Scottish bands

Yes, Paisley punk band pulled into all sorts of bizarre shapes as a result of John Lydon forming PiL

Sounds good. I shall have to investigate.

Also pulled into all sorts of bizarre shapes by inability to actually play!

Somebody really needs to write a history of all this stuff.

check the "kilt by death" 3 x cd.

Paisley punk is new to me, but there's some interesting stuff here:
http://www.shit-fi.com/Articles/GM/GM.html

lol at XS Discharge's - "Life's a Wank"

just spotted that there's a recent limited reissue of unreleased stuff by the Scrotum Poles. always the chance of barrel scrapings with this type of deal, but I might pick it up on the possibility of there being something as good as Pick the Cat's Eyes Out

it's pretty good, actually, just rough garage-y sound quality. i like it but not as much as the EP (which is pretty great).

My mate Chris (now with The Gothenburg Address)

I know Chris!

btw The Skinny is doing a Scottish Albums of the Decade countdown, gone 20-12 so far...

20. Malcolm Middleton - Into The Woods
19. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
18. Uncle John & Whitelock - There Is Nothing Else
17. King Creosote - Rocket DIY
16. Meursault - Pissing On Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues
15. De Rosa - Prevention
14. Mogwai - Happy Songs For Happy People
13. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country
12. Arab Strap - The Red Thread

http://www.theskinny.co.uk/articles/scottish+albums+of+the+decade

Geogaddi FTW, surely? Knowing the Skinny though, it'll probably be some boring indie rock like Frightened Rabbit.

Desalvo FTW!

or maybe Richard Youngs FTW! although it depends what they mean by 'scottish album' though. do english-born folks living here count?

Knowing the Skinny though, it'll probably be some boring indie rock like Frightened Rabbit.

the Skinny whose cover feature this month is Hudson Mohawke and Warp20?

(I'm blowing my cover here but yeah) I know the rest of the list and I'm keeping schtum!

Fair play to you on the Hudson Mohawke cover: most deserving. I'm not a FR fan, but I know they're popular, so I don't have a problem with them being on the cover.

x-post I don't see why not. These things should be done in the spirit of civic, rather than English, nationalism, especially when English born musicians like Youngs and Alex Neilson have contributed so much to Scottish music. Shame that Mount Vernon Arts Lab's fantastic Seance At Hobbs Lane misses out by a year, especially as it was pretty obscure until Ghost Box reissued it.

Let's see, off the top of my head, and in no particular order, the best Scottish albums this decade...

Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Alastair Roberts - No Earthly Man/Spoils
Richard Youngs - Summer Wanderer/Naive Shaman/River Through a Howling Sky/Autumn Response
Kode 9 & Space Ape - Memories of the Future (well, Steve Goodman is from Glasgow after all!)
James Yorkston - Just Beyond The River (it's a shame his music has grown more mellow and contented, cos this album has a darkness and energy that he's not managed to tap into since. I've not listened to it for a couple of years, but I think it would still stand up)
Scatter - The Mountain Announces
Directing Hand - What Put The Blood?
De Salvo -S/T (Camp and sinister metal/hardocore from two ex-Stretchheads. "IT'S SO CREAMY!!!" Brilliant live band too. P6's pervy pig mask/PVC apron combo is terrifying and hilarious)
Teenage Fanclub - Man Made (not a *great* album, but some lovely songs, especially from Gerry Love)
Malcolm Middleton - Into The Woods (loved this when it came out. Not listened to it in years, but some hilariously mordant lyrics, and superior Glasgow indie supergroup backing)

New Pastels/Tenniscoats LP is very pretty, maybe a bit too pretty and unyielding to really grab my attention, but the Gerry Love/Katrina Song, Vivid Youth, is lovely, while the Eno-esque synth intro is rather fine.

My predictions for the Skinny's top ten: Geogaddi will surely be in there, if not at no.1. You're bound to get Dear Catastrophe Waitress (I've no desire to listen to B&S at the moment, but it's their last decent record) and the first Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan LP (which is just alright), maybe some Idlewild (zzzz) I could see the Yorkston in there too. Their number one may well be Life Without Buildings. I used to love it in my indier days, but I find it a wee bit precious now. A good record though and I wouldn't begrudge them a high placing. As long as Calvin Harris isn't in there I'll be happy enough! Looking forward to seeing the full list and comments in the mag.

Duh, daft typo in the previous post. Should read 'civic, not ETHNIC nationalism'.

Nae Young Team?

Came out in the 90s innit

Young Team is '97. Not that impressed with Mogwai this decade, although they have had their moments: Glasgow Mega Snake was awesome live, but the recording didn't capture that sludgy intensity.
Checked out Ganger btw. VERY '90s, but that's not a bad thing. The bass rumble works really well against the intricate guitars, gives it a bit of groove. I'd like to hear their more Tago-Mago inclined stuff as I'd imagine that's more up my street.

Ah, I missed that aspect. My bad.

ganger was v popular on my slsk upload q yesterday

Great Scottish albums this decade that I doubt anyone will mention fwiw: Shank 'Coded Messages In Slowed Down Songs'; Snowblood 'Being And Becoming'; Wounded Knee 'Shimmering New Vistas'

Oh yeah, Wounded Knee, definitely. Knew I'd miss someone out! Master of looped folk rounds and a lovely bloke to boot.

It's weird, I was never really a fan of Ganger, but I've become online friends with Natasha Noramly over the past few years (originally through F.O. Machete interest, but they're kaput now so it's just friend-for-friends'-sake). Going back and listening to Ganger now is a different experience than it used to be.

Anyone brought up Josephine in this thread? Great band who imploded too soon.

http://imomus.livejournal.com/432875.html

Momus on Wounded Knee. His comments are OTM. Plenty of good links to tunes too. WK's My Wooden Cupboard is way better than anything James Ferraro has recorded under that name.

No one knows the joy of Astrid Williamson, huh? Shetland Islands native...

i have a solo single of hers from shortly after goya dress split, pretty good, is her later stuff terribly different?

Her first solo album was in a simiar vein as Goya Dress albeit poppier, the next couple of solo albums were folkier, and her newest, "Here Come The Vikings" is a return to the Goya Dress vibe.

wounded knee love seconded with great vigour.

stew, the desalvo album is 'mood poisoner', not self-titled. but yes, 'tis utterly fab.

other sweet scottish albums this decade:

kylie minoise - kylie minoise fucking loves you/fucking hates you
bill wells - EVERYTHING!
ilk - canticle
remember remember - s/t
mogwai - the hawk is howling (their best since CODY)
black sun - paralyser/twilight of the gods

Ach, right enough. Those Kylie albums are great, almost psychedelic power electronics.
Bill Wells - yes, yes, another one that slipped my mind. Also In Red and his records with Maher Shalal Hash Baz.
I'd also include Jad Fair & Teenage Fanclub. They're more than a backing band on this album and it's just lovely.

No love for Long Fin Killie here, then?

like, yes. love is a bit strong.

They have at least one thread of their own iirc - would have thought they might have been 'checked on this one at some point but yes they do have cheerleaders

James Yorkston - Just Beyond The River (it's a shame his music has grown more mellow and contented, cos this album has a darkness and energy that he's not managed to tap into since. I've not listened to it for a couple of years,

― Stew, Sunday, November 29, 2009 11:28 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

Totally agree on this one. I was in love with Just Beyone the River and the Someplace Simple ep when they came out, and I thought they had a really beautiful, dark element. It perfectly fit with me at the time. Then a year or so later everyone was going wild for Year of the Leopard, and as hard as I tried, I just couldn't get into it at all. It seemed so soft, totally smoothed out. I go back to the other two quite often though (especially in the winter) and they're still as good. Seems like a long time ago though.

i still like the yorkston debut the best - in fact the lang toun is still his high point for me (tho his version of i know my love is awesome too)

^ditto - I am probably not going to do an actual top 20 songs of the decade list at any point but I think that song would have an honest to goodness place on it

Skinny published their list today.

http://www.theskinny.co.uk/articles/scottish+albums+of+the+decade

Idlewild for the win? Aw naw!

what a pile of wank.

bag o' shite

no desalvo, no point.

I have to say that's a really dull list. And not just from a personal point of view. There are too many mediocre albums by big acts who've done better i.e. BoC's Campfire Headphase, Mogwai's Mr Beast, at the expense of superior albums by lesser known acts. I'm genuinely surprised at the absence of Life Without Buildings, Yorkston and, to a lesser extent, Ali Roberts.
It's not that these things have to be definitive - they're only a reflection of whoever voted for them - but it's a bit of a missed opportunity in that it doesn't give a broader picture of what's going on, or flag up lesser known, but deserving acts.
I never got the fuss over KC Rules OK. Has none of the charm - in terms of songwriting or playful DIY arrangements - of Rocket DIY. And there's that stupid repetitive song designed for festivals that does my 'ead in.

that is a dull list but that idlewild album is totally great imo

One thing I'll say is that you've no business complaining about this list if you didn't bother to cast a vote.

Stew, have a look at the full 50 in the new issue of the printed magazine, most of the records you mention are in there.

that's a fair point rab, although in fairness the first thing I heard of the poll was the results. I do read the skinny regularly, though, so I'm not sure how I missed it.

tbh, I think there's little point in complaining about polls and best-of lists generally, given that they're a representation of the tastes of a range of people. being annoyed that Band X (desalvo in my case) didn't top the poll is the complainer's problem rather than the poll's - it's tantamount to 'why isn't everyone more like meeeeeeeee?'

but on the other hand, they're a good way of stimulating debate and discussion. and if we can't complain about polls, ilx would surely implode under the weight of its own pointlessness.

"that's a fair point rab, although in fairness the first thing I heard of the poll was the results. I do read the skinny regularly, though, so I'm not sure how I missed it."

Ditto! Was it a web only poll? I just read the mag and don't tend to look on the website.

Didn't realise it was a public vote, but that makes more sense. The full 50 should be interesting - it's usually the case with these lists that the more intriguing stuff is outwith the top 10/20.

Is This Music? did a 100-odd best Scottish albums (in no order) a few years back, but it doesn't seem to be online.

just picked up the new issue - features on holy mountain , beak> and wounded knee! hurrah!

album of the year - animal collective. boo!

I share a few of your views there actually Stew. I don't think BOC, Mogwai, King Cresote and Arab Strap all needed two albums in the top twenty (when there's no Yorkston, LWB and so on), and it's strange that the highest placed 2009 album is De Rosa which the mag (IIRC) gave a 4-star review to and then said no more about (and three Scottish albums are in the Best Of 2009 list, none of which are De Rosa). And, I think that Idlewild album is really average, can't believe it won.

To an extent that's explained by the voting system. We invited readers to vote and loads did, on the comments thread and by email. And we got votes and write-ups from musicians & label people, too, which probably skewed things a little. I'm not sure exactly how things were weighted (if writers' votes counted for more than readers, for example), but the Ed assured me it was all done fairly.

Obviously something went wrong somewhere though because bloody Idlewild won! (OK I'll quit complaining now). Not actually seen the new issue / top fifty yet, I hope some of my votes which didn't make the 20 made the 50.

de rosa aren't talked enough about on this board. the tracks they did for the appendices 2008 project were consistently great, as is the 2009 album. such a waste they broke up.

I wouldn't have objected to two mogwai albums in the top 20 – if they were rock action and the hawk is howling. but I do find it odd that mogwai's two weakest albums (imo) are more highly feted.

imo the hawk is howling should have been called this album is howling.

Boom boom!

the full Top 50:

50. Lapsus Linguae - You Got Me Fraiche
49. Funk D'Void - Volume Freak
48. Dead Or American - Ends
47. We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
46. De Rosa - Mend
45. James Yorkston - When The Haar Rolls In
44. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
43. Found - This Mess We Keep Reshaping
42. Christ. - Metamorphic Reproduction Miracle
41. Laeto - Zwoa
40. Sons & Daughters - Love The Cup
39. The Delgados - Hate
38. James Yorkston - The Year Of The Leopard
37. Y'All Is Fantasy Island - Rescue Weekend
36. Foil - Never Got Hip
35. Half Cousin - The Function Room
34. Withered Hand - Good News
33. The Beta Band - Hot Shots II
32. Butcher Boy - React Or Die
31. Half Cousin - Iodine
30. Macrocosmica - Art of the Black Earth
29. Life Without Buildings - Any Other City
28. The Phantom Band - Checkmate Savage
27. The Twilight Sad - Forget The Night Ahead
26. Mogwai - Rock Action
25. Arab Strap - The Last Romance
24. Aerogramme - My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go
23. Idlewild - The Remote Part
22. Biffy Clyro - Puzzle
21. Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastophe Waitress
20. Malcolm Middleton - Into The Woods
19. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
18. Uncle John & Whitelock - There Is Nothing Else
17. King Creosote - Rocket DIY
16. Meursault - Pissing On Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues
15. De Rosa - Prevention
14. Mogwai - Happy Songs For Happy People
13. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country
12. Arab Strap - The Red Thread
11. Aerogramme - Sleep And Release
10. Mogwai - Mr Beast
9. Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
8. The Delgados - The Great Eastern
7. Arab Strap - Monday At The Hug & Pint
6. King Creosote - KC Rules OK
5. Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
4. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
3. Primal Scream - XTRMNTR
2. The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters
1. Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows