So Many Animal Calls - TRAPS

Glaswegian "Fail-pop" four-piece's debut single TRAPS

I featured this delightful Glasgow quartet on the blog almost a couple of years ago upon the release of their demo EP, Your House Is A Hospice, describing them as "one of the most new, exciting and promising Scottish bands of 2010". It's now 2012 and after the release of their debut full-length EP, Eulogy, and having been signed to Glasgow label Overlook Records, that opinion has only been reinforced by their latest release.

TRAPS, released today on Overlook Records, is a whirlwind of infectious guitar pop. Delivering angular, jittery but finely crafted guitar melodies along with fervent vocals and heartfelt harmonies, this latest effort from So Many Animal Calls exudes a naturally youthful energy that's as charming as it is raucous. The B-Side, The Best Way To Be Broken, is far more refined as the pace slows and the vocals are beautifully complimented by delicate piano melodies before the guitar and drums gradually rise to perfectly layer the vocals for a rousing finish.

So Many Animal Calls will be launching their single at MILK in Flat 0/1 this Wednesday along with Paisley riff kings Carnivores. So until then, here's the video of the single (filmed, directed and edited by Emily Wylde) to whet your appetite.

You can purchase the single by clicking here and visit So Many Animal Calls official website here.

Scottish Alternative Music Awards

Now in its third year, the Scottish Alternative Music Awards are growing from strength to strength. Giving well deserved recognition to the dedicated, talented and hard working musicians across the length and breadth of Scotland, the awards also provide a platform to showcase the best of what the Scottish music industry has to offer.

Having recently been commended by the Scottish Parliament for his creativity and passion for Scottish music, founder and creative director Richy Muirhead has been hard at work to make this years awards bigger and better than ever. With the introduction of a new category, Best Hip Hop, the awards are striving to represent the diversity of a booming Scottish music industry. This year the awards will be run in association with retro clothing store Vintage Guru with various sponsors including Bar Bloc, Ignite Records and the Cathouse Rock Club having been secured for each of the seven categories.

Official Launch Night @ Bar Bloc

To celebrate its much anticipated return, Bar Bloc will be hosting the official launch party on Wednesday night featuring performances from some of this years nominees including Brown Bear & the Bandits, Athos and A Fight You Can't Win. As always with Bloc, the event is free from 9pm but it's set to be a busy one so get down early to avoid disappointment.

Main Event @ The Garage

The main event will see an upgrade in venue as the SAMAs 2012 take over The Garage on Thursday 1st March. The show will be hosted by stand-up comedian Billy Kirkwood with tickets priced at £10 via Tickets Scotland. There is also the addition of an exclusive VIP Experience for a mere £20 giving you the chance to experience the buzz of backstage with access to the balcony, complimentary drinks and an exclusive "Meet 'n' Greet".

The nominees across each of the seven categories for the SAMAs 2012 are as follows:


Best Rock/Alternative
(sponsored by Ignite Records)

Aerials Up
Fatherson
Little Eye
Lady North
Iain McLaughlin and the Outsiders
Johnny and the Giros


Best Newcomer
(sponsored by Cathouse Glasgow)

Athos
Vukovi
Forest Fires
Bwani Junction
Oskar Empire
Davey Horne


Best Live Act
(sponsored by Messer Schmitt)

Admiral Fallow
Song Of Return
We Were Promised Jetpacks
The Little Kicks
PAWS
Miniature Dinosaurs


Best Acoustic
(sponsored by JamHut Studios)

Brown Bear & The Bandits
Beerjacket
Amber Wilson
Colin James Murphy
Mike Nisbet
I Build Collapsible Mountains


Best Metal
(sponsored by Departed Apparel)

Constellations
The Recovery!
Autumn In Disguise
A Fight You Can't Win
Ten Tonne Dozer
Lost In Echoes


Best Hip Hop
(sponsored by Young Scot)

Madhat McGore
Hector Bizerk
Bigg Taj
Stanley Odd
Team Kapowski
Profisee


Best Electronic
(sponsored by Bar Bloc)

Rustie
Miaoux Miaoux
Fridge Magnets
Discopolis
Niteworks
Teklo

You can visit the Official SAMAs site here or visit the Facebook page here.
The event page for the Official Launch Party at Bloc can be viewed here and tickets for the Main Event at the Garage can be purchased online here.
To download the Official SAMAs iPhone and Android app, click here.

Introducing: Holy Childhood

Formed in early 2011 and fusing members of the now defunct Think:Fire and All My Logic, Holy Childhood are an alternative five piece from Glasgow. Bursting with melodic hooks that gently caress the eardrums, the gentle Scottish lull of vocalist Bruce McKenzie lends to an earthly sound that floats effortlessly into beautifully constructed instrumentation. With haunting melodies and poignant lyrics wonderfully complimented by piano et al, Holy Childhood are set to make their mark on 2012 beginning with their debut show tonight at Classic Grand. Having sold out of their original batch, the gig has been moved upstairs to the larger hall to accommodate the demand for tickets providing you with a chance to snap up one of the few remaining. Tickets for tonight's show are selling very fast with only a limited amount remaining on the door, so get down early to avoid disappointment. I predict we'll be hearing a lot more of Holy Childhood as the year progresses, and I for one can't wait.



You can find out more about Holy Childhood here where you can also stream some tracks, or visit their Soundcloud page here.

New releases: RM Hubbert, Django Django and Errors

Yesterday was a special day for music, Scottish music in particular. January's never been a month jam packed with musical excitement what with everyone being skint and miserable and hungover, but yesterday broke the tradition in spectacular fashion. Despite not even a month of 2012 having passed, three albums were released that are already strong contenders for my album of the year.

Thirteen Lost & Found - RM Hubbert

RM Hubbert's debut album, First & Last, was an emotional masterpiece of flamenco inspired, finger picking mastery. Thirteen Lost & Found (Chemikal Underground) however is a whole different masterpiece entirely. By using music as a way of reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances, RM Hubbert has shown the diversity of his song writing talents and in turn widening his musical reach and accessibility without reduction in quality. Accompanied by the likes of Aidan Moffat, Emma Pollock, Alisdair Roberts, Hanna Tuulikki and Alex Kapranos (who produced the record) to name but a few, Hubby takes the listener on an exquisite musical journey that simply takes the breath away.



Buy Thirteen Lost & Found here.

Django Django - Django Django

Edinburgh four-piece Django Django have been creating gentle waves across Scotland for the past year or so but you may be wondering whether or not you've heard them before. 2009 single Storm was an instant hit with music fans and reviewers alike, creating much hype, before the band simply disappeared and the reviewers who hailed them as the "next big thing" began to look rather silly, or so it may have seemed.  That initial hype has been firmly backed up by the release of their self-titled debut album (Because Music) almost three years later. It's quirky, it's silly, it's ludicrous but it's always perfectly crafted, pop tinged, electronic goodness. After already receiving widespread critical acclaim and judging by the reaction of a lot of the reviewers, I think it's perfectly acceptable to make the bold claim that Django Django have invented the wondrous new genre of tropical psychedelia. You heard it here first. [EDIT: It's apparently already been used to describe various artists, but none are as good as Django Django.]



Buy Django Django here.

 Have Some Faith In Magic - Errors

After an E.P. and two albums spanning six years, Errors seem to have finally discovered themselves by combining all of their greatest elements in to one mammoth sound and boy is it huge. Imagine floating through the atmosphere whilst a chorus of angels lull you in to a state of serenity before smacking you across the face with a glowstick the size of a garden spade and then gently laying you to rest amongst a bed of rose petals. Complete with the odd burst of hauntingly ethereal vocals, Have Some Faith In Magic (Rock Action Records) is exhaustingly excellent. I suggest you experience it for yourself.



Buy Have Some Faith In Magic here.

Gig review: RM Hubbert (and friends) @ Stereo, Glasgow (27/01/12)

Alex Kapranos and Aidan Moffat join RM Hubbert on stage at Stereo

First & Last was RM Hubbert’s debut album, and I’m glad the title only rang half true. I hailed that album as my favourite of 2010 and barely a month in to 2012, Hubby’s latest is already a strong contender for my album of this year with his brand new release, Thirteen Lost & Found.

Tonight was always set to be a special show. Not only because it was the album launch but because it might just have been, well and truly, the first and last live performance of the album in (almost) its entirety. As the gig title suggests, Hubby wasn’t to be alone in this celebration of fine talent, of which was in abundance. Instead, he showcased a whole new side to his music accompanied by various musicians ranging from the wonderful Emma Pollock and Alasdair Roberts to the ever-impressive and utterly captivating Aidan Moffat and producer of the album, Alex Kapranos.

From the outset, RM Hubbert captivated the audience with his trademark fingerpicking as he was joined by Marion Kenny on the Chinese harp and Hanna Tuulikki who gave a beautifully ethereal vocal performance reminiscent of Joanna Newsom. Another highlight was the performance of Gus Am Bris An Latha (which I’ve just discovered translates from Gaelic as Until the day breaks and is a common inscription on gravestones) with John Ferguson on banjo wonderfully complimenting Hubby’s intricate guitar picking. Despite all the collaborations on the album, there was still room for a few solo efforts from the man himself with For Joe being a particular highlight as I, and much of the rest of the sold-out audience, looked on in awe, eyes transfixed on the hands of a master at work. The finale before the rousing encore was definitely a special moment that I’ll treasure for a long time to come. This time joining RM Hubbert was Aidan Moffat who grasped the microphone and told us all a story with a haunting melody in the only way he knows how, performed to the backing of Alex Kapranos on melodica and RM Hubbert’s melodic guitar picking. If the reception after that was enough to take the roof off and shock the punters in the upstairs cafe, the following before, during and after the encore was enough to shake the whole foundations of the building to the ground.

To some, dealing with such depressing topics and depicting it in what may be deemed as melancholic music may be utterly depressing. Like he said, “It usually takes until you’ve died before I dedicate a song to you”. But to me, creating such extraordinary and awe-inspiring music during a time of deep, dark depression not only signifies hope in a world full of misery but shows the remarkable strength that some people possess in the face of adversity. And to me, along with RM Hubbert’s music, that is truly phenomenal.

RM Hubbert's website can be found here and you can buy a copy of the album in various formats here.

This review was originally posted here on the 28th January.