Elba Sessions

As the Elba Annual begins to draw to a close for 2009, today’s post comes from one of my favourite new bands, Maple Leaves. They’ve had a pretty busy year cramming in much more than many unsigned bands could do in several years with a set at T in The Park, tv and radio performances not to mention the thumbs up from none other than Stuart Murdoch (Belle & Sebastian). Here’s hoping that we see plenty more of them in 2010. Anna tells us what made her 2009…

Album of The Year – May I have 3? Or even 4? This is nigh on impossible to choose just one, I’m afraid as Checkmate Savage by Phantom Band, the God Help The Girl album, Zoey Van Goey’s ‘The Cage Was Unlocked All Along’ were all out…so how do you choose between them? Not to mention Bill Callahan record….! Sorry I’m quite bad at making decisions on stuff like this….!

Things You’re Look forward to in 2010 – Releasing our first proper single and playing some great shows, in Edinburgh and in King Tuts again in January. We were in Chemikal Underground’s Chem 19 studios in November and the songs for our first single are just getting mastered now, so should be released in the New Year. Can’t wait!

Follow Maple Leaves at the following for latest gigs and newses…

www.myspace.com/mapleleavesmusic

@mapleleavesband (twitter)

Facebook group – Maple Leaves

The Elba Sessions podcast has been running since July this year and we have been blogging since September so we were pretty honoured to be asked by Peenko to throw our tuppence worth into what is now affectionately known as The Scottish BAMS or The Scottish Bloggers and Music Sites Award 2009, to give it it’s proper title. The Phantom Band’s Checkmate Savage took the honours and the Top 20 was packed with plenty of good choices, with a large amount of Scottish talent being represented.

Personally I struggled a bit, not to choose the ten so much, but more to order it from 10 to 1. Looking back at my choices, I’ll stick with my Number 1 and possibly the first few places but to be honest, if any of my top 10 were at number 1, I’d have no complaints at all. Here is how Stephen, Chris and myself voted…

(note: Stephen ducks out slightly by nominating an unreleased album, but we’ll let him off for that and you’ll notice I favoured counting down from 10 to 1, to build suspense and all, wheras my fellow amigos went straight in with a number 1!)

Phil Elba

10. Cuddly Shark – Cuddly Shark
9.Le Reno Amps – Tear It Open
8.Bruce Springsteen – Working On A Dream
7.The Cinematics – Love and Terror
6. Brakes – Touchdown
5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
4. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
3. Sufjan Stevens – The BQE
2. Phantom Band – Checkmate Savage
1. Titus Andronicus – The Airing of Grievances

Stephen Elba

1. De Rosa – Prevention
2. My Latest Novel – Deaths and Entrances.
3. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career.
4. Idlewild – Post Electric Blues.
5. Conor Mason – When its Over
6. Le Reno Amps – Tear it Open
7. LAU – Arc Light
8. bat for lashes – two Suns
9. Daniel Wylie – Fake your own death (wont be released until 2010 but i have heard the tracks and they are ace!)
10. Cuddly Shark – Cuddly Shark

Chris Elba

1. Wilco – Wilco (the album)
2. Richmond Fontaine – We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River
3. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream
5. De Rosa – Prevention
6. Bob Dylan – Together Through Life
7. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
8. The Low Anthem – Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
9. Sufjan Stevens – The BQE
10. Le Reno Amps – Tear It Open

I was pretty pleased that 4 of mine were included in the Top 20 and having seen the spreadsheet where the maths was done, a couple just missed out. I think The Phantom Band were worthy winners though, being voted for by predominantly scottish blogs and writers it’s fitting that a Scottish band should win it, who would have doubted that one would!

And here’s how the masses voted!

1. The Phantom Band – Checkmate Savage (61)
2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion (54)
3. De Rosa – Prevention (53)
4. King Creosote – Flick the V’s (51)
5. Withered Hand – Good News (45)
6. The Twilight Sad – Forget The Night Ahead (43)
7. We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls (40)
8. Beerjacket – Animosity (38)
9. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More (32)
9. Camera Obscura – My Maudlin Career (32)
11. My Latest Novel – Deaths and Entrances (28)
11. Malcolm Middleton – Waxing Gibbous (28)
13. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – s/t (25)
14. You Already Know – s/t (24)
14. Broken Records – Until the Earth Begins to Part (24)
16. The XX – s/t (23)
17. The Antlers – Hospice (21)
18. Sufjan Stevens – The BQE (19)
18. And So I Watch You From Afar (19)
20. Wilco – The Album (18)

You can praise/blame/thank the following for their input!

17 Seconds, AyeTunes, Dear Scotland, Earz Mag, Elba Sessions, Glasgow Podcart, Hooligans Lament, Jim Gellatly, JocknRoll, Jockrock, Kowalskiy, Last Years Girl, Love Shack Baby, Manic Pop Thrills, My Portiswasp Says, Off the Beaten Tracks, The Popcop, Products of a Gaseous Brain, Song By Toad, The Daily Growl, The Spill, The Steinberg Principle, The Vinyl Villain and Under the Radar.

And once again, well done to Peenko for organising all of this!

There was a period where everytime I looked at gig listings, Andrea Marini seemed to have a gig! We were lucky enough to have Andrea to Elba Sessions Presents at The Liquid Ship in November. A cracking evening where previous Elba Annual contributors Julia and the Doogans also played. At the time I said that Andrea’s music was effortless and having now had a chance to really listen to his back catalogue, it’s still as soothing as before.

A short and sweet entry today, here’s Andrea’s answers. We’d like to think favourite gig that he played was at The Liquid Ship but far be it from us to put words in his mouth!!!

Album of The Year – Sometimes I Wish I Were An Eagle, Bill Callahan

Hopes for 2010/Things You’re Looking Forward To -Looking forward to finishing my record and hearing the new Vampire Weekend record

All of Andrea’s previous material can be downloaded for absolutely nowt on his bandcamp page.