Scots at their own game (indie field)
Glasgow’s Rangers may not have been that lucky against Zenit yesterday but when it comes to music they are at the top of the indie cities leaderboard. Scottish bands are constantly popping out, especially from Glasgow. So, as a consolation prize for yesterday, here are two reviews of (almost) fresh Glasgow based bands.
The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen WintersThe Twilight Sad have been around since 2003 with a number of EPs, but it wasn’t until last year that they released their first album. Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters is a set of song about adolescence, growing up and memories of moments in time that define us even if we never realize it. The album unrolls as a story with the music supporting Graham's heavy accent (reminding the likes of Arab Strap's Aiden Moffet) before exploding into guitar noise, along with Graham’s personal outburst. While the album doesn’t introduce any new elements to the Scottish scene, it instantly draws you in. And with track titles such as “That Summer At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy”, “Last Years Rain Didn't Fall Quite So Hard” and “And She Would Darken The Memory of Youth” you are bound to follow each track till the end. Another good debut from the north, proving that if you really put your soul into the writing process you can stand out without needing to differ.
Cold Days From The Birdhouse and I Am Taking The Train Home are my favorite tracks, but here is a fan video to That Summer At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy.
Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ FightThe Frightened Rabbit are another band with heavy accent (not as much as The Twilight Sad though). Their music can be described as pure indie, with guitar chores, anthem-style tracks and punchy drums. The Rabbits consist of two brothers (Scott and Grant Hutchison) and their friend Billy. The trio differs by absence, in other words you won’t hear any bass in their tracks cause they deliberately avoid getting a bass player and rather concentrate on guitars, drums and occasional piano.
After their debut back in 2007 with Sing the Greys, which made them popular also in the States, they quickly followed up (less than a year) with Midnight Organ Fight. The album continues the same path set by their debut, with less noise and more careful production (probably trying to mainstream their sound through more self control and less banging). Despite growing up (musically) in Glasgow’s pubs and venues, where they made a name for themselves, they sound more like a band from across the Atlantic rather than Scottish. The record is not bad at all and some of the tunes are really catchy, I’m not sure though if it has what it takes to stand out as a real gem. They’re still a relatively new band though, so I’ll keep them in mind cause it wouldn’t totally surprise me if their next album is a real treat. In the meantime, I’ll give them some more spins on my cd player (or queue them up in MediaMonkey to be more precise) as they are starting to grow on me..
The Modern Leper stands out as their single (opening the album and posted below) along with The Twist and some of their ballads such as Good Arms vs Bad Arms and Keep Yourself Warm.
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