October…
As usual the October playlist is a smorgasbord of songs covering range of genres from a cornucopia of bands – some from the usual suspects, the bands who continuously make an appearance on these pages, some new songs from some old bands, some brand new acts, of course the best that Glasgow and the rest of Scotland has to offer and some hot picks from further afield…
Some picks of the month for October have to be from The Tenementals as they continue their musical journey through the history of Glasgow with the impressive driving rhythm of The Owl of Minerva taking us on a journey over Glasgow highlighting some familiar and maybe lesser known areas and features (depending on your background), and revealing some of the darker sides of the city’s history. From the glorious second album from Jim McCulloch’s Snowgoose with beautiful vocals from Anna Sheard is the title track Descendant, and Tulsaqueen shared the hauntingly sensitive ballad All Over You from second album October, channelling shades of Strawberry Switchblade and Jesus and Mary Chain. Lambrini Girls channel the spirit and energy of Amyl and the Sniffers (also in this months round up with Jerkin’) with their rambunctious commentary on male posturing and toxic traits on their brilliant single Big Dick Energy.
The home grown talent always shines through with cuts in October from Dutch Wine and their compelling single If I Fall Through the ceiling, Jill Lorean released Peace Cult from her album of the same nam and The Zebecks followed up their magnificent Roseisle with some Life Advice. Garlands released another sunshine soaked melodic Beatles meets the Byrds single, The Coast (Offer Me Something New) and The Poppermost took that sixties/Beatles influence a step further with I Don’t Want to Know while Corrupt Intentions are at the opposite end of the spectrum with Another Night, a ska infused Rancid-esque punk cut from their debut self-titled EP. Chiara Berardelli continued to impress with another song from her remarkable album, while Dancer dropped the angular post-punk of Didn’t Mean To from their second album of the year, Split (funnily enough a “split” album with Whisper Hiss) Dark Hearts give off shades of Fur Dixon on Talk to Me of Poison. David Luximon with another majestic song The Mirror Motopia released the excellent Don’t Look Away, The Muldoons and another wonderful single in Why Do You Care? and the irrepressible David Delinquent on Get Old, Get Dead
From the current past … we have Motherland taken from the magnificent long awaited debut album from Autumn 1904 (reviewed here), The Horrors make a welcome return with The Silence That Remains, and Inca Babies take rockabilly into the 21st Century with Spacewalk. Cracker is Sick of Goodbye’s with atmospheric steel guitar and piano on the track Lowery wrote with Mark Linkous for Sparklehorse and Balaam and the Angel are back with a bang on Dancing Senseless from their Forces of Evil EP
Elsewhere there is the laidback elegance of Waxahatachee’s Much Ado About Nothing, and at the opposite end of the scale the crunching energy of Power (Song for Iggy) from Primitive Ignorant slowly building to its thumping crescendo. Press Club continue to be one of the prime antipodean bands with Champagne and Nikes and The Darts (US) who impressed live in The Rum Shack released The Middle of Nowhere from latest album, and Librarians with Hickeys delighted with No More Goodbyes a taster from their sublime new record. Ditz, with single Space/Smile, pick up where they left off on their first album with this boisterous taster for new album Never Exhale. The Stolen Moans make their regular appearance on the singles round ups with one of their more laid back singles, Morning Scars and the welcome return to these lists of Soft on Crime with their indie-jangle of Way Facing. The Bloody Nerve continue their odyssey with Assassin of Pain and Vice Vera with the smouldering Lunacy building to a compelling urgency.
There are dozens more delights for your eardrums in this playlist, surely something for everyone….