Elba Sessions

Forming cohesive opinion on a band that you have worshipped for over a decade is difficult. It is the curse of existing as a fangirl. I sit as I write this, staring off into the distance, groping the air with both hands trying to find a linear path through all that I wish to raise about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I don’t believe that I can succeed in a task of such magnitude. As this is the case, I’m just going to scrap that idea and provide you with snippets of thought about the band as they arise. Please note that what follows is entirely personal, self indulgent and tangential.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ eponymous EP, which is often referred to as ‘Master’ due to the necklace that features on the cover, came out in 2002. This makes me feel very old.

It is inappropriate to sing Bang in an office environment.

My trip to Manchester’s Apollo to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs last week was my fifth time seeing them live. Previous performances were enjoyed at The Barrowlands, T in the Park and the Glasgow Academy. I went to The Barrowlands twice if you are questioning my arithmetic. The first time there more women than I had ever seen in one place with a mullet. The second time this was trumped by a trend in bowl cuts. Nice one Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Karen O performed Art Star with a towel over her head in Manchester and I laughed so loudly at this that people glared at me.

It took me a week of listening to Mosquito at least once a day before I finally began to like the album. This is an improvement on the months it took me to warm to Show Your Bones, which I now consider to be on par with Fever To Tell.

The Gold Lion video enhances my enjoyment of the song an unprecedented and unexplainable amount. The Mosquito video creeps the hell out of me.

The most romantic song I know is by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It is not Maps.

At their last T in the Park appearance, they opened with Sealings. This is a track that appeared on the Spider Man 3 soundtrack.

Of their many side projects, Karen O and the Kids’ Where the Wild Things Are OST is probably most loved by me. This is aided by the fact that Maurice Sendak’s tale was my favourite book for most of my childhood. Nick Zinner’s assistance with Scarlett Johansson’s Tom Waits covers, ashamedly, would probably be next in line.

The band’s soundcheck sometimes involves a lady putting Karen O’s microphone in her mouth. That same mic has been shoved down the singer’s shorts and leggings more times than I believe she would care to think about.

I would steal this jacket and legally change my surname to O:

I should stop this now. If there were ever a band who I would recommend experiencing live, well, there is no other who inspire such chaos and joy.  Their current set is an unstoppable and unrelenting smack to the face with no gaps between tracks for you to recover. Their song selection spans their entire catalogue rather than forcing their newest album to the forefront. If you are in their path then get a ticket.

About a year ago we reported on the announcement of a new award for Scottish music, The Scottish Album of the Year, or the SAY Award as it went on to be better known. We even did a nifty wee mixtape with some of our favourites from the previous year along with a few other noteworthy tracks, one of which, being that we bear an uncanny resemblance to Nostradamus, is on an album announced in this year’s longlist. The beautiful ‘Gus Am Bris An Latha’ features on RM Hubbert’s sophomore album ‘Thirteen Lost & Found’ and it appears in this year’s longlist alongside 19 other Scottish albums from 2012.

The thing that I personally liked about last year’s awards

were that there was such diversity in the longlist that I ended up hearing albums that I probably never would have given a listen to. I’m glad to see the diversity is still there alongside some of my personal favourites from last year. The aforementioned ‘Thirteen Lost & Found’ by RM Hubbert, Meursault’s ‘Something for the Weakened’ and Django Django’s eponymous debut.

The full list…

Admiral Fallow – Tree Bursts In Snow
Auntie Flo – Future Rhythm Machine
Calvin Harris – 18 Months
Dam Mantle – Brothers Fowl
Django Django – Django Django
Duncan Chisholm – Affric
Emeli Sandé – Our Version of Events
Errors – Have Some Faith In Magic
Human Don’t Be Angry – Human Don’t Be Angry
Karine Polwart – Traces
Konrad Wiszniewski & Euan Stevenson – New Focus
Lau – Race The Loser
Meursault – Something For The Weakened
Miaoux Miaoux – Light of the North
Paul Buchanan – Mid Air
PAWS – Cokefloat!
RM Hubbert – Thirteen Lost & Found
Stanley Odd – Reject
The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know
The Unwinding Hours – Afterlives

All 20 albums will be available to stream at some point over the next month before a 24 hour public vote to determine the shortlist on May 27th. The shortlisted ten will then be announced on May the 30th before the winner is announced at a ceremony in Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom.

Hopefully, if they have the capability this year, we’ll have the sidebar widget on the Elba site again, where you’ll be able to stream the album of the day. So, go forth, study up on the longlist and don’t forget to make your vote count on May 27th!

We’ve been under attack lately, some wee hacker type of thing invaded and tried to sell you all muscle enhancers and viagra. However, after some poking, prodding, umming and ah-ing we realised we weren’t cut out to sort it so we asked our friend Alan to fix it, and fix it he did, we think…Oh, and there was swearing too, lots of swearing, which brings me on nicely, to Beer vs Records.

*note: I love the whole idea of this. It is right up my strasse

photo courtesy of songbytoad.com

Beer vs Records is a unique project from the ever excellent (and sometimes sweary) Song, By Toad Records and Barney’s Microbrewery in Edinburgh. The basic premise is that a 12″ of 8 tracks will be released on special edition clear red vinyl and will simultaneously be put head to head against a 4 pack of Barney’s Beer with each bottle containing a download code for two tracks. You get the same amount of music either way but what side do you fall on? Would you rather have a record you can touch and keep forever, or would you prefer to knock back a bottle of Magic Eye Red Rye and listen to the mp3′s of the tracks? I suspect that many will embrace both.

The bands featured are Le Thug, Magic Eye, Plastic Animals and Zed Penguin. They are paired with the following beers

Le Thug Lager 4.8% ABV – Light straw coloured, smooth and a light fruity zing. A clean, dry, finish.
Zed Penguin Pale Ale 3.8% ABV – Gold coloured, a good honest full-bodied pale ale with a subtle citrus & spicy hop finish.
Magic Eye Red Rye 4.5% ABV – made with 2 types of rye malt & German melanoidinmalz. Copper/dark amber colour, with a crisp, toffee apple & fruity taste.
Plastic Animals IPA 5% ABV – Light straw coloured, assertive bitterness, erupting with US style hop character.

We have first hand experience of the pedigree of both the label and the brewer here at Elba. We’ve raved many a time about a release on Song, By Toad and take our word for it, our better half’s have raved at us after a few too many Barney’s.

Beer vs Records will launch on Record Store Day (20th April).

Also, whilst we’re mentioning them, Song, By Toad will release the excellent new album ‘Murderopolis’ by Sparrow and the Workshop in May. You can pre-order it here.

Not forgetting about Barney’s, they

will be hosting Summer(Beer)hall on May 24th and 25th which will include brewery tours, music, bratwurst and pretty much anything you could want from an afternoon or evening enjoying some excellent craft beers. There’s much more info, and details of how to buy tickets here

A few weeks ago we tied up our albums of the year for 2012 and mentioned at the time that our entry was one of 41 entries in this year’s annual BAMS Album of the Year vote.

The BAMS list has now been announced and three of the albums on the Elba list have made the BAMS Top 12. You’ll find the list in full below as well as a list of all of the websites, DJ’s and writers who took part. Well done again to Lloyd at Peenko for putting this together.

9= cialis online pharmacy We Are The Physics – Your Friend, The Atom
9= Paul Buchanan – Mid Air
9= Chris Devotion & The Expectations – Amalgamation & Capital
9= The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know

8. Admiral Fallow – Tree Bursts In Snow

7. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp

6. Miaoux Miaoux – Light Of The North

5. Errors – Have Some Faith In Magic

4. RM Hubbert – Thirteen Lost & Found

3. PAWS – Cokefloat!

2. Django Django – Django Django

1. Meursault – Something for the Weakened

Scots Whay Hae!,  Jim Gellatly, Detour, Jock N Roll, Houdidontblog, Rave Child, Fusion New Music, Fish In A Sub, Manic Pop Thrills, Kowalskiy, 17 Seconds, Net Sounds, The Steinberg Principle, Songs Heard On Fast Trains, Peenko, Hercules Moments, Dauphin Mag, JockRock, Play That Song For Me, The Spill, The Tidal Wave of Indifference, HP, Inverness Gigs, Elba Sessions, Fresh Air, Scottish Fiction, Tenement TV, Marion Scott MFR, Last Years Girl, Dear Scotland, Blues Bunny, The Pop Cop, Vic Galloway, Ally McCrae, Glasgow PodcART, I Hate Fun, Avalanche, Edinburgh Man, Everything Flows, Nicola Meighan, Aye Tunes and Song, by Toad

test google.com

We usually do an Elba Annual in December where we ask people their ‘best of’s’ from throughout the year but seeing as we’ve had a particularly quiet year on here, we decided it probably was best to give it a miss and hopefully get it going again next year.

I did however, want to share my Top 5 albums of the year with you. I am asked each year by Peenko to submit my albums of the year for inclusion in the yearly BAMS (Blogs and Music Sites) list and this year when Lloyd from Peenko realised he’d run out of fingers to count up the albums, he called on me for my ninja spreadsheet skills. That list is still to be announced however, so I thought I’d get my list up before A) I forget and B) The BAMS list spoils my thunder.

Limiting albums to a Top ‘whatever’ is always quite hard I order viagra think. It depends on mood or the time of year, so in my Top 5, I could probably interchange about 3 of the 5 that are included below. In fact, in the three weeks since i sent over my albums of the year, I’ve changed the order in my head several times. However, I’ve gone with my original list but a few albums which on any other day would have made my Top 5 were;

6= Yusuf Azak – Go Native
6= The Pure Conjecture – Courgettes
6= Laurence & The Slab Boys – Lo-Fi Disgrace
6= Beach House – Bloom
6= RM Hubbert – Thirteen Lost & Found
6= Stars – The North
6= Randolph’s Leap – …and the Curse of the Haunted Headphones

But anyway, to the Top 5…

5. Best Coast – The Other Place

“Summertime in 11 tracks”

4. Francois & The Atlas Mountains – E Volo Love

“I find it hard not to love this album as it is but having seen them play live, it takes them to another level altogether. A highlight of 2012″

3. Chris Devotion and The Expectations – Amalgamation and Capital

“heard it prior to 2012 (just) and it still gets frequently aired in my house. There’s no messing about here. Catchy, two minute rock n roll tunes.”

2. Meursault – Something for the Weakened

“I loved Meursault’s first album. I love Meursault’s second album. ‘Settling’ = shivers”

1. Django Django – Django Django

“Another that I can’t seem to put down. Just a really great listen that I never seem to tire of. Again, have seen them a couple of times over the last year and a bit and they are always excellent.”

Honestly, I’m not just cashing in on the snow buzzword. Whether it’s all you can talk about or it’s the last thing you want to hear about, the fact is that snow is the thing that is making me write this post. Well, and a couple of songs.

I go to lots of gigs, not enough in my opinion, plenty in my better half’s opinion. I’d say that I enjoy 90% of them. I mean, sometimes you just can’t help pulling a dud out of the bag.

I’m never sure if I have the same relationship with music as others. You see, I take some music really personal. Sometimes the lyrics will mean something to me, sometimes I just like the music and other times it’s to do with a time and

place. However, there are times when elements just click and I can’t fail to be affected by what I am seeing and hearing. A couple of years ago, myself and Chris (sometimes of this blog) saw The National at the Carling Academy in Glasgow. Yeah, I know, you were all there, it’s a badge of honour saying you were there, right? Anyway, it was incredible, from start to finish. The memorable parts though were towards the end of the gig. Whether it was the rip roaring rendition of Mr November which nearly blew the house down to the ‘unplugged’ version of Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks which tore the roof off the venue, this gig was incredible, and I had ‘a moment’. It’s not easy to describe but if you’re reading this, I guess you have some sort of indescribable relationship with music and you too have had that moment that you can’t wipe the grin from your face because everything just seems so perfect in that moment. Sure it’s maybe not the most in tune version of the song you’ve ever heard or the most groundbreaking, but there’s nowhere you’d rather be.

And looking back on that night two years ago now, when we eventually left the venue, after a few post gig tipples in the bar, it was snowing. And something about the memory of The National’s final song of the night, and stepping out to a silent and white night, made that gig one of the most memorable gig-going nights that I’ve had.

Of course, fast forward to now, and you’ll question the connection. Why dredge up The National after a couple of years? It’s because I went to a gig last night, had one of these moments and when we exited the venue, the snow was falling.

I first heard Stars about 8 years ago when they released their ‘Set Yourself On Fire’ album and since then have counted the track ‘Your Ex Lover is Dead’ as one of my most favourite songs. I’ll not delve into why but when Stars played it last night, it sounded perfect. The band seemed to think it sounded perfect and so did everyone around me. I’m still smiling now. And then, to top it off, I exit venue, the snow is falling…

I considered just writing this post without acknowledging the fact that we’ve not written anything on here for months, yes, literally months, but decided against it. You see, it’s not all been lying on the sofa in our underwear eating peanut butter kit kats, we’ve been doing other stuff (i’ve definitely written this before) and if truth be told, a bit underwhelmed by things to write about. A sweeping generalisation maybe, but it’s been coming for a while, and a good rest was hopefully all we needed.

It can be quite hard sorting the wheat from the chaff and in all reality, we simply don’t have time for all the wheat either. Metaphor ends. We hear good music all the time but find that moment or sound sometimes spoiled by trying to put it into words on here. Writing a blog and reading other blogs means that you are bombarded with such a massive amount of music, that you need time just to step back and absorb it (or avoid some of it) for the good of your health.

And now, I must get to the subject of this blog. This was an album which I received just as we’d taken what then turned into a two and a bit month hiatus. It was an album that I immediately downloaded and was really looking forward to, the only problem for me was, that it arrived during those isolated months where all I would listen to was the old favourites. This is no reflection on the music, just the loss of my excitement about new music.

We published a guest blog earlier in the week after I had seen the author write about the subject on Facebook and I started listening to that playlist on my iPod named ‘New stuff for listening’. The State Broadcasters were first up and it was a gem of a listen. I knew reading the press pack a few months previous that i’d like this, I just needed to get around to listening to it.

There are shades of King Creosote on opening track ‘The Only Way Home’ but it was ‘Trespassers’ jaunty waltz that got me tapping my feet. One of those songs that defines the sound of an album. ‘Kittiwake’ sounds like it has it’s roots firmly in the mid-west of America but the vocals and lyrics are unmistakably Scottish. It reminds me a bit of people like Sufjan Stevens and Andrew Bird.

The track

that stands out for me though is ‘This Old Table’. It’s one of those songs which I felt the impulse to repeat again and again. It’s a track laid bare with the drone of harmonium, a cluster of vocals and an emotionally poignant theme.

The more I listen to this album, the more I pick up each time. I don’t want all my listening to be groundbreaking or like nothing I have ever heard. There’s a lot to be said for a well written, well put together and musically good album and The State Broadcasters have got it on the money.

The State Broadcasters play Wellington Church Hall in Glasgow on Oct 21st, more details can be found on their website.

Ghosts We Must Carry is out now on Olive Grove Records and can be purchased here

To put this post in context, I recently wrote a story in Aberdeen’s Evening Express newspaper about the potential closure of One Up, the city’s sole independent record store. One Up has been dealing with the same difficulties faced across the board, not just by indie record stores, but the music industry as a whole. I had discussed the issue with One Up’s co-owner/manager Fred Craig and wrote the article in the hope that people, knowing that their local independent was under threat, would pull their fingers out and make a special effort to give One Up their custom again.

It has been pointed out to me that many music fans nowadays know exactly what they want to buy, and getting it from amazon or downloading it on itunes is both cheaper and faster than going into town and getting it from the shop (if they are even willing to pay for it at all). Why should they not only make the effort, but lose a few quid as well?

Also, it’s a sign of the times isn’t it? Survival of the fittest, adapt or die, things have changed for the better. Are independent record stores, hell, even huge, corporate record stores part of a bygone age? Are they deserving of the scorn given to 8-tracks or the cassingle, to be loved only by creepy purists needlessly clutching at a past best forgotten?

We music fans have it made post Web 2.0. Even I, writing on the side of the indie, seriously rate Spotify, last.fm, The Hype Machine, music blogs (much like the one you are reading), podcasts and the myriad other ways in which discovering music has become a simple, effortless joy. They’re all brilliant, fantastic services which have introduced me to some incredible music and with regards to last.fm, what music nerd wouldn’t love their own automatically compiled weekly chart or knowing what they’re all-time most listened to Top 10 was?

I am as guilty as anyone for relying on Spotify or amazon to get my music in these cash strapped times but the truth is, ultimately, no website, blog aggregator or streaming service will ever replicate the sheer fucking brilliance of browsing in a quality record store.

The ambience, the music playing in-store, the vinyl and second hand sections, signed albums and merch and most importantly, passionate staff who know their stuff, are just some of the things that indies offer that you can’t get elsewhere. Whilst the idiosyncratic and autonomous nature of blogs lends them personality and taste free from the constraints of the industry’s PR system, 90% of them are written by snobs and charlatans, or are devoid of any charm or personality. The snobbish record store worker (as depicted here and here) has become a cliché, mainly because, well, it’s true. But you know what? The men and women who continue to find employment in this ailing industry do so for a reason: they know their shit and continue to work, despite the uncertain future and low wages, because they love music (OK, maybe they love belittling Beiber, Bublé and Sting fans as well, but stay with me here).

Sad as it may be, the immensely smug feeling that washes over you when a record shop worker compliments your purchases is second to none. There are other small pleasures to be found within your humble indie too. Without indies you’ll never get to experience the fun of discovering an obscure gem of a record that you only bought because it had a funky cover. Or discovering that rarest of jewels (depending on where you live), a local band that’s actually pretty damn good! Or having a favourite band or artist play a free instore gig (I have seen both one of my favourite bands, Sons & Daughters, and one of my favourite singer/songwriters, King Creosote, play sets wedged in front of

One Up’s tills and the experience was, simply, brilliant).

If you are sitting there thinking to yourself, well, I only listen to music on my iPod anyway, to you youngsters who have never even owned a CD, I say this: you’re missing out. Even if you just buy an album to take home and rip, having your own tangible music collection is a lovely thing. It’s like making a mix CD or Spotify playlist…it’s just not got the same warmth or fun as making a mixtape once had.

Finally, if my rambling is still just shouting into the void at this point, then watch High Fidelity or Empire Records. Both these movies are love letters to the record store and, I hope, could convince even a fervent p2p user to give their local indie a go.

Let’s not make these films period pieces. It doesn’t have to be a choice between old and new, we, the music fans, CAN have our cake and eat it. You just need to support your local record store. Go into your local indie this week and buy two albums, one you want and one for entirely whimsical reasons (the aforementioned funky cover say, or whatever’s playing in-store, or something staff recommend you, or something local, bloody hell, even a sodding remix or, god forbid, a b-side album, whatever). You’ll thank me.

Kyle Reid has been a music fan since a CD single of “Boom! Shake the Room” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince came into his possession in 1993, a fact he is neither ashamed of, nor apologises for. He spent the majority of his teenage years, and his pocket money, in One Up and hopes to continue to do so. You can read his blog, here, and follow him on twitter, here, if that’s your kind of thing.

Not bad poster eh? And the line-up isn’t too shabby either. Our chums at Armellodie hit the road in a couple of days with eight bands from their roster, seeing the sights of Bonnie Scotland. The tour kicks off this Thursday in Edinburgh’s Wee Red Bar with sets from newest signings Trapped Mice, The Douglas Firs and Super Adventure Club. 6 more dates over the next nine days take in Dundee, Glasgow twice, Aberdeen, Lossiemouth and Elgin featuring label mates Cuddly Shark, Le Reno Amps, The Scottish Enlightenment, The Hazey Janes and Chris Devotion & The Expectations. The full details are at the end of this post.

If that news wasn’t enough to to make you get yourself out to see some live music, maybe this excellent EP from Kowalskiy featuring all 8 bands, might convince you.

I’m going to three of the gigs so I might just see you there.

SupervAdventure Club + The Douglas Firs + Trapped Mice
Wee Red Bar, College of Art, Edinburgh
Thursday 2nd August 2012
7:00PM
£5.00

http://www.facebook.com/events/114706158669913/

The Hazey Janes + Le Reno Amps + Cuddly Shark
Duke’s Corner, Dundee
Friday 3rd August 2012
8:00PM
Free Entry

http://www.facebook.com/events/420825447938297/

Le Reno Amps + Cuddly Shark + The Scottish Enlightenment + Trapped Mice
Nice n Sleazys, Glasgow
Saturday 4th August 2012
8:00PM
£5.00

http://www.facebook.com/events/421617447869829/

Super Adventure Club + The Hazey

Janes + Chris Devotion & The Expectations
Art School, Glasgow
Wednesday 8th August 2012
8:00PM
£5.00

http://www.facebook.com/events/225036357615158/

Le Reno Amps + The Hazey Janes + Chris Devotion & The Expectations + Cuddly Shark
Tunnels, Aberdeen
Thursday 9th August 2012
8:00PM
£5.00

http://www.facebook.com/events/443389915679925/

Chris Devotion & The Expectations + Cuddly Shark + Le Reno Amps
The Steamboat, Lossiemouth
Friday 10th August 2012
8:00PM
Free Entry

http://www.facebook.com/events/382508625139492/

Cuddly Shark + Le Reno Amps + Chris Devotion & The Expectations
The Thunderton, Elgin
Saturday 11th August 2012
8:00PM
Free Entry

http://www.facebook.com/events/328040657272835/

for those moments you just can’t get that little ditty out of your head

We’re spoilt for new releases this week. All three of these tracks were released yesterday and they are all, at different points of the day, stuck in my head.

Saint Max and the Fanatics – Let Em’ Have It Sunshine

This one caught me completely off guard. Taken from their debut EP, this track has a raft of ska horns and lyrical chops to match. Apparently he’s not a real Saint either but I’m going to let him off because the whole EP

Next up, is Flittin’ by Meursault. To be honest, it’s the whole album here, not just this track. I made no secrets at just how much I loved Meursault’s previous release ‘All Creatures Will Make Merry’ and have been looking forward to ‘Something For the Weakened‘ for quite a while now. It is a little more polished and it is a little more epic but it’s still undeniably Meursault. This track Flittin’ and the grandiose ‘Settling’ are particular favourites.

Finally, we have ‘The Throat’ from The Pure Conjecture. I had no idea what to expect from this album at all, yet, when I heard this track I was immediately taken in by it. Again, the whole album is brilliant, but this track and opener ‘The Power of The Notes Is very Good’ are album stand-outs for me.

Hopefully a couple of these tracks will play on repeat in your head today.