Albums of the 2015

It has been another great year for Scottish music as it continues to export some brilliant albums. Some may say Scotland has punched above it's weight for many years, but maybe now it's just something the country is good at - and we don't get to say that very often!

I've been quiet on the blog this year, but I've decided to make a list of albums I've enjoyed this year. 

1. Admiral Fallow - Tiny Rewards

Album number three from Admiral Fallow grew on me a lot over the year, eventually becoming a favourite.

2. Kathryn Joseph - Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I've Spilled

It was a huge year for Kathryn Joseph who seemingly came from nowhere to release one of the most enthralling albums of the year. It's almost hypnotic!

3. Idlewild - Everything Ever Written

A bit of a comeback album for indie rock legends Idlewild brought a matured sound whilst keeping their distinct sound we know and love.

4. Young Fathers - White Men are Black Men Too

Surprise winners of the 2014 Mercury Prize, Young Fathers' second album brings more experimental hip-hop in their own unique fashion. I wasn't a fan of the first album, but this has been one of the most played albums this year.

5. The LaFontaines - Class

More hip-hip, this time from Motherwell. The LaFontaines debut album has gone down as a success as they continue to build a loyal fan base right across the country. I first saw these guys play to about 15 people in 2012; 2015 saw them sell out the Barrowlands in Glasgow, and that speaks volumes.

6. Phantom Band - Fears Trending

The Phantom Band have a habit of releasing albums without really telling anyone, so you may have missed this. Melancholic synth-folk music at it's finest!

7. Cherri Fosphate - We Didn't Come Here to Say Goodbye

Another debut album makes the list. It's raw, it's catchy and it was a long time coming. Worth the wait though. I recently did a full review of the album.

8. Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat - The Most Important Place in the World

Man of many musical talents, Bill Wells teams up with the man who should be Scotland's Poet Laureate, Aidan Moffat for the second time. Within the tales of love, sex and drinking, there is something heartening in there, I think.....

9. Rachel Sermanni - Tied to the Moon

It has been a good few years for Rachel Sermanni as popularity for the folk musician has grown tremendously across the world. Poetic lyrics, with perfectly composed music to go with it.

10. The Winter Tradition - Lumi

The Edinburgh outfit have released an impressive album full of guitar/synth driven tunes with big, singalong choruses. Even after some big support slots, The Winter Tradition are still slightly underground in Scotland. I hope 2016 sees them continue to tour hard and get the big break they deserve. 

What was your album of 2014?

2014 was a great year for music, with record sales in vinyl and a lot less Justin Bieber. Over the past few weeks, you've probably seen all the papers, websites and blogs posting their top 10, 30 or 50 albums of the past year, but how about whittling it down to just one?

It's like asking to pick a favourite child, I know, but I'd like to know what you think the best album of the year was.

Personally, top of my list is The Twilight Sad's third album, Nobody Wants to be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave. It was mature, heartfelt, deep and dark - the only way this band know how to play. They've come a long way over the past few years and this came to a head when they showed up fellow Scots Twin Atlantic at the Edinburgh Hogmanay street party, who have progressively gotten worse since their brilliant debut mini album Vivarium.

Anyway, who is number 1 on your list? And who do we have to look forward to in 2015?

Leave your comments below and join in the debate!

Shooting Stansfield

Any band who are likened to Frightened Rabbit and The National must be doing something right, and Shooting Stansfield are definitely worthy of the plaudits. The Edinburgh four-piece are not shy in citing their influences, many of which are well established on the Scottish music scene and the release of their EP We Know Not What We Do to rave reviews back in June, showed mature songwriting skills and the ability of the band as they create lovely layered music alongside passionate, rousing choruses and melodies.

 I must admit I missed their email when it came through so I'm probably not up to date fully with the band, though I'm hoping this short feature will make up for it. However, Shooting Stansfield are set to be working on an album in the coming future, which will be highly anticipated, I'm sure (and I promise to be on the ball when it is released!!)

We Know Not What We Do is available on the usual websites (Amazon, iTunes etc), and would be the perfect addition to your 'Indie' or 'Chilled Out' playlist, as each song effortlessly rolls onto the next, and all six songs pass with ease and, of course, you have to play it again. And for those of us who like picking up on every lyric, there are some gems in these six songs:

"If hollow is not a normal thing then I need filling in / If emptiness comes from within, then we are struggling."

And I'll leave it at that; Shooting Stansfield.

The Deep Red Sky

With a new album on the horizon, Scottish 5 piece The Deep Red Sky have unveiled the first single to be taken from the album due on the 13th of May. The album will be called Plans. The band have released the track Zombies, for which they also made a video (and is free to download from BandCamp). The song flows steadily as layer upon layer is added to the song until the crescendo is met with the powerful voice of singer Jamie- as the young boy manages to make the dreams of his fish come true (see video for that one!!).

But before the release of Plans, the band are managing their way through a tour spanning from London all the way north to Inverness. With the first date in Edinburgh just passed, the band will be playing the following shows:

• 23rd March - Edinburgh - Cabaret Voltaire

• 27th March - Biggar - Corn Exchange

• 28th March - Manchester - Retro Bar

• 30th March - Liverpool- Lomax

• 31st March - Nottingham - The Golden Fleece

• 2nd April - London - Nottinghill Arts Club

• 3rd April London - Slaughtered Lamb

• 5th April - London - Underbelly

• 12th April - Perth - The Corrina

• 14th April - Inverness - Madhatters

The band cite their influences as The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit, which is evident, but The Deep Red Sky manage to keep their unique layered sound which will be envied by many. 2013 is turning into a massive year for the band. They are following up the 2011 EP The Job. The Flat. The Girlfriend. with Zombies which will be followed by The Look On Your Face at the end of April before the full album on the 13th of May. 

Katie O' Donnell

We are going back to the grass roots of music now; this is Katie O'Donnell, a 17 year old singer songwriter from Fife. Katie is classically trained on piano, plays guitar and can also sing incredibly well! She writes her own songs as well as doing covers, and aspires to make a career out of her musical talent. Katie has her own  YouTube channel as well as a SoundCloud link where all of her songs are available to listen to. For now though, Katie will be finishing her final year at school soon before heading off to university. I can definitely see Katie becoming a well established act in Scotland if she continues down the music path as her crazy piano skills alone are something to admire. Check her out now before she's too famous to even think about speaking to you!!

Campfires In Winter

They're a  hairy bunch, these guys.

4th of March 2013 will be a significant date for Glasgow based band Campfires In Winter, as it will mark the day of their debut single White Lights. The band have already released 1 EP called Cardboard Ships way back in 2010, and this kick-started their career, as they went on to support the likes of RM Hubbert, Kid Canaveral, So Many Animal Calls and Mitchell Museum. The band also appeared at Wickerman festival and GoNorth in 2012.

However, Campfires in Winter have been enjoying a great start to this year after selling out King Tut's with Kitty the Lion and Sunshine Social, and the plan is to continue to build on this success with the launch night on the 7th of March at Nice 'N' Sleazy in Glasgow, and a video for White Lights which is due out a week before the single.


The song itself is a brilliant example of alt-rock with the Scottish twang we all know and love. This comforting number heads down the post-rock route towards the end of the track with some well executed guitar, but the rousing chorus makes for an easy singalong. You can already hear the chant of "three parts liquid and two parts luck" and "these two white lights up above, they'll keep me alive" from the crowd at live gigs going down a treat. I'll post the video for the song as soon as it is available but check out some of their previous work to get a feel for this band. Definitely ones to watch.

Mata MacDonald

Taking a mix of country folk and Americana with a heavy Celtic twist, Mata MacDonald creates his own brand of music; Hebricana. This stems from his rural upbringing on the isles of the Outer Hebrides, which has been the main source of influence on his music- as well as travelling in Canada.

After many years of playing only to friends and family, Mata finally began to record in February 2010 and his efforts were rewarded when he placed at #10 in the Myspace charts for both Americana and Country music, after only 3 months. Shortly after he was further rewarded with his first gig before going on to record more tracks.

In September 2011, Mata released his debut EP "Hebricana" which achieved great success, reaching #6 in the Amazon Country charts. Lyrically, Mata's music is a modern take on his rural island upbringing but also deals with love and loss, making his music easy for listeners to relate to and the perfect soundtrack to a relaxing Scottish Summer (I use the term 'Summer' loosely!) 

For now, Mata is continuing to look for gigs, write, record and expand his fanbase- check him out on Facebook or Twitter or even on his own website which is, aesthetically, very appealing and makes it simple to get to grips with Mata's music.

Carnivores

Carnivores are a 3 piece punk rock band from Paisley who are reminiscent of fellow Scots Idlewild. They are self managed and have released everything to date - 3 singles and a 6 track mini album - via their own label Death Or Glory Music.

I watched them play live while supporting The LaFontaines but missed them when they came back to Inverness to play at Hootenany's. They were loud, energetic, and frontman, Kenny (I think) had a great presence-and even ended up playing in the crowd at the end of their half hour.

Carnivores have played at T in the Park, sold out King Tut's in Glasgow and have played live sessions for BBC Radio 1. They have also supported the likes of Twin Atlantic, The Xcerts and Frank Turner. Carnivores have just announced that they will be having a short Scottish tour in March/April so check them out if they're up your way!

The Twilight Sad

Another Scottish band, this time from Kilsyth, come in the form of The Twilight Sad (no vampire and wolves jokes please.) I actually played Fifa with these guys a few months ago now- and beat them. They are well established, kicking off with their debut album in 2007, Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters which was received to critical acclaim in the independent music world.

Their follow on album, Forget the Night Ahead was released in 2009 and the experimental album was bombarded with even further critical acclaim which was then followed with a series of headline tours across Europe and the US.

Now, I'm currently looking forward to their new album due on February 6th which is to be name No One Can Ever Know. The release of the their new video which was put on Youtube today provided yet another strange video that we have come to expect from the band now. Another Bed can be seen her (apologies for not having the actual video on here, technical difficulties and all that.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuehlm0aNfs&feature=g-all-u&context=G262975fFAAAAAAAAAAA&fb_source=message

Check out The Twilight Sad if you're looking for something a bit different and experimental.