Scottish bands

The ones you named, and throw in artists such as the Beta Band, Ballboy, Looper, Mogwai....

I actually desperately wanted to be Scottish when I was 19 I loved Scottish Pop so much ! OK, so there's been a lot of dodgy 'white soul' (Deacon Blue, Hipsway, Love and Money and of course Hue and Cry) but oh, the guitars !

On the plus side 'though there were also The Associates, Aztec Camera, Belle & Sebastian, Bluebells, Blue Nile, Delgados, Fire Engines, Alex Harvey, Josef K, Mogwai, Mull Historical Society, The Scars....

Not at all. Many non-Scots would agree with you. James Yorkston and the Athletes - they're Scottish, I think, and damn good, too. i also like Teenage Fanclub, Jesus and Mary Chain , Belle and Sebastian, Primal Scream, Beta Band, Boards of Canada and the Delgados.

Not even a Scottish one.

All together now:
"Let the winds blow high,
Let the winds blow low,
Down the street in my kilt I go
And all the ladies say hello
Donald where's yer troosers?!"

hahahah I lie really.

Best new band I've heard for years. Certainly the most original. www.lapsuslinguae.co.uk has a few mp3s worth having.

They knock seven bells out of each other live, which is entertaining.

it's called having fun. remember that? i'm way to old to be part of any scene or want to partake in arch ironic anti-coolness. i do it because i love it. you are fully entitled to hate it but i KNOW that it has been a very positive force in this city.

by the way, i've never seen kid606 so you must be mistaking me for someone else. but thanks for giving me much mirth on a grey sunday afternoon.

and gygax - cheers for the spamming heads up!

Simon, do you definitely mean the *first* 4 ? Most ILM posters on this topic mean the 4 that end with 'New Gold Dream' ie albums 2 - 5: are you actually including 'Life In A Day'?
(personally I only rate albums 2, 3 & 4 - I thought they had started to curdle on NGD, and never bothered with it.)

sorry bout vitriol, haha, my fingers spool out a lot faster than wheezy brain can run.

That hurt, I feel better now. I piss on your Manchester and Liverpool you steenking Eenglish peegs.

Funny reading the old posts about Optimo btw.

New great Scottish bands:

Sons and Daughters
Mother and the Addicts
The Fratellis (are they? I don't actually know)
who else?

just to answer this four years late - i don't have a clue what i was on about.

x post.

Nae Ganger thread at all! That's pure shite! Awesome band. Can we start them a thread?

What's wrong with Big Country? They managed to sound archetypically Scottish like nobody before or since has ever come close to, and "The Crossing" is one of very few cases where Steve Lillywhite did actually do an excellent production job.

Can something be archetypal, while at the same time be something nobody before or since has done?

second the ganger love! 'hammock style' one of the greatest (not to mention sexiest) albums of all time. was lucky enough to see them once before they vanished. just gobsmackingly good...

Do you have 'Canopy', the last EP/album? If so, any good? I've always loved Hammock Style and just got Fore today finally, which has some awesomeness on it too so far.

Canopy is okayish, no way near as great as they were live though. Never heard Hammock, the only other one I have has a bike rider on the front.

The one with the bike rider is Fore, a collection of vinyl tracks and stuff.

Oh, that'd be it then! Remind me who Ganger had connections to?

fore is good, hammock unspeakably great, canopy...tbh I haven't heard it for ages, as I found it pretty disappointing when it came out. maybe my first impressions were unfair, coloured as they were by hammock love.

the bands who recorded fore and hammock style are very different from each other though - both in terms of lineup and sound. fore is perhaps stranger, wirier, more indebted to tago mago. hammock style is lush and muscular and groinally cosmic.

can't believe I just typed the words 'groinally cosmic'.

the original drummer was in bis; craig went on to be in aereogramme and then went solo; natasha formed fuck-off machete; saxophonist caroline kraabel has worked with a bunch of people and, most notably from my perspective, did some cool field improv shows on resonance FM.

Sci-Fi Steven from Bis was the original drummer/keyboardist in Ganger. He left after the first few vinyl EP/single releases. Craig B of Aereogramme joined on guitar/vocals after the 'Fore' era, when they went on to do 'Hammock Style'. They're the 'big name' connections I know of.

Great minds and that...

... at the dual posting I mean.

Oh yeah, Aereogramme, of course. Not totally my cup of tea, but there's a band that should have been a lot bigger than they were.

I could never be doing with Aereogramme.

On the Ganger front, how good a title is "the cat's in the bag ... the bag's in the river"? Answer, very.

i used to have that 12", wonder what happened to it? parts of canopy and fore are really great

James the drummer from Ganger worked in Missing. Last time i saw him was in tower records he was home for the summer from the states. must be 10 years ago, dunno what's happened to him. Dep in monorail will know, i'll ask him next time i see him.

xp indeed - I wonder where it's from though... it's also a tomahawk lyric, but I doubt they stole it from ganger. sounds like a film quote to me.

I realise I could google it, but y'know... that would involved opening another tab. it's a lot of effort.

Sweet Smell Of Success (1957) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051036/

its never worth it when someone else on ilx could answer it for you
xp

See!!

Said by Tony Curtis' character Sidney Falco.

I remember seeing Craig B do some solo stuff supporting De Salvo a while back. It sounded like a post-rock Coldplay. Minor chords and man emotion. Nae thanks.

Ganger are one of those Glasgow bands I've never really investigated, although I have several friends who love 'em. Two bassists and a major Tago Mago fetish? That should be right up my street. I was still at school when they were around. Always regret not going to see them, along with Squarepusher, at a gig in Stirling's Albert Hall (usually home to the likes of Embrace and Abba tribute bands) back in '96-97. Until Le Weekend started up, that was possibly the most far out gig in Stirling since can played the university in the early '70s.

Time to bring this thread up to date, cos a lot has happened in the past three years. The most successful current Scottish bands - Frightened Rabbit, Twilight Sad and Biffy Clyro - are all boring as hell. But I've got much love for Tattie Toes, Divorce, Rustie, Hudson Mohawke, Moon Unit/Nackt Insecten, Space Weather, Richard Youngs, Trembling Bells, Muscles of Joy, Triple School, Ali Roberts...

i am quite liking Remember Remember and Take a Worm for a Walk Week at the moment.

http://www.myspace.com/rememberremember

http://www.myspace.com/takeaworm

^^^^^
these are both great, as are most of those mentioned by stew. see also black sun, noma, vom and cheer.

Oh yes, Vom in particular. Mighty super-heavy space doom!

I call Vom 'speed goth'. Top five album of the year for me, is theirs.

I could never be doing with Aereogramme

;_;

Wonderful band. Although -- in an echo of Stew's comments about Craig's solo stuff -- I remember taking my uber-metal mate Jamie to see them and he walked out after two songs shouting: "Too much stadium emo."

I think you're wrong about Frightened Rabbit and the Twilight Sad, too, Stew (although I really don't get the adulation for Biffy Clyro either). It shames me to admit I don't know a lot of the others you mention -- I really am hopelessly out of touch with what's going on now. Hudson Mohawke I really, really like a lot.

My mate Chris (now with The Gothenburg Address) played with Ganger right at the very end: probably for no more than a couple of months. They were a fantastic band and I should dig out some of their stuff.

Heh, my thing is that while I quite like Mogwai and Slint, I find the strain of post-rock they spawned deeply dull and conservative, so I'm never going to be a fan of Aereogramme or indeed, Explosions In The Sky and their ilk. It seems that all you have to do is pick out some minor chords and then build to a distorted chorus for people to go, "whoah, that's deep!" I know that's rather superficial and unfair, but hey, this is ILM! ;)
I can see why people like FR and TS, but I have something of an aversion to stadium indie with earnest vocals. TS are more interesting in that they attempt some noisy textures, but FR are the epitome of "man emotion" (a great phrase my flatmate came up with), what with their achingly sincere vocals and, er, minor chord, Telecaster, beards and check shirts.
Obtained some Ganger last night, so I shall stick it on my ipod and give it a spin on the way into uni.

I curse myself for not going to Ganger's last gig despite being at the ATP it happened at and hearing a rumour going round half an hour beforehand that it would be, cz I'd got a single of theirs and not really liked it - shortly afterwards I got hold of one of their albums (can't remember which first) and fell for it, hard

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

Oh yeah, that got a rave review on the Volcanic Tongue mailout this week:

"The group formed in 1978 in Dundee and were birthed in an attempt to survive one of the most miserable of Scottish cities by creating self-produced art that refused any of the niceties of consensual pop/rock. But despite their reputation as musical savants The Scrotum Poles have an emotional range and a variety of attack that goes well beyond a mere finger in your ear. This amazing collection compiles three unreleased cassette albums that include unheard versions of their ‘classic’ recordings as well as a ton of material that ranges from revelatory sub-“Louie Louie” style minimalism through gorgeous minor chord ballads that could almost pass for early Clean demos, scabrous single chord end-of-the-world fuck-off jams and even a cover of The Modern Lovers’ “Roadrunner”, which at least provides some context for their own brand of daffy non."

Ooh, there's some stuff on Youtube. This is great. Has a naivety, but it doesn't descend into shambling indie pop. I totally get the Flying Nun comparisons. If I have any birthday money left after the Coltrane charity shop blow out, I might have to pick the comp up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB87tfSfKiI

So when does K33nan rediscover XS Discharge?

Ah, a Paisley punk band? Somebody really needs to write a history of all this stuff. Should really pick up Messthetics 105. A friend played it to me and I was surprised how great most of it was.

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

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHa

Well, the top twenty is rather predictable (as a decade-long list is inclined to be, if you've followed the music scene over the decade), but the rest of the list is much more interesting. There's a lot of bands and albums there I don't know, some artists I've never even heard of. Any ILMers want to add recommendations from the bottom half?

Also, I find it interesting that there's...I think seven albums from 2009 in there, and still no space for Dananananaykroyd or Hudson Mohawke! Usually these kind of lists discriminate against the most recent albums, because it takes time for a mass of opinion to settle on a record. Five from each year would be proportionate but most decade-lists I've seen are only including one or two from this year. Seven from this year seems a touch OTT, but it has been a brilliant year for Scottish music IMO.

Idlolwild

aye. I know.

Lapsus Linguae! I'd forgotten all about them. Fucking adored them. Laeto! I'd forgotten all about them too. Never quite got the love for them that my then-flatmate espoused.

I dunno. I've seen substantially worse lists than that in my life :)

needs more hussy's, and 'any other city' should be #1

inconceivable tht AOC wd be anything other than no.1 tbh

tho looking at tht list... wtf happened to scottish bands :(:(:(

1. Is Funk D'Void Scottish? I never knew. Heard something great in a record shop that was apparently him (them?) but either I never tracked down the right one or it didn't sound as good at home.
2. Oh hey, Laeto! I had an album of theirs - not that one - and liked it. Wonder where it is. No idea they'd done another one.
3. Any Other City was robbed, obv

travis! (only joking)

I'm not. Broke out The Man Who and The Invisible Band last night. Both brimming with gorgeous melodies, inventive arrangements, wistful vocals &c.

i don't really get into the third travis album.. but 'coming around' deserved a better fate than being a forgotten single-only track falling between those two albums. it's probably the best thing they did.

plus it has a great cover of "the weight" on the flip.

Keep hearing this thread title to the tune of Spanish Bombs.

I can't figure out what Noodle Vague finds so funny

Idlewild winning

hilarious

He's a jolly fellow

He was probably laughing because Idlewild beat a band a member of his family is in.

Tell you what: the Stark Palace LP (which is basically songs from their last three EPs, but fuck it) should be on that list too. Absolutely fucking superb. Should be a review floating about on Sunday.

Any love here for Dawson, Nyah Fearties or Shlebie?

if numbers 1 and 50 could be swapped in that list then it'd be a damn sight more otm

I started a Nyah Fearties thread years ago that is really too brief. Nyah Fearties
And there's a couple of other threads with stuff about Dawson. The "Bogshed - Kings of Swing" thread and another thread that's something like "Growing Up in Scotland".

LJ's definitive Mogwai ranking: Happy Songs >>> Rock Action >>>> Young Team >> Government Commissions > CODY > The Hawk Is Howling > EP +6 >>>>>>>> Mr Beast

Government Commissions gets ahead of CODY because its version of Like Herod is probably the most righteous (if not quite best) thing Mogwai have done

Young Team > Ten Rapid > Govt Commissions > EP+6 > Cody > Happy Songs > Rock Action > Mr Beast

Dunno where to put Zidane as I've barely listened to it.

Oh, missed Hawk is Howling, put that near the bottom somewhere.

Young Team > Ten Rapid > My Father, My King > Govt Commissions > EP+6 > Cody > Rock Action > Hawk is Howling >>>>>>>>>> Happy Songs > Mr Beast

though not an album, 'MFMK' surely has to be in there on the basis of its awesomeness. 'cody' would have been higher, but its version of 'xmas/christmas steps' is a poor cousin to the one on 'EP+6'/'no education'. there's very little space between 'cody', 'rock action' and 'hawk', but then a big drop-off to 'happy songs'/'beast'.

never heard zidane.

you sen this, mogwai people?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DD5sy_EnvE

Haven't seen it and can't at work but I'll take a look later, cheers.

I still don't think Mogwai have produced an album that even touches how good they actually are as a band, or comes close to encapsulating their potential. I love everything they've released, but I don't feel any of it is particularly solid supporting evidence for my frothing-mouthed enthusiasm about them.

I like that Burning trailer a lot. High hopes for that.

I still don't think Mogwai have produced an album that even touches how good they actually are as a band

This is completely OTM and I realise it more the older I get. Their two most concise albums really did capture SOMETHING, though. They forced themselves to be more concentrated, and they played around with electronics in a joyful, non-mundane manner.

young team still the best tho

Young Team is excellent and primal and influential but it's also messy and unfocused in a way that doesn't suit their precise build-and-bust dynamic. They're a band that needs regimentation; being all over the place isn't where they're comfortable. (It's actually their biggest limitation, and the reason I don't love them as much as I used to.) There's just this sense that they threw everything together without organising the album; they're an albums band, and that album could have used a bit of fat-trimming. I'd get rid of half the tracks! The shorter half, obviously. Doesn't need that padding.

yes!
herod
tracy
rusi2i
satan

^^^bang

i know this isn't an album per se, but imho it was mogwai's finest moment if you treat it as one:

http://www.discogs.com/Mogwai-EP-6/master/205749

i probably rated ep+6 a bit low but again that's because it's a sprawling, unfocused document of individual moments rather than an album piece...plenty of great stuff on it, albeit not as great as the greatest young team stuff

it also has 'stereodee' which is great in theory, and great in practice for about 5 minutes, but then it becomes a bit of a chore. i guess the speed-garage bit at the end is your reward

i know this isn't an album per se, but imho it was mogwai's finest moment if you treat it as one

I can never see those three EPs as anything other than three very separate, very different recordings: documents of a snapshot of my life. I remember going out to buy 4-Satin in Edinburgh, calling in to see a friend on the way home from Avalanche on Lady Lawson Street, getting unexpectedly bongoed on his surprisingly high-quality weed, and finally getting home to listen to it some 10 hours later, and thinking it was THE SINGLE GREATEST RECORDED ARTEFACT IN HISTORY, etc. My flatmate wasn't overly impressed with the volume I was playing it at, nor with the way I couldn't stop giggling at her when she shouted at me. Happy days.

The Christmas Steps EP is the authentic soundtrack to me moving to Glasgow: just a total fucking rush. The Stanley Kubrick EP is the authentic soundtrack to me moving into a damp hovel with mushrooms growing out the walls and thinking: "Thank god for music."

can i just say that my slimmed-down young team works beautifully as a double-side single LP

I'm not sure I agree all that much with that list, but I think it was voted for by readers?

Happy that "Any Other City" is in there, if a bit too low, and very pleasantly surprised the Laeto's 'Zwoa' is in there. A fine record, very different to their debut 'Make Us Mild'. There's been a third record ('LP3') in the works for a few years now, what I've heard is great but I'm not sure it will ever get finished.

Oh, Foil's 'Never Got Hip' brought a smile to my face there, mostly for "Reviver Gene".

So, er ... all this chat about Any Other City being "robbed" and everything ... this is all a big joke or something, yeh? Only I listened to it today, for the first time ever, and fuck me if it won't be the last. The C86isms are OK -- sometimes surprisingly decent -- but nothing to write home about; seriously, though, those vocals! I know I'm prone to sweeping exaggeration but that might be one of the most fucking horrible noises I've ever heard in my life :o

only one of these records is actually any good

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

you are both talking complete crap

david scott should leave scotland, he never gets any respect. i always thought it was the vocals on 'any other city' that made it anything other than run of the mill.

So, er ... all this chat about Any Other City being "robbed" and everything ... this is all a big joke or something, yeh? Only I listened to it today, for the first time ever, and fuck me if it won't be the last. The C86isms are OK -- sometimes surprisingly decent -- but nothing to write home about; seriously, though, those vocals! I know I'm prone to sweeping exaggeration but that might be one of the most fucking horrible noises I've ever heard in my life :o

Why u braek hart? Any Other City is my favorite record of the decade, from Scotland or anywhere else.

I was talking crap; only 2 of those records then

just a wee joke, let's be cool

Frightened Rabbit take a bewildering early lead
http://www.scotsman.com/CustomPages/CustomPage.aspx?PageID=81565

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VQbFP5fqfM

lol at this video.

http://thequietus.com/articles/06709-remember-remember

pure remember remember street teamed out my nut.

errors new album stream

http://drownedinsound.com/news/4144367-album-stream--errors-have-some-faith-in-magic

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/popstar-barman-hipsway-frontman-grahame-6977329

Anyone see that BBC2 documentary last night about Scottish post-punk? Not bad but I barely know any of them.

I like Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab

Cannot recommend Michael Train's "Kilt By Death" compilation more strongly for a thorough overview of Scottish punk and post-punk esoterica.

Turkey Bones and the Wild Dogs innit?
Mad Bad Missouri Buffalo

I enjoyed 'Big Gold Dream', didn't mind that it concentrated on the Fast/Pop:Aural and Postcard associated scenes, plenty to find interesting. Can see that it's maybe a bit narrow for general viewing.

Not bad but I barely know any of them.

― Robert Adam Gilmour, Sunday, 16 April 2017 14:46

That made it sound like a criticism, I didn't mean it like that.