#50 already, after only three months. Although eagle-eyed readers will have spotted that there were 2 x 48s… Continue reading →

ok, this is becoming a bit more like ‘Song of the week’, but hopefully this one is worth waiting for. Another one from the ‘no introduction necessary’ camp, but anyway, this is from the Edinburgh end of Postcard Records’ Sound of Young Scotland.

So, a week of near-radio silence broken as my flirtation with Americana (ok, Grandadddy and Bob Mould) comes to an end with the realisation that the new Band of Horses is actually pretty limp.

Instead, something that’s Scottish as Irn Bru (Britvic-permitting) and needs no introduction…

Emma Pollock’s playing in Edinburgh tonight (Sunday 2nd Sept) with RM Hubbert, bit of a dream team gig.
Unfortunately, the end-of-festival fireworks extravaganza is also on making the transport travails in the capital these past three weeks seem like a walk in the park (unless the park is Princes Street Gardens, obviously).
Anyway, this seemed like a most inappropriate time to select a track from Emma, given that ‘Acid Test’ comes from debut album Watch The Fireworks.

(there’s also a live video of ‘New Land’, which is kind of the title track – it’s broken up with some interview chat but well worth a watch especially if you need convincing of how good she sounds live)

And yet another non-video. But instead, a nice picture of one of the finest – and by that I mean eccentric and iconic as well as a magnificent shot-stopper – Scottish goalkeepers.
I was inspired to go listen to this as a wee snippet appeared on Radio Scotland – apparently Hamish is recovering from a heart attack. It’s a tribute to the keeper from Dundonian folkie Michael Marra, and covering the occasion when Grace Kelly was in attendance to see the team give her husband’s Monaco side a good thrashing at Tannadice. (I wasn’t there myself, though tickets for the next round against Borussia Mönchengladbach were easier to come by).
Marra is a fine songwriter who’d have featured on this series anyway, so a timely double whammy.
Get well soon, Hamish.

Sorry, another non-video. But here’s a picture…

It’s of up-and-coming Glasgow band Blank Canvas, who were for me one of the highlights of the Doune The Rabbit Hole festival. I was up on Saturday and the band played in a wee tent (as you can see) in a clearing in the woods.
I know that at least a few of people who view these posts are either of a certain age, or enjoy bands either from the 80s or are influenced by them. So without wanting to pigeonhole them too much, hopefully there’ll be a few people who are tempted to find out more about the band…

In an attempt to appear topical for once, here’s a band who… well, they could be described as music biz ‘veterans’ (John Wills was in Loop, Pinkie Maclure has worked with Tindersticks), but they are still fully operational, and in fact playing at the Doune the Rabbit Hole festival this weekend (probably as I type, they’re on early evening at a time when I’ll be unable to see them… I’ll hopefully get to the festival tomorrow)
Anyway, you can find out more about them at www.pumajaw.co.uk

I’ve realised that I’ve sometimes been typing the title Scottish Song of the day, and other times I’ve been leaving it off. Continue reading →

I wish there was a Youtube filter or something that could let you know easily if a ‘video’ was an actual video.
It’s not great surprise to me that there’s nothing for Frog Pocket – that I can find – even though John Charles Wilson (yup, his actual name) had an album released on Planet Mu – a ‘big’ label unlike his own Mouth Moth.
He has a new album on the way, but contrary as ever for this series, this is an oldie…

There are a couple of versions of this tune available, including a real curio with the band on telly, on Pebble Mill at One

However, this one gets the nod because, for some unfathomable reason, it’s introduced by Ivor Cutler (more of him in future weeks I’m quite sure).
There are many Aztec Camera tunes I could have chosen as well, but the guitar solo on this one is what sets it aside from the rest.