Alright, let's get the awkward shit out of the way early shall we. I have a massive crush on this album. I don't know if it's the delivery, the confidently slow pace, the constant sense of yearning or what, but fuck me this cuts oh so very much mustard around these parts. It's hipster as hell, too, apparently, so I even get to kid myself that I'm down with the kidz while I listen to it, which is a pleasant bonus for a man whose beard is starting to grey. I may struggle to explain what [...]
I have a really bad habit of writing about bands after I've put them on in Edinburgh, rather than before, as any cynical marketing strategist would point out I should be doing, in order to drum up interest for the show. Well for once I have listened to the Head of Marketing* here at Song, by Toad, and will be writing about Ian Humberstone before he plays his BAD FUN gig on Saturday with Rick Redbeard. That night is going to serve as something of a launch night for this particular release, however, so I thought I [...]
Well there are a few awesome things happening in Edinburgh this week and, yes you're so very welcome, most of them are being supplied by us! We have two BAD FUN gigs this week, starting on Thursday 20th with the peerless David Thomas Broughton . His experimental, looped pop songs veer from spooky to humorous and he is one of the best live performers I've seen in all the years I've been doing this. He will be joined on the bill by folk songstress Rachael Dadd and the excellent, but distinctly odder, Ichi , all on [...]
After writing about the SAY Award, I thought I might well do a podcast about it, given there are more than enough ace bands and ace records on that list, last year's list and I assume next year's list to make a couple of podcasts. I play a couple of shocking, scandalous omissions from this and last year's long- and shortlists, and stamp my little foot about them. I play a couple of tracks from bands who I reckon should be in with a very strong shout of making next year's shortlist. And I play a random tune [...]
Click to enlarge Hello everybody. We are getting ready for the Rob St. John house gig tonight, but I thought I would stop by the internet and had out some gems to get you through the rest of the afternoon. Not quite making the list of five awesome things this week is that fact that it is World Gin Day tomorrow because, well, I don't think we need mention what is likely to happen there. Also, before we kick off, Andrew Dubber wrote a nice piece about [...]
Leith is the place I moved when I first came to Edinburgh in 2005, so it's always been my favourite part of the city. I love where we are now of course, but it's a bit posh, and I prefer a place to be a bit scruffier and rough round the edges. Leith is a brilliant combination of the two, in my opinion, and I still kinda wish we lived down there, even though I don't really want to leave our current house. Well, not after what we've just had to spend repairing the roof, that's for fucking sure. [...]
What, GoNorth? Still? Yes still, piss off, there are two last bands to introduce you to first, and then I'll let it lie. Promise. Anyhow, the nice thing about festivals like this, full of small bands, with no really massive headliners is that in the slots where you have nothing in particular you want to see you can just take a chance on something just for shits and giggles. More often than not this revolves around a random pal you bump into on the street dragging you to something or, in the case of our next band, me [...]
Er, what? I hear you say. Tips from GoNorth? As in the GoNorth which took place on Wednesday and Thursday last fucking week? Yes, that GoNorth. Basically, none of you really live in Inverness anyway, do you, so it's not like you could go to the gigs in the first place. So the fact that the hangovers from the partying last week, the gig on the weekend and the inevitable results of a sunny day in Scotland means I am only posting this now presumably makes little difference - it's basically just some music tips [...]
Me and my big mouth. While I was down in Brighton recently I had a big old chat with Frances, who records as Animal Magic Tricks and is one of the more elusive artists on the Song, by Toad roster . She's down in Brighton at the moment studying sonic art, and as a result her Facebook feed has been full of posts of bizarre experimental music, noise pieces and Christ knows what else. As a commercially minded, take-no-prisoners record exec peddling easily digestible treats to the thronging masses this terrifies me that she might never [...]
Well I am up at GoNorth for the next couple of days - a sort of mini Great Escape, which is itself sort of a mini SXSW. A music conference, basically, but Scottish in size. Now, I assume most of you will have absolutely no interest in the chatter of music panels and all that jazz, but there are plenty of showcases in the evening, mostly for small Scottish bands, so I thought I would pick out some of my favourites because even if you don't happen to be in Inverness tonight, you can still enjoy the bands [...]
This is the last single from what I have to describe as the awesomely successful Beer vs. Records project. We haven't sold out yet, but I have to confess, I never anticipated being this close to doing so. We can't usually sell 250 of anything this fast, with the exception of a couple of the bands we work with, and given this was hardly a high-profile release I have to confess I wasn't all that sure how it would go. Anyhow, I'll officially announce the winner next week, but for now, this is the [...]
This is bloody great. Wonky, perhaps, and it does drift into aimlessness at times, but there is some bloody cracking stuff on here. It's another off the radar triumph for the tiny Manchester record label Icecapades as well, after excellent work with Daily Life, Sex Hands, Pregnant, Irma Vep and Feel Right, almost all of whom are lo-fi, commercially-suicidal Manchester lo-fi heroes. But also mostly very good at music. Lou Breed was announced in the press release as someone I should really know of already, but I have to confess I don't. Honestly, I'm neither cool [...]
This is an impossible album for me to review objectively for a few reasons. Firstly, Rob St. John , who is signed to Song, by Toad Records is in the band, which doesn't help. But also, having known these guys since I very first became involved with the local music scene here in Edinburgh, the band are good friends of mine now and so objectively evaluating their music is basically impossible. Having said that, for a lot of their fans it will be the same way. We've been waiting for this album for over five [...]
Of course we all know the one really important thing happening this week is the above gig: The Leg , Monoganon and the Sean Armstrong Experience at Henry's Cellar Bar on Saturday. That's because this is BAD FUN, of course, the kind of fun which doesn't take place here because we have the super old Festival, where fat-tongued, Home Counties public schoolboys arse around for the overpriced entertainment of American tourists - you know, proper culture. No, BAD FUN is where it's at, people, that's what we want and of all the bad [...]
Our first house gig in a while sees the awesome Liz Green joining pal Rob St. John in our living room. Rob you should all know quite enough about as it is, but Liz I haven't seen before. 'She's brilliant, and a fantastic raconteur' is the verdit from Mr. St. John however and Rob tends to be right about this kind of thing, so pick up your tickets from the Paypal link below, and we hope to see you in a couple of weeks. Actually, what with Meursault practising there, as well [...]
Welcome to the Autocast. The Autocast? Yes, we have a new car. So exciting! It is, much in the style of pretty much every car I have ever owned in my life, a bit of a shit-heap. In fact, it's a total shit-heap: a 1992 Volvo estate. I will be driving it up to GoNorth in Inverness this week, to see if it's going to prove to be reliable in the long run. It made it all the way from Oxford to Edinburgh a week or so ago though, and that was seven hours, so I reckon it [...]
Have you noticed that the Scottish Album of the Year Award is happening right now? Have you? Have you? Well from the number of pairs of knickers in a distinct twist on the internet, I assume you either live in a cabin in the furthest reaches of Siberia or have managed to develop selective blindness, because Christ there's been some chatter! And I find that I really don't care. There are generally two responses to that kind of statement and I wouldn't blame you for reaching for either one. People playing that 'Oh I just [...]
More BAD FUN coming your way in June. David Thomas Broughton , Rachael Dadd and Ichi are on their way up North to play the Insider Festival near Aviemore, and will be stopping in Edinburgh with us to play a show at Henry's . I'm not sure what to expect from David Thomas Broughton actually. When I have seen him live he has played pretty much in line with the music for which he built his reputation: all experimental looping textures, and [...]
It's nice to be right. I remember when this lot first appeared, with the awesome, shouty This Morning We Are Astronauts , the very first thing which went through my head was that age-old Toad mantra: don't get too excited, it's just the one song. I know I say that all the damn time on this site, but it's more for myself than it is for you, I must be honest. It's so easy in this business to hear something new and awesome and then to go rambling excitedly away about it before [...]
In June we have three BAD FUN gigs, starting with the eccentric, snarling pop stylings of The Leg . The sawing cello is often replaced by slap-happy piano, but their new album - out this Autumn - is possibly their best yet. Again, it's impossibly brief. In fact it's almost an EP really, but like their last record , no matter how short it is it still feels very much like a whole album. Anyhow, with a release date set for the Autumn I am excited for people to start hearing this material, so come along - you [...]
Song, by Toad
Kanye West Rapped About Ruining People’s Stuff A Lot On ‘Yeezus’: Here’s The Comprehensive List
