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.
What with taking a break from blogging and catching up on a backlog of emails, I've yet to find time to declare my love for Mitchell Museum - and what better time to do so than now.
Mitchell Museum are a breath of fresh air in the Scottish music scene, combining the oddities of The Flaming Lips and Animal Collective with spirited harmonies to create wonderfully wacky power-pop anthems. Don't let the comparison to the Lips put you off though, what Wayne Coyne and co have been lacking in the past few years, Mitchell Museum duly deliver in abundance. Regularly crossing the border between genius and downright madness, the only way to experience their music is to let it take you on a weird and wonderful journey. I guarantee it won't disappoint.
Since I've been playing catch up in the world of music blogging, this provides me with the perfect opportunity to whore out some free MM downloads and tie it in with their debut album release.
Mitchell Museum released their debut single Warning Bells early last month and to celebrate the release the band gave (and are still giving) away not one, not two but six free downloads. These unoffical B-sides are a selection of remixes of the band's debut single by We Were Promised Jetpacks and Coach-a-Cola to name but a few. You can purchase the debut single at iTunes or Amazon as well as downloading the free Warning Bells Remixes from Bandcamp. Whilst on Bandcamp, why notdownload We Lost 1st Prize, a collection of older recordings, B-sides and demos, for free? Cannae complain about that.
Yesterday saw the release of the much anticipated debut album, The Peters Port Memorial Service. A lack of pennies means I've yet to get my hands on a copy but I'll stick my neck out and say, I'll be surprised if it isn't a strong contender for my album of the year. Already picking up numerous favourable reviews, this release is set to propel Mitchell Museum into the limelight where they belong.
The band will be playing an instore gig at Glasgow FOPP (Union Street) tomorrow afternoon before their "Semi-secret album launch party" later that night. For more information on the launch party email mitchellmuseum@gmail.com and you might be lucky enough to recieve a 'secret free entry passcode'.
2010 is definitely the year of Mitchell Museum.
The Peters Port Memorial Service is available now from iTunes, Amazon and all good record shops.
I'll start off the blog with my current top five favourites that you should definitely be checking out.
KITTY THE LION Kitty the Lion came to life late last year when singer/songwriter Anna Meldrum decided to form a band after a couple of years of performing solo. I was first brought to the attention of Miss Meldrum at the beginning of 2009 after stumbling across her MySpace and was immediately drawn in by her beautiful voice. Since forming a band, the charming lyrics and catchy melodies are enhanced by the sounds of a talented bunch of musicians, one of whom is Callum Wiseman. A late addition to the band, former lead singer/guitarist of Jocasta Sleeps (a band who are sadly no more and will be sorely missed) extends his talents to mandolin, which perfectly compliments Anna's voice and makes Kitty the Lion one to watch for 2010.
Sticking with the theme of Lions, I bring you Midnight Lion. The band is comprised of two former members of Atlas Skye (previously Drive-By Argument) and quite simply, they are explosive. I'm pretty much going to stick my neck out and say this band are destined for big things. I haven't been as excited about a band like this in quite a while and I'm itching for their show next week at The Mill which I urge you all to get along to whilst there's still tickets left. Striking vocals, beautiful harmonies and HUGE sounds - this is electropop perfection. MySpace
SHAMBLES MILLER
Shambles Miller (real name Campbell Miller) is a singer/songwriter from Glasgow. Armed with a rusty old four track recorder and a tiny little drum machine, Shambles writes songs to rival the best of Glasgow's acoustic soloists. This is folk meets punk on a beaten old guitar and the results are remarkable. Take a deeper look and you'll notice the witty and amusing lyrics that are sure to crack a smile. My personal favourite: "Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder but it never makes your hard-on stronger". It's no surprise really when you consider he is studying English Language at Glasgow University. It's this flair for words and his ability to turn them into beautiful tunes that make Shambles Miller one of my favourite artists in Scotland at the moment. Watch your back Beerjacket, you have fierce competition for the singer/songwriter crown.
Hailing from the mean streets of Motherwell, The LaFontaines exploded onto the scene in 2008 and took Glasgow by storm. Fusing hip-hop with rock and pop was surely going to attract attention but to do it in such expert manner turned that attention into rave reviews. 2009 saw the band headline a sold-out show at Glasgow's ABC2 where they launched their debut EP as well as support slots with the likes of N-Dubz, The Cool Kids, Mongrel, The Xcerts and Beardyman. They continued gigging the length and breadth of the country before supporting Twin Atlantic at their sold out King Tut's 20th anniversary show. Frontman Kerr Okan's thick Scottish accent and their lyrical wit seperates the band from pretty much every other hip-hop act around and their knack for writing a catchy hook helps secure an evergrowing fanbase. However, where The LaFontaines' really come into their own is on stage. The band continue to deliver an exhilerating performance with Kerr's audience banter usually a highlight. Glaswegian hip-hop just shouldn't work but somehow, it does.
I'll be honest and tell you I don't know all that much about dotjr except that he's from the Isle of Lewis and he writes truly beautiful songs. I only discovered him a couple of weeks ago and I instantly fell in love with his music. I hope to see more of him in the future and hopefully, after supporting The Boy Who Trapped the Sun at The Captain's Rest, another Glasgow gig is on the cards soon.
