Latest News
Best Girl Athlete releases download track ‘He’s Calling Me Over’!
Following on from her free download track 'Talk', Best Girl Athlete, aka Katie Buchan, reveals yet another free offering with the release of 'He's Calling Me Over', taken from her debut album Carve Every Word on 2nd March 2015 via Fitlike Records.
You can stream and download album track 'He's Calling Me Over' for free from the ABoF SoundCloud page.
You can also stream and download album track 'Talk' for free from the ABoF SoundCloud page.
'He's Calling Me Over' is further proof of Best Girl Athlete's unique talents. Producing another highly accomplished song, Katie's warm vocals take centre stage here, as strings dance elegantly in the background, creating a beautiful dream-like track. With talent in abundance it's easy to see why Best Girl Athlete has already picked up support from the likes of BBC Radio Scotland, Artrocker Magazine, Women In Music and Insomnia Radio.
Like any other teenager Katie has the usual dreams, but possesses a talent far beyond her tender years. The songbird, who resides in Aberdeen Scotland, exhibits an effortless yet enchanting voice aligned to a burgeoning talent for song writing which elevates her natural potential to even greater heights.
Not content to simply sing her musician father Charley Buchan’s songs, Katie has begun to establish herself as a mature singer-songwriter in her own right. Katie possesses a voice which sounds wise beyond its years as her earthy, ethereal tone flows beautifully from the speakers warmly enveloping the listener. Her vocals are accomplished to the point that they could easily sit alongside seasoned singer songwriters such as Aimee Mann, Laura Marling and Feist, as she constructs emotional vignettes with a laid back and elegant Americana edge. Where most artists use their debut album to fine tune their sound, Katie has produced something special on her first attempt - an art that can take many of her contemporaries years to hone.
The tender vocals and whimsical music is no more apparent on album tracks such as ‘Leave It All Behind’ and ‘All That’ where Best Girl Athlete produces some of her most exquisite tracks as the chorus is left floating around your head for days. While ‘Talk’ is so well written it could easily be mistaken for an Ellie Goulding single - Katie’s vocals radiate and her lyrics impress, as soothing strings and piano elevate the music to new levels.
Carve Every Word is an emotionally charged and accomplished debut that finds Best Girl Athlete imposing herself as a serious talent. Released in the United States under the Minty Fresh label and with a forthcoming American tour in support, the album will have its UK release via Fitlike Records on 2nd March 2015.
Bloc+Music release Ensemble Vol.2 Part 5!
"...a wonderful cross section of all that's good about Scottish guitar music." - Clash
Bar Bloc are delighted to announce the release of the fifth and final compilation album, released via their Bloc+Music label, and available to download now on Bandcamp.
A stream of the compilation premiered on Clash, and you can also stream the album in full from the Bloc+Music BandCamp page.
The fifth and final compilation in the Volume 2 run of releases, sees the label and venue showcase a plethora of impressive names currently making their name on the Scottish music scene. Featuring the likes of Fat Goth, United Fruit and Shambles In A Husk, Bloc continue to be leaders in their field of pioneering some of the most interesting, up and coming bands and artists north of the border.
Last year Bloc was nominated for an Unsung Hero Award at the Scottish License Trade Awards due to its initiatives to help the wider musical community in Scotland as well as deserving social causes. Indeed, Bloc have helped local bands by subsidising a touring van which is loaned to musicians at cost price (non-profit) enabling bands to tour and perform their art on a financially sustainable basis. As well as this, their label Bloc+Music is run on a non-profit basis to allow Scottish musicians to release their music without having to kowtow to the practices and pressures of major labels. This has seen the likes of So Many Animal Calls, Campfires In Winter and Felix Champion thrive and allowed them to progress their musical career at their own pace and in their own image.
Bloc’s DIY ethic is worn firmly on their chest and has aided not just the music community but the creative sector in Scotland in general with the backing of DIY label StruggleTown as well as Hay Man!, TYCI, who collaborated on the fourth compilation album, and Ment1 He1th, all of which carry the work of young Scottish artists and authors who have been instrumental in highlighting political and social issues to the wider Scottish community.
Bloc+ Ensemble Vol.2 Part 5 is available to buy digitally via the Bloc+Music BandCamp page.
Introducing… CARALIS!
CARALIS will release debut single Clicks In on 23rd March 2015 via Captoerra Records.
Clicks In undulates ominously as snapping beats penetrate the speakers, samples soar and vocals swoon, blending with the music beautifully, as the chorus takes centre stage.
The video that accompanies the single premiered on Clash Magazine's website, and you can watch it now via the band's YouTube channel.
CARALIS is the brainchild of former Anison front man Dan Frau, who began writing and creating music for his solo project after the band split in late 2014. Collaborating with producer and friend John Merriman, the pair have produced an industrial and, at times, psychedelic sound akin to acts like Caribou and Thom Yorke.
The single was recorded in just one day at John’s Crown Lane studio. Dan set about layering several drum tracks before adding atmospheric keys and vocals while John pieced together loops and samples, creating what would become Clicks In.
Creatively, CARALIS is a sonic departure for singer Dan having fronted alt-rock band Anison for a number of years. The band, who were signed to Spectra Records, were known for their alternative guitar sound and garnered support from the likes of XFM and BBC 6 Music. However, Dan has shown his creative dexterity, transitioning between alt rock and electro genres effortlessly.
Clicks In is released on 23rd March 2015 via Captoerra Records.
Introducing… The Actions!
The Actions announce their forthcoming EP Indefensible released 5th April via Niteo Records.
To get a taste of their sound, you can stream EP track 'Counting All Days' via the band's SoundCloud page.
Watch the video for previous single and EP track Echo via the band's YouTube channel.
Indefensible is a collection of dark and atmospheric vignettes, with stylised guitar, vocals and percussion creating an ethereal world full of dystopian and existential imagery in which the listener can easily get lost. Silty’s voice transmits a dark sensuality that could bears comparison to Alison Goldfrapp or Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, except with a darker, harder edge. Nowhere is this more evident than EP title track, Indefensible, which blends punchy, distorted guitar with dream like vocals that could easily soundtrack a Lynchian dive bar.
They are currently pushing their boundaries of their sound to the limit, whilst working within the confines of what can be classified as a ‘song’.
The Actions are Mo Stellato (guitar) and Silty (vocals and bass guitar). Heavily influenced by Trip Hop, Dark Wave and Psychedelia, the duo began writing and producing their own music trying to create a fusion between the three, the resulting sound a product of years of experimentation and collaboration with different artists. Dedicated live performers, they’ve seen themselves sharing the bill with globally recognised artists such as REM, Green Day and I AM KLOOT.
The EP follows hot on the heels of single, The Echo, that was released in December 2014 and picked up support from the likes of BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson and Amazing Radio.
Indefensible is released via Niteo Records on 5th April 2015.
Idlewild release single ‘Come On Ghost’!
Idlewild release Come On Ghost, the second single from their hotly anticipated forthcoming album Everything Ever Written.
To celebrate the single, and as a countdown to the album's release, Idlewild have joined forces with The Skinny to present a specially filmed session exclusive, Seven Days Of Idlewild, filmed at Chamber Studio where the band recorded their very first single Queen of the Troubled Teens and parts of Everything Ever Written.
From tomorrow, the magazine will be unveliling one acoustic track from each of Idlewild's studio albums, beginning with the seminal Hope Is Important. You can watch the trailer for the sessions via The Skinny's YouTube channel.
Come On Ghost has already been A-Listed by BBC 6Music, along with previous single Collect Yourself. Both are available to stream now via the band’s Soundcloud.
Idlewild have also recorded sessions with BBC Radio's Dermot O'Leary and Lauren Laverne, and XFM's Danielle Perry.
Catch the band live in February and March:
27th February - Luxor – Cologne
1st March - Lido – Berlin
2nd March - Knust – Hamburg
3rd March - Bitterzoet – Amsterdam
7th March - O2 ABC – Glasgow
8th March - O2 ABC – Glasgow
10th March - The Institute – Birmingham
12th March - The Ritz – Manchester
13th March - Roundhouse – London
20th March - The Academy Dublin - Dublin
21st March - The Limelight - Belfast
Come On Ghost is available to buy on iTunes and all good online retailers, while album Everything Ever Written is released 16th February 2015 in the UK on digital, CD and vinyl. These and a limited, deluxe edition with exclusive live acoustic tracks recorded during the band’s recent Highlands & Islands tour are available to pre-order now from: www.pledgemusic.com/idlewild.