Y'all is Fantasy Island Under appreciated, is the phrase that springs to mind when anyone mentions now defunct Falkirk outfit, Y'all is Fantasy Island. I am not going to start kidding myself that I wasn't one of the folk that didn't fully appreciate what we had until they were gone. Thanks to Wiseblood Industries we can all do some much needed catching up as they've re-issued the whole of Y'all is Fantasy Island's entire back catalogue digitally for free . This includes five LPs, totalling 55 tracks all in. So if you're not Home Game-ing this weekend, [...]
It's a pretty bold step for a front man to decide to go solo, so after the demise of Falkirk stalwarts, Y'all Is Fantasy Island, it felt like a natural step for Adam Stafford to step out into the limelight. He already recorded a fantastic covers album, "Music in the Mirabel", plus two prior albums [...]
[ The wonderful Jenny Soep returns this week with more of her spellbinding illustrations, and one or two interesting matters to raise. This post was originally pencilled in for last week, hence some of the dates needing correcting, and Jenny apologises and explains further below. Even though Jenny did in fact get the article to me on the Sunday as promised; in the end, unfortunately, it arrived a little too late to be published: my inbox records the email's arrival at 11:58pm! ] Hello there. A Sunday Supplement, written on [...]
I know I said there would be no more Friday Freebies this year, well to get round this I have gone with Festive Freebies as to be honest there are far too many cracking tracks out there that I had to share them. Kid Canaveral Having stalked the Canaverals for over a year now, it would be fair to say that I am just ever so slightly excited about their forthcoming album. After listening to their new song 'Good Morning', which they are giving away as a wee taster of what's to come, I [...]
It's busy week, in the absence of Mrs. Toad, and ends with me actually DJing twice in the space of two nights towards the end of the week as well once at some point on Friday, although I'm not all that sure where - Cabaret Voltaire I think - and then the following day at the Bowery at MarchéMarché , which should be good fun. I have been promised that on no account am I expected to motivate people to dance, which probably helps matters considerably. Oh, and I've just realised that I am approaching a hundred kilos [...]
First Scottish headline date this year for The Sad, and it was a pity they had support acts. Up first was The Foundling Wheel , a solo experimental/punk din. His music often sounded like the screeching of a freshly castrated goat being farted through the arse of an angry dalek. I tried to think happy thoughts, but these were interrupted continuously by the racket emanating from the speakers before me. It's music you either love or hate. Hated it. Thank feck for the arrival of Y'all Is Fantasy Island's Adam Stafford, I thought. Until he [...]
How many of you are there? There's only one of me, which looks like it might prove troublesome this week, particularly late on when the clashing gigs really start to stack up. I am just back in Edinburgh after the Jason Lytle interview, which went very well in terms of being a most pleasant sort of chat, yet didn't provide a particularly obvious hook on which to hang an article. I may have to listen back and digest for a couple of days before writing it, I think. It's odd to suddenly find yourself in conversation with someone whose music [...]
Christ, it's going to be like Fred Karno's bloody Circus in Edinburgh this week (did your Grandma use that phrase all the time too?) Particulary towards the tail end of the week there are all sorts of good gigs, of which I will be attending... precisely none, unfortunately. We're away in London this weekend, and I am in Glasgow on both Wednesday and Thursday nights, would you believe. Incredibly frustrating. We are nearly finished work on the Samamidon Toad Session, and a bloody good thing too, because Johnny Lynch, aka the Pictish Trail, will be coming [...]
Here are my 50 favourite songs of 2008: the ones I really, really, really, really like. I decided not to include any artist twice, nor any songs from albums I heard last year. I made similar lists in 2005 , 2006 and 2007 . The best way to browse this list is to click the little arrow beside each song and then listen as you read. The things you like you can then download by right- or ctrl-clicking with your mouse. Please buy albums, singles and [...]
1. The Rosebuds - Life Like - The Rosebuds have seen a few different incarnations over the years, most recently as a synth-heavy pop band on '07's Night of the Furies . Thankfully, their next release will return to their melodic indie past, though with more noticeable oompf . Linesthroughlines fave Bon Iver also pitches in on the album. With that info and this stellar lead track, sign me up. [from Life Like (out 10.7)| info ] 2. Y'all [...]
if i can be serious for a minute, firstly, let me say that this is quite possibly the gnarliest straight up rock song (and all that entails) i've heard in a long long long. not that this is some simple bonehead threechorder with tuneless throat angst. it's what used to get made before the artschool [...]
Y'All Is Fantasy Island - "With Handclaps" . This song could be called "Mostly Without Handclaps", or "With Guitarline". I mean sonically speaking. The handclaps wait almost the entire song to appear, and it's the guitar-line that marks your brain, colours your day, sends you humming a scale to yourself while you wait in line at the fruit-stand. But Scotland's YAIFI have written a song that's in part about handclaps, about living with handclaps, about seeing handclaps for what they are. And one of the things about life with handclaps is that it's sort of like living life [...]
The Outsiders is all about Scots who have left the comfort of their homeland to carve out careers in the music industry. Everyone has their own opinion on who they think the next big thing will be, but the reputation of our next interviewee depends on getting it right. Name: Paul Barton. Age: A young 31! Job title: A&R manager, Warner Bros Records. Hometown: I was born in Edinburgh but moved to Falkirk before I was one. So, really I'm from Falkirk. When [...]
The Microphones - "Don't Smoke". I admit I mostly like this song because I like the idea of Phil Elverum throwing up the devil's horns in support of a public health statement. Also: lookit that, he's back to calling himself The Microphones. Mt Eerie, we hardly knew ya. So, yes: a racket about not-smoking. "Improve yourseEeeEellFf!" as guitars scream, drums smash, the earth roaring out because it likes you, dude, and doesn't want to see you perish of lung cancer. The bombast is turned up so high that you know that it's half-joke; the sound of throwing yourself against a [...]
Peenko
Dear Scotland
Song, by Toad
Letters Have No Arms
Said the Gramophone
linesthroughlines
cowsarejustfood
The Pop Cop
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Mr Fogg - Eleven
Crocodiles - Endless Flowers
