I know, I know, I know….its June. And I started this blog post in April, and I’ve still got May and June to go… but seeing as I started – I’ll finish… singles round up for April is another bumper collection featuring everything from a band releasing its parting shot to new releases from one of Glasgow’s musical royalty…
The Bikini Bottoms – The Game
When Jack moved to London and Evan announced his departure from The Bikini Bottoms thought it was all over. Then Jack announced a new line-up and a new single in Monster Love and all was well with the world again. So it was a happy announcement when he announced a new single The Game, tinged immediately with some disappointment when he announced it was their last! Fortunately the parting shot is a memorable one, bluesy crunching guitars, with an element of T-rex stylee glam riffs own in for good measure.
Bad Amputee – Rabbits
Fuzzy driving guitars announce the arrival of this harmony heavy garage rocker from the Newcastle trio of Phil, Claire and Rob.
Freya Beer – Love Child
Following up last years excellent Beast album comes this atmospheric song. It sounds huge, mixing her magnificent vocal with strident twangy guitar riffs, sweeping strings and a thunderous rhythm section. Stunning.
Izzi Sleep – Time
Time has a dreamlike smokey late night feel to it, with its laidback groove and a vocal from Izzi that switches between hushed tones to gruff raw emotion. Check out the album, It’s No Use, Mr. James!
pMad – Broken
Yet another huge beast of a tune from pMad, like A House with thundering Killing Joke basslines. A powerful song deserves a powerful video. Broken symbolising all that is wrong in society from racism to homophobia and domestic violence. The song ends with a note of hope though with refrain of ’your rights’ creating light from the darkness.
Harry Stafford & Marco Butcher – Juniper Sunday
Muted trumpets add an eerie atmosphere to the hypnotic feel of this cooly addictively song from Stafford & Butcher.
Driven Snow – Trying
This utterly beautiful ode to living with anxiety strikes a chord with me, as I’m sure it will with many others. You’re not alone…
Dumb Poets – Magic Happens
Magic happens whenever I listen to a song from the incredibly talented Lance Riley. Magic happens whenever Lance puts pen to paper or plectrum to guitar. This single is just another example of the opulent and intoxicating gems that seem to tumble effortlessly from this band. I really sould make an effort to travel south and catch them live in their natural environment…
Moocher – Freaky Town
I’ve previously featured the Pandemonium EP from Vardy, this is the first offering from Moocher, and band featuring the aforementioned (Daniel) Vardy. The frantic energy of that EP is evident in bucketfuls with this song, announcing its arrival with a throbbing bassline before the remaining band members crasjh into the mix. Invigorating.
Teitr – Destroyer
Low key lo-fi rock from Glasgow’s Teitr with lyrics lamenting the devastation wreaked by power hungry warmongering leaders, this is both hauntingly sad and beautifully melancholic.
The Elegant Chasers – Clowns
Distortion overload on the guitars and vox ion this one. This is a biting attack on the ”clowns” that fuck up your life on a daily basis. Soaring guitar breaks slice through the underlying gritty grunge rock.
The Courettes – Salta Il Ramo
Great wee 7” from the hardest working band in the world, The Fabulous Courettes (or should that be The Favolose Courettes) featuring Italian versions of Hop the Twig (Salto Il Ramo) and Won’t Let You Go. They better not be long in coming back to Glasgow…
Port Sulphur – Kone Trips
First of two from a joint collaboration between Creeping Bent and Last Night From Glasgow is this remarkable instrumental from Port Sulphur featuring, the ubiquitous Douglas McIntyre, who I believe may be in every band from Glasgow right now….Just wait until you hear the whole album. Magnificent.
Monica Queen – I Gave You Love
The second of the Creeping Bent/LNFG collaborations, and it is the only Queen I will be celebrating this year. Glasgow music royalty Monica and Johnny have once again pulled it out of the bag with this glorious single. Everything they touch turns to gold, or should that be platinum. Queen’s vocal is, as always bristling with raw emotion, while The Beatles guitar may have gently weeped, Johnny’s guitar positively soars and sings. The album officially launches on the 5th of August, but if you go to LNFG you can order a copy now. I guarantee satisfaction.
Blue Violet – Halo
Like The Courettes, Blue Violet are a husband and wife duo, providing the calm to The Courettes storm. Having said that, the gentle string backed Americana stylings on Halo certainly lights a fire in the soul, building to an epic crescendo. Their album Late Night Calls is out now.
Katherine Aly – Hype Up
Since I started compiling this list, Katherine Aly has released her triumphant debut album, Shadows Are Made of Light Too, on which this track appears. It’s great to see and hear what Katherine has achieved since I first came across her music a few short years ago.
Tallies – Hearts Underground
Tallies coming straight out of 80s/90s indiepop heaven with a vibe of The Sundays about them. A slice of perfectly blissful jangle pop.
Panic Shack – Baby
Panic Shack are fucking FUN with a capital F, U, N, but with serious points to make. Baby is an exasperated fuck off to traditional societal roles with its ”I don’t want to hold your baby” refrain trying to get their message across to those pushy parents who are always trying to force their children on you.
Horsegirl- World of Pots and Pans
From their debut album Versions of Modern Performance, this single takes its lead from classic US indie/slacker rock by the likes of Sonic Youth, belying the fact that their combined age is less than that of Kim Gordon alone.
Run Into the Night – Common Stream of Consciousness
The first fruits of the new line up of Run into the Night featuring Andrew on drums, and damn fine it is too. I posted a blog about this song alone, but can never have to much of a good thing.
Spyres – Honestly
This Spyres song is more introspective than some of their other harder edged scuzzy rock material, treading the ground that Tallies tread around The Sundays styled 90s indie, but still with with a powerful anthemic feel to it as it reaches a soaring crescendo.
Butcher Boy – So Far So What
Form their new, and utterly gorgeous, album , You Had a Kind Face, this single is not only brilliant, but exceedingly touching. Written by their former drummer the ate Keith Martin (also of Big Gun and Dead Hope) with lyrics about his friend Larry Rhodes who was also taken far too young.
Hifi Sean and David McAlmont- The Skin I’m In
The first release from their upcoming album collaboration, The Skin I’m In, is pretty damn special and has really whetted my appetite for the album. What a voice that man has. Sends tingles down my spine. A vocal to die for. And the lyrics – wow. Tremendous.
The Halfway People – The Five Past Midnight
The latest project from Alex Lusty mixes rockabilly/Americana & country, with this single entering Johnny Cash territory and even hinting at Bad Moon Rising.
Dead Sheeran – Midlife in a Smalltown
Dead Sheeran returns with more of his gritty observations about the reality of living in 21st Century broken Britain with this commentary on mental heath and suicide. Powerful stuff.
The Dead Thatchers – Nae Pasaran Ya Bass
First up, a band with a name like that ticks a box, next up a song title like that ticks another. Then there are the lyrics. Sheer brilliance. Let Glasgow Flourish indeed… and fuck the racists. And the Tories.
James Edwyn and the Borrowed Band – Sometimes We Fade
A glorious offering of finest alt-country from the new album from James Edwyn and the Borrowed Band – Highlights of the Low Nights.
James Edwyn and the Borrowed Band
Junk Pups – Front Garden Flamigo
In the time its taken me to eventually getting round to publishing this, Junk Pups have another single out in the shape of Miss Behave, but lets take some time to bask in the glory of the angular post punk guitars and laidback funky groove of Front Garden Flamingo.
The Muldoons – Audacity
Hearing the brass infused jangle pop of The Muldoons never fails to bring a smile to my face. This single is no exception. A joyous celebration of all that is good about Scottish indie pop.
Savage Cut – Villa 29
A slow burner from Savage Cut this time in the shape of Villa 29, a bit of 80’s post punk electronica to go alongside the brooding guitars and rhythm section, and a Blair Witch style video to support the air of mystery surrounding the melody.