me, I hope if you haven’t heard them already please click on the link!
Six track ‘album’ Raise Ravens came out from the Glasgow folk-rockers in September, check it out….
Blues legend Tommy Johnson, whose songs are timeless.
A young, supremely talented Scottish singer
With the catchy, winter appropriate alias of Arran Arctic ‘D.I.Y. pop, folk and electronica’ musician Arran Southall is a man who hails from Northern Ireland and now lives in Edinburgh. He contacted me with his new album, titled Like Lovers, a lovely collection of delicate, experimental tracks often with an orchestral depth, which will capture your attention.
You can stream it in full the bottom of this post, first he’ll tell you about a classic influence and a little piece of musical history…
I first came across Buffy Sainte-Marie and her album Illuminations on Stuart Maconie’s great BBC 6 Music Show The Freak Show (the best weird and wonderful music you’ll find on a weekly basis) and I was blown away by her cover of Leonard Cohen’s God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot. I got my spade out and dug a little deeper into her history and back catalogue. And she’s just amazing! Her career spans 5 decades, she’s won an Oscar and she even appeared on Sesame Street for a while!
Illuminations is a departure from her usual folk, soul and rock output and actually alienated a number of her fans when it came out in 1969. The record sees Sainte-Marie electronically manipulating both her guitar and vocals to create a sparsely populated eerie landscape.
But there are also a number of rocky foot stampers such as ‘He’s a Keeper of the Fire‘, which have caused some to retrospectively christen the album the first “goth” record!
I just love this album and have championed it before on the excellent blog Scots Whay Hae!. It’s appeal is not only because of the fantastic tunes but also because of the balls it must have taken to make and put out there. Everyone needs a bit of Buffy Sainte-Marie in their lives.
Arran’s album Like Lovers can be streamed and purchased on his bandcamp, his personable and playful website – from which I pinched the above illustration – is also well worth checking out. Choral title track ‘Like Lovers’ is a highlight, fusing a boy/girl vocal with an almost cinematic soundscape, there’s lots of tinkling goodness in the fleeting ‘Wound’ and climatic lullaby ‘Slumber’.
A low key, monochromatic video for bewitching earworm ‘Covers’….
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