It's been a tough time of late for the humble sparrow. Once near-ubiquitous, they've seen a sixty to seventy per cent drop in their numbers since 1994, due to a changing...
Typically, Tracyanne Campbell writes Camera Obscura's lyrics from an omniscient narrator's perspective, but even when she gets more personal, there's still a bit of a guarded tone...
After a four-year absence, Camera Obscura deliver a record, loaded with verve and panache, that makes it seem like they were never away
Camera Obscura recorded their 5th album Desire Lines last December when they decamped to Portland to work with Grammy nominated producer Tucker Martine (R.E.M., Spoon, My Morning...
Hey. Ok, so this is a test. Normally I would wait until tomorrow to write about this brand new album since that’s when it will be added for Spain and the US. However, today I...
Good evening. The last blog post of the week brings you the new album by The Pastels. It was added to Spotify some days ago. Genre: pop. Enjoy! The Pastels – Slow Summits Filed...
For the last 30 years, the Scots have been primary players in a particularly wistful piece of the musical landscape, whether you care to call it indie pop, shambling, anorak, or...
Consider the Pastels' early days, the sporadic and awkward initial singles for Whaam!, Rough Trade, and Creation, that air of not-giving-a-fugh - they were immature, ambitious to...
The Pastels possess a hushed and humble kind of gorgeousness, they'll forever be just on the outside of the hipster zeitgeist and that's just fine.
When an artist releases an album after undergoing an affecting personal tragedy, it becomes all too easy for the reviewer to over-contextualize the record itself and condescend to...
Understated is the third album to be released since Edwyn Collins suffered a double brain haemorrhage in 2005. That, of course, is an overwhelming achievement in itself. For the...
Pitchfork's Brian Howe provided a useful overview of Hans-Joachim Roedelius in his review of Qluster's Lauschen, noting how prolific the krautrock elder statesman has been in his...
Pedestrian Verse was released the first week in February. I am writing this the second week in May. With a solid three-month resting period, this review is not one of initial...
It’s easy to tear into an indie rock band for even remotely “U2-ing it up”, and “Acts of Man,” the first track off of Frightened Rabbit’s Pedestrian Verse, certainly does that...
Frightened Rabbit's major label full-length debut is a triumphant album. It expertly expands on their previous work with a big, muscular series of anthems that investigate faith...
Growing up in Selkirk, Scotland, Scott Hutchison was a shy boy. Left in a room with other kids, he would go quiet, and for this, the story goes, his mother called him "her...
Anthemic, only occasionally overbearing Scottish miserablists carry on a proud tradition.
Cometh the hour, cometh the bun-bun; whispers have been building for years that Frightened Rabbit's time must be nigh. Soon, the juncture when things finally align for their...
Up to this point, there have been three aspects of the Radar Bros. that have remained fairly consistent. For one, there's singer Jim Putnam, who's been at the controls during the...
The Scots rockers go large with a double album featuring bagpipes, a mariachi band and gigantic festival singalongs
Includes the North American exclusive bonus track "Pocket (Acoustic)." The story of Biffy Clyro is as romantic as it is archetypal. Three childhood friends from Ayrshire formed a...
Good evening. The new album by L. Pierre is a delight for sure. Genre: ambient/experimental/electronic. Enjoy! L. Pierre – The Island Come True Filed under: 2013, Electronic
Decaying and frayed samples lead this evocative lo-fi journey through the psyche of L. Pierre.
Let’s get this straight: you’re probably not going to be broadcasting The Island Come True out of your Aventador as you blaze down the Pacific Coast Highway with a carload of...
The worth of the remix album has been questioned by critics countless times before, but when a band's sound is completely reinvented, as is the case with The Twilight Sad's No One...
That a whole disc of remixes is now even possible is demonstrative of where the band have changed over their short career so far. A listenable, if ultimately superfluous...
Intimacy is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about what makes for a great Frightened Rabbit song. It's true in multiple senses of the word-- much of their work is...
Don't know much about history. Don't know much theology. But I do know that in 2010, The Unwinding Hours delivered proof that there was life after Aereogramme, and it was heavenly...
There’s a remorseless perkiness to the Dundee pocket-rockers’ fourth album that eventually becomes intensely dispiriting. The View are nothing if consistent; the familiar...
An artist exploring tones, moods and instruments to his heart’s content, willing to leave the listener with the work that remains.
The Belle and Sebastian guitarist-vocalist's solo debut sounds like what fans might expect, with tinges of 1970s singer-songwriter records, late-1960s British pop, and showtunes.
One of Belle and Sebastian's Sebastians indulges his witty, benign '60s mod influences.
Meet Scottish indie-folk band Admiral Fallow. This five-piece band has been on a seemingly unstoppable mission to capture the hearts and minds of listeners everywhere with...
Talked-about Glasgow quintet deliver their anticipated debut album, which will hit the spot for those looking for some charmingly discontented but upbeat indiepop.
Talked-about Glasgow quintet deliver their anticipated debut album, which will hit the spot for those looking for some charmingly discontented but upbeat indiepop.
The weather forecast isn't bright as North Atlantic Oscillation get a little bit carried away with themselves.
The weather forecast isn't bright as North Atlantic Oscillation get a little bit carried away with themselves.
The Real McKenzies are as old as my car. Both were assembled in 1992 and both have spent so much time on the road that it's a legitimate miracle they're still running. My poor old...
Saxophonist Smith’s “grunge band” actually lands fairly far from the intended mark.
The Twilight Sad sound bigger than ever on their third album, evoking the despair and binding hierarchy of '80s Britain with screaming synths and empty drumbeats.
The Twilight Sad have put together a pretty respectable career. They've got a few well-liked records, they rep Scotland with a local's charm, and have received some favorable...
The Twilight Sad have a focused sound—brooding post-punk with desperate vocals and foggy, shoegazing-styled guitars—and do that sound very well. However, the Scottish rockers...
Evening friends. The stellar new album by The Twilight Sad was added to Spotify earlier today. Read this review and enjoy! (Genre: indie rock) (US version here) The Twilight Sad...
Errors encourage us to Have Some Faith In Magic. So we do. And we love it.
Morning. The latest album by Errors, added to Spotify last week, is a good one. Genre: electronic/rock. Enjoy! (US version here) Errors – Have Some Faith In Magic Filed under...
After a brief but hugely-influential time away, Errors return with Have Some Faith In Magic, on Rock Action Records; their third album, it counts as far and away their greatest...
Colin MacIntyre, fresh record deal in pocket, rekindles his allegiance with his old pseudonym, which is good news all round. It would be easy to place the man in one of the...
The minimalist Brooklyn post-punk trio's debut-- one showcasing savvy terseness and catchy, simple songs-- is an ode to domestic boredom and romantic dissatisfaction.
