Elba Sessions

Lets just address the rather large elephant in the room straight off the bat. You know the one? Its got the giant red ‘T’ stamped on its side? While the internet has been abuzz with news of Scotland’s annual excessively populated music marathon, we at Elba feel it is our duty to turn your attentions to what is happening more immediately on the gigging front. This is entirely due to our love and commitment to the local music scene. Nothing to do with not having a ticket. No, no, no! We’re not bitter. Let me rephrase that: PHIL is not bitter.

But less of this jesting! Glasgow is looking truly delicious this weekend when it comes to live music.

Tonight and tomorrow night a King Tuts stalwart returns to play to his adoring fans. Tom McRae tours ahead of his fifth studio album ‘The Alphabet of Hurricanes.’ This man has a voice that can reduce even the loudest weegie drunk to tears. I have literally seen this happen; and I do not mean literally in the figurative sense that it is so often used these days. It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of this man but we urge you to head along to this show if you get the chance. Oh and head over to Tom’s myspace should you feel the need for some intellectual ranting. God help us the day this man finally cheers up, his artistry stems from his deep rooted connection to his misery and we certainly wouldn’t want him any other way.

Also on Wednesday night, Sunderland five piece post-punk-indie-pop boys Field Music play Nice and Sleazies. This tour is on the heels of their new eponymous LP. Live, this group are meant to stun more than shine. Prepare yourself to be shocked into adoration.

A triple bill featuring Japandroids, Other People and Cuddly Shark will be pounding King Tuts’ stage on Friday. This one promises to rock. Anyone who was at Elba Presents… (Four) last Friday night and saw the softer side of Cuddly Shark will want to drop into this to experience them in their full frenzied form. In fact, send a wee email to the Shark and they’ll get you in for 3 quid!

On Friday The Pin Up Ladies Night returns to Flying Duck for a the third time. As well as The Pin Ups Djs & Bow Peep playing indie, punk, soul & electropop there’s a line up that I shall allow to speak for itself:

Live – French Horn Rebellion (Kitsune)
Maple Leaves
Guest Gjs – Tracyanne & Carey (Camera Obscura)
Adele & Ailidh (Sons & Daughters)
Emma (Delagados)
Emmy Kate & Marie Du Santiago (Kenickie)
Manda Rin (Bis)

Our final recommendation for the weekend is for the San Francisco Matador signed Girls. Another highly acclaimed, must see troupe. They play Stereo on Saturday.

Happy Gig-gling!

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!