
As much as this blog tries to add a bit of colour to Scotland's music scene, there's really only one day each month that is devoted to singling out a new Scottish artist for your listening pleasure... and it's today. On the 15th of every month, The Pop Cop's favourite new Scottish discovery is served up on the Music Alliance Pact - a global project which sees music blogs from six continents collaborate to share one song from each our native lands before posting the full list on all of our sites, thereby maximising the exposure [...]

duae is the newly released album by singaporean band lunarin , a follow up to their 2006 debut the chrysalis on aging youth records. the single "zero point red", which our MAP correspondent brian koh picks for this month's issue, also features in local filmmaker jason lai's documentary brother no. 2 . check it out! SINGAPORE : I'm Waking Up To... Lunarin - Zero [...]

It's time for September's edition of the Music Alliance Pact. For those of you who don't know about MAP, it's a collection of thirty-five music blogs from around the world who band together once a month to shed light on up-and-comers from their home countries. It's sort of like the WTO without the human rights violations. After the jump you'll find music from 35 nations spanning the globe. If you'd like to be considered for this feature, drop by the comments section with a link to your site and we'll forward your info to MAP organizer Jason from [...]

. Here are mp3s by some artists playing live this week: mp3: "History Lessons" by Dinosaur Feathers (Tuesday, Wednesday) mp3: "I'm An Animal" by Shark? (Tuesday) mp3: "Dreamsucker" by Grooms (Tuesday) mp3: "Filthy And Free" by Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers (Tuesday) mp3: "Lovely Weather" by The Vandelles (Tuesday) mp3: "Back to the Future IV" by Diehard (Thursday) mp3: "Summer Jam" by Miniboone (Friday) mp3: "Short [...]

Murdock London have put together a nice guide for The Perfect Wet Shave . It outlines a handful of steps in detail as well as suggested products for each step. It's definitely worth checking out for a journey towards older values and smoother skin.

A tweet review is a mini review in 140 characters or less. Groom's Marraige is their forth and the launch is tonight in The Lower Deck with Land Lovers and Yeh Deadlies. Marraige is a superb collection of indie-pop songs, high on fun, hooks, catchy choruses and engrossing tales. Simply 1 of the best in 2010! Groom - Marraige [10 out of 12] All the Bored [...]
As one of the bands at the heart of one of Dublin's most impressive new alternative labels, Popical Island , Groom's third album (and Popical's fifth) is probably their best chance yet to invade the mainstream with their offbeat, poetic take on life. Marriage is a vocally focused piece of guitar pop, lyrically witty and splattered sporadically with styles aplenty. The brass of a laid back soul tune, some static-infused beats and very occasional forays into a thrashier sound (one that would no doubt translate extremely well live) all play their roles amongst the poetry. [...]
Popical Island are Ireland's finest collection of musicians, and one of their acts, Groom is set to release their new album with a special launch show on August 21st at the Lower Deck. Tracklist: 1. Don't Park Your Heart Here 2. My Bohemian Life Part I 3. Doorways 4. Windows 5. Mysteries of Life 6. [...]
Grooms video for "Acid King of Hell (Guitar Feelings) from the album Rejoicer. Directed by Vanessa Carr and Matt Conboy Pyrotechnics: J. Heiselmann Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Share this on Facebook Post on Google Buzz Share...
Things have been going well for Popical Island lately so the collective will be hoping to captivate the imagination further with the release of Groom's new album Marriage on August 21st which was produced by Stephen Shannon. 'All The Bored People' is the first taster of the band's third album which will be launched on Saturday 21st of August in The Lower Deck with support from Land Lovers and Yeh Deadlies. It's €10 in with a free CD. Don't Forget that State vs Popical Island gig takes place this Friday [...]

In our ongoing search for great products for everyday, we came across Murdock London's Matt Mudd Grooming Clay on an apt suggestion. The UK-based heritage barber shop has a handful of shops around the city including one inside Liberty . Check it out for an experience foreign to our generation - a glass of scotch over some well-paced conversation, a haircut and a wet shave. Their Grooming Clay is one of the best pomade-like styling aids on the market. It gives a subtle finish and manages to look natural the next day for the man [...]

. Here are mp3s by some artists playing live this week: mp3: Love More" by Sharon Van Etten (Monday, Saturday) mp3: "Hatari" by tUnE-YaRdS (Monday) mp3: "Dreamsucker" by Grooms (Wednesday) mp3: "Call Me" by The Naked Hearts (Wednesday) mp3: "Stand Where I Can See You" by She Keeps Bees (Wednesday) mp3: "I'm An Animal" by Shark? (Thursday, Saturday) mp3: "Filthy And Free" by Shilpa Ray And Her Happy [...]

It's time again to look back and reflect. What were we listening to one year ago? Listen to the August 2009 Mix to find out... Downloadables: You're A Target (mp3) by No Age Dreamsucker (mp3) by Grooms Bone Jam (mp3) by Jeff The Brotherhood Stats And Demographics (mp3) by Huak Truth Is (mp3) by The [...]

We were happy to see the launch of (capsule) Travel Mart this year as we get ready to attend (capsule) Clothing Show next week in New York City. The Travel Mart consists of a few pieces made exclusively for (capsule) this year from the likes of Jack Spade, Ally Capellino and Mark McNairy. One of our favourite is the Sharps Barber & Shop x (capsule) Grooming Kit . It's a little male-centric travel set of shaving and grooming products from the local NYC shop. We're looking forward to the show and checking [...]

In Malin + Goetz short tradition of great products, clean packaging and natural ingredients, their most recent addition is the Hair Pomade. As promised, the pomade provides a stronger alternative to their Sage Styling Cream. The pomade provides a matte finish using meadowfoam seed, cannabis sativa seed and soybean hydrate. In addition, Yucca and aloe plant extracts help prevent damage and protect. Available in the Malin + Goetz Online Shop .

There have been some interesting trends with men lately including a new appreciation for fashionable apothecary and a return to traditional grooming. Leading the trend, Baxter of California has been popping up in menswear boutiques since its conception in 1965 with their clean packaging and multitude of masculine products. We had a chance to preview the entire Baxter line and were especially impressed with their shaving products. The Super Close Shave Formula and After Shave Balm are both worth checking out. Even more exciting is the Baxter Safety Razor. The chrome plated, double edge, safety razor is making [...]

Coin Under Tongue will be releasing their full length debut Reception this summer via the venerable Death By Audio Records . The CD will be limited to a meger 300 copies. It will look like this: The CD contains rock 'n' roll music. It drops on August 24th. Listen. Downloadable: Dogma Sheen (mp3) Coin Under Tongue has no upcoming NYC area shows. Download some more Coin Under Tongue @ the Death By Audio Records Free Music Control Center (Nerd Cave) [...]

I couldn't choose one show to recommend for Friday. You couldn't possibly only go to one show tomorrow night. Northside has packed Williamsburg with an absurd amount of good bands this Friday, and I'm going to give you a run down of all the ones I think are worth dropping by. First and foremost, Famous Class records are hosting their own show at Death By Audio, with the abovementioned bands. Grooms, Darlings, and Sisters are three of my absolute favorites all in one place, so this show gets my first nod. Happening a little further out, at Bar [...]
The L Magazine's second annual Northside Festival kicks off tomorrow with a couple hundred bands, gallery exhibits and film screenings taking place at various venues across Brooklyn and Greenpoint through the weekend. On Saturday and Sunday Titus Andronicus , Liars, Male Bonding, Fucked Up, Les Savy Fav, Elvis Perkins in Dearland and others will play the outdoor stage at Barge Park in Greenpoint (all ages). Daily lineups, ticket information and select shows after the jump. Brooklyn Vegan hosts three shows, including ZAZA, [...]

There's not too many albums which get 5 Stars from Hot Press but the good man that is Patrick Freyne allocated the compilation from Popical Island the full 5 stars in the last edition of Hot Press! Listen to the album here or go see all them great bands in Whelans upstairs today from 3PM. Exclusive Express Bus Service Licence Blues by Popical Island #1