This is something of a departure from the first couple of Loch Lomond records – the sublime Lament For Children EP and full length Paper the Walls – despite the fact that nothing has changed all that much.

There’s been a shift of tone, only a slight one mind, but one which has nevertheless had a big effect on the overall impression of their sound.  The best way I can describe it is to say that the slightly macabre fairytale atmosphere, which was only present in the subtlest of shades before, has pretty much gone now, and with it the slightly disturbing, dark undercurrent of their music.  This is no criticism however, just an attempt to rationalise the significantly different impression I get from this record, compared to its ostensibly quite similar-sounding predecessors.

The title track bridges the gap the most for me, more so then even a re-recording of Spine, which is a relatively old (and brilliant) song. Even the name Night Bats has that old dark mystery about it, and the rather other-wordly falsetto emphasises that point with some impact.

The new version of Spine is perhaps the most telling song on the record for me.  It’s been recorded at what feels like a marginally quicker tempo, but whether or not it actually is faster, it certain feels it: there’s real purpose and urgency to the new recording, and a much fuller sound which doesn’t change the song that much in a literal sense, but in overall feel makes a big difference.

The subtle shift in emphasis is just enough to take the character of their sound from dark folk to
slightly distressed pop. It is in many ways a big pop record this; here the crescendoes are generated by swells of instrumentation, whereas before it was a keening of the emotion of the delivery.

It’s really bloody good though, because despite this change, none of the emotional impact of the music has gone.  It’s bigger, sure, and definitely a little bolder, but it really gives the impression that this incarnation was lurking in their music all along and they are just starting to let it out.  That same combination of euphoria, sadness and introversion is intact, but there is just a bit more confidence added to the mix which gives this EP a sense of real strength and integrity – it all just clicks nicely into place.

Loch Lomond – Wax & Wire

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Given that this band has its roots in the lovely, borderline gospel, old-time Americana of the Cotton Jones Basket Ride, I’d say that Rio Ranger was a bit of a surprise, as an EP.

I don’t know if I’m just being perverse, because a lot of the same elements are still there, but this atmosphere seems a little different now.  Maybe that was the reason for the name change – maybe they felt they’d settled on the kind of band they wanted to be after the demise of Page France, and the sound had kind of fallen into place for them, rather than being a loose collage of elements familiar from other places.

Reverby vocals, omnichord (I think) and some rather tribal drumming on Nicotine Canaries make for a definite break from older things I’ve heard by these guys, whilst still retaining enough atmospheric mystery that it sort of feels related, somehow.  The keyboards have a touch of the doom-prophesying street preacher about them, creating an atmosphere which holds the EP together really nicely.

I’m finding this a really tricky EP to pin down actually – it’s just rather hard to describe.  There are old-fashioned elements (slightly gospel, slightly country, stuff like that) in the arrangement, but the production style is still quite modern, in that the vocals are shimmering and distant.

It’s not soaring or grandiose like you might imagine from the above description; instead it feels quite clipped and restrained.  At no point do they really cut loose and go for it, and that might be where I get the feeling of tension from.  I almost find there to be a feeling that the band are tied down in a sense, somehow held back from really attacking the songs.  That sounds like a criticism, but it really isn’t – quite the opposite in fact.

So yes, an enigmatic little record to have to try and review, but definitely one which I rather like and would recommend you have a look at.

Cotton Jones – Nicotine Canaries

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After attending a birthday party which involved the scarfing of five pig’s heads yesterday I still don’t feel capable of eating anything. I may have to fast for the next few days before that little lot gets digested, in fact. Fucking hell that was a meal and a half.

There will be no giggenfun for me this week, unfortunately, despite a couple of natty lineups on the horizon. The label is going to require an absolutel shitload of admin work this week and if I go out gallvanting there is no way I am going to be able to get all of it done. We have Meursault single promos to do, Foxx promos, Split 12″ numbering, Maxwell Panther printing and label sampler cutting and folding. Then there’s the Fresh Air show on Wednesday with the Japanese War Effort, which I’m looking forward to.

Did everyone see that FOUND’s musical cupboard of magnificence won the BAFTA for Best Interactive Thingumajig? Well done lads, brilliant, and thoroughly deserved. Must have been a bit depressing for the others shortlisted though – how the fuck do you compete with something like the bloody Cybraphon?

Anyway, on with the task at hand. What should you be doing while I’m in the house folding paper, cutting out inserts and stuffing CDs into slip-cases? Well if you’ll hang on, I’ll tell you:

Wednesday 11th November 2009: The Pineapple Chunks, Ruthelise Snowe & Andy Brown at the Bowery.

I know little about this gig, so if anyone knows anything about who’s supporting please let me know in the comments. I’ve linked to an Andy Brown MySpace page, but I really don’t know if it’s the right one and, er, I can’t find Ruthelise Snow at all. The Chunks themselves however make, erm… mental guitar music basically. It’s off-kilter, surprisingly melodic and brilliant fun.

The Pineapple Chunks – Dark Halo

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Thursday 12th November 2009: Graham Coxon at the Queen’s Hall.

Most people I know absolutely love Graham Coxon, and cite his departure from Blur as the moment they became shit. That’s bollocks of course, because Think Tank is a great album, but that’s a whole new argument. Anyhow, here I am pootling along in my ignorance, with little real awareness of Coxon’s solo work and no more than a fairly casual liking for what little I have heard. The last album was really quite folky though, and I believe this is an acoustic setup, so that’s about all I can tell you.

Graham Coxon – All Has Gone

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Thursday 12th November 2009: The Leg, Your Loyal Subjects and Lipsync For a Lullaby play Versus at the Voodoo Rooms.

Apparently I sounded a little lukewarm on the concept the last time I mentioned the Versus gigs, but I really didn’t mean to be. All three bands will play separately, together and everything inbetween, and there will be inter-set entertainments as well. Basically it is going to be a gigantic musical mish-mash. The last one was apparently brilliant, so if Ted and his minions can pull that off again this should be a brilliant night.

Saturday November 14th: Riley Briggs from Aberfeldy at Carter’s Bar.

This is a free gig (Riley also plays alternate Thursdays down at the Shore in Leith, I believe) and will be a solo acoustic performance, but the band’s breezy indiepop should be perfectly suited to this kind of setup.

Aberfeldy – Love is an Arrow

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Saturday November 14th: Trashcan Sinatras, Brother Louis Collective & the Seventeenth Century at Cabaret Voltaire.

The Trashcan Sinatras are something of a blast from the past for me, I have to confess. I remember absolutely loving A Happy Pocket when I bought it back in my universoty days. I have to confess to having barely a clue what they’re up to these days, but I’d be really curious to see them. I don’t know Brother Louis Collective really, but the Seventeenth Century are excellent.

Trashcan Sinatras – The Therapist

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Saturday 14th November 2009: Panda Su, John B McKenna & the Last Battle play Trampoline at the Wee Red Bar.

The Last Battle are what happened when Thieves in Suits called it a day and I’ve heard very good things about them, without having had the chance to see them myself. Panda Su seem to be drawing all sorts of praise, and John B McKenna also sounds rather interesting. It’s a low-key lineup this one, but Euan has definitely found a really good spread of underground artists I’d personally like to see, and then kindly put them all in the same place on one evening for me.

I know I promised the Notcraigcast last week, but it didn’t happen I’m afraid.  After last week’s amazing Craigcast Neil and I were intending to introduce Craig to all sorts of modern music which we thought continued some of the traditions of the blues music he was describing to us, but circumstances have rather conspired against us unfortunately.  Neil is off on tour with Meursault playing his songs, and Craig is off on tour with his liver, taking it around the watering holes of Edinburgh and giving it a good, hard kicking in each one.

Consequently I’ve sort of cobbled together a podcast from fragments of the Pantscast and the stuff I’d intended to play for Craig.  It’s largely folky, but that wasn’t wholly by design, more to do with the fact that listening to the really early blues stuff Craig played for us sent me back to listening to old Smithsonian Folkways stuff and so there are a couple of songs from there, as well as a couple of modern things which those recordings brought to mind.

Smithsonian Folkways, incidentally, is a non-profit record label run by the Smithsonian Institute to preserve and support a truly epic amount of our musical heritage.  Just go and have a browse through their archives – it’s amazing how much incredible stuff these guys are looking after on everyone else’s behalf.

Toadcast #94 – The Not-Notcraigcast

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1. Micah P. Hinson – She Don’t Own Me (02.57)
2. Hem – The Cuckoo (11.13)
3. Saint Etienne – Like a Motorway (16.52)
4. White Antelope – Silver Dagger (22.15)
5. The Boggs – Plant Me a Rose (28.00)
6. Willard Grant Conspiracy – River in the Pines (31.47)
7. Berzilla Wallin – Conversation With Death (Oh Death) (39.22)
8. Samamidon – O Death (44.26.)
9. Dock Boggs – Sugar Baby (49.21)
10. Alela Diane – White as Diamonds (Daytrotter Session) (54.09)
11. Sandy Denny – By the Time it Gets Dark (59.07)

I don’t mean to irk the purists in the first sentence, but I am not quite the slavering Daniel Johnston acolyte I might be.  I went because I find his stuff intriguing, because loads of bands I love hold him in such high regard, but largely because I was curious about how someone quite so halting, awkward and, lets face it, weird ended up being such a cult hero for so many people.

I arrived late, due to radio commitments, so I missed pretty much everything up until Laura Marling’s support slot which was… decent.  Whenever I see someone like her who is, if not actually famous at least indie famous, I find myself wondering ‘If I didn’t know who she was and this was the first time I saw her in some ropey club or other, would I be falling over myself to release her records?’  In this case the answer is definitely no.  She seemed nice, she can certainly write a tune, but I am left pretty much entirely unmoved by her music I am afraid, and the solo acoustic setting did nothing much to improve on my impression of the album, which was equally indifferent.

Johnston on the other hand is a different prospect entirely.  He seems comfortable enough in the presence of the crowd, even reassured by it, which is slightly contrary to the (admittedly arbitrary) picture I’d managed to build in my head of him.  The first few songs are just him and an electric ukulele, and I don’t know enough to say for certain, but it seemed very much like he could barely play it.  I don’t know if this is simply a skill he has been unable to acquire despite what must be tons of hours of practise, or whether he’s actually really good and just plays in fumbling style, which I suppose is possible.  It seemed a lot like the former to me though, I have to confess.

These songs, despite the playing, and maybe because of the more basic sound, are the ones I like the most.  There’s something captivating about his stumbling musicianship and uncertain delivery which resonates so perfectly with his lyrics that it makes the songs seem all the more true in this format, something which the more polished band numbers can’t ever quite achieve.

When the Wave Pictures come on to play as Johnston’s backing band the results are a little patchy.  It’s not the fault of the band at all, but I personally just felt that some songs worked better than others, and there were defintely times when the plain vanilla bass and drums simply eroded the individualism of Johnston’s songwriting.  It could be a little smothering, basically.

Then again, maybe that’s how he sees himself.  For someone who seems to utterly disregard most basic songwriting axioms when he sits down to write, the three Beatles covers in this set seem to imply that he does harbour more straighforward pop instincts in there somewhere.  Even with their weird structures, his own songs are often successful because they do still contain a lyric simple yet so honestly, obviously true that it has the same impact as a memorable rhyming couplet.  And for all he can barely play them, he can certainly write guitar hooks.

Maybe that’s why the Beatles covers get such a cheer – maybe that kind of sudden statement of unselfconscious joy is at the heart of his popularity.  It’s a weird kind of shotgun marriage: the awkward, uncomfortable, vulnerability which is broken here and there with the musical equivalent of a sunny smile.  He has the shakes something rotten, and his lyrics are raw and unflinching, and he sounds like his voice will crack at any moment, and yet when he decides to hold a note he obviously can do, and he seems genuinely cheered by the love coming from the crowd.

So for all I don’t know his music that well, I can see from this gig how people get so engrossed in Daniel Johnston.  It really is all just out there for you to see: there seem to be no barriers at all between him and his audience.  And despite the age of Johnston himself, all the awkward but nevertheless very hip teenagers in the Queen’s Hall seem to be beside themselves in rapture.   But I think by the end of the night, that I just about get it. It was an odd gig though – really good, but almost more of a social experience than a musical one in many ways.  For me anyway.  For a good proportion of the people there it was as damn near a religious experience as they are likely to get.

Daniel Johnston – Life in Vain

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Daniel Johnston – True Love Will Find You in the End (His only encore – now that was a privilege!)

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This week’s disaster theme came from a conversation I had with Blueback Birthday Boy Dylan last night, but for the life of me I can’t remember how we got onto the subject of total cock-ups.  I was DJing later though, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Actually, I know I’ve had an uneasy relationship with DJing in the past, but last night’s effort was brilliant fun.  It’s all rather dependent on the occasion with me – too much of a dancefloor and it doesn’t suit the general miserablism I’m into, whereas if it’s supposed to be background music then my stuff can be a bit weird at times as well.  Last night was spot on though.

The event was a Oxfam night at Born to Be Wide in the Speakeasy at the Voodoo Rooms.  The basic premise was that the DJs (myself, Jane from the Bowery and Jamie from the Oxfam music shop in Stockbridge) would go into Oxfam, pick out a pile of vinyl, and then if people liked what they heard they could buy it on the spot.  We did really well, too, I think – certainly I saw about twenty or thirty records get sold, which is good going if you ask me.

The benefit of that kind of charity shop DJing is straightforward: your choice is really restricted.  So I went through the old jazz stuff and picked out a load of that, from the really early stuff to the likes of Piaf and Billie Holiday through to big band swing.  I did look for some blues actually, after Craig’s sterling efforts on last week’s podcast, but there was absolutely none.  Really, none at all, not even nasty eighties blues, which was sort of odd.  Presumably people don’t find their old blues records as disposable as their old jazz ones.

Anyway, I went from a couple of swing versions of Crazy ‘Bout My Baby (classic!) and I Want to Be Like You into Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey, then some Johnny Cash.  That brought on a bit of a country spell, with Willie Nelson and something of a childhood classic of mine: Me and Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson.  My dad would have been so proud.

Anyway, then it was Michelle Shocked, Cat Stevens, Bennie & the Jets by Elton John and then into the likes of Squeeze, The Jam and Ian Dury.  I finished it off with Modern Love by Bowie and a spin of A Few Kind Words by Meursault, at which point some hammered fellow came staggering over saying ‘Oh this is brilliant, I’m having this, I love this one, it’s..  it’s…   ah, it’s by I don’t know.. it’s…  but it’s fucking brilliant.’  Weird.  But fun.

I like that kind of DJing because you’re so restricted that the eclecticism becomes a real positive, you can play whatever the hell you like, and it just makes it better; you can play swing, Willie Nelson, Elton and Half Man Half Biscuit as part of the same set without anyone batting an eyelid.  And Jane, it has to be said, was just as bad: the theme to Flash Gordon, Laurie Anderson, Jerry Lee Lewis, moog versions of pop hits, Donna Summer.  All in all a splendid night – good work Olaf!

1. Worst DIY disaster.
2. Stupidest thing you’ve said on a first date.
3. Total cooking failure.
4. Stupidest thing you’ve said to your boss.
5. Comedy falling down moment.

Jacques Brel – L’age Idiot

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Grandaddy – Broken Household Appliance National Forest

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Frank Sinatra – Somethin’ Stupid (With Nancy Sinatra)

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Andrew Bird – Natural Disaster

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Tom Waits – Falling Down

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[Dan from the Edinburgh University Settlement, who are currently administering the Roxy Art House and therefore the Bowery recently left a comment on Monday's thread, where we were discussing the fate of the Bowery.  Because this is something we're all rather passionate about I thought I would elevate his comment to a new post, so we can all read it and hopefully ask some questions.

I'd also like to say that I really appreciate his coming on the site to tell us what's going on, because it would have been easy enough to dismiss it all and just carry on with what they are up to, safe in the knowledge that people don't tend to hold grudges for long and that it would all be forgotten by 99%  of people within a few months.  So, in other words, please respect his willingness to chip in and if you ask questions keep them on topic and civillised.  Anything I consider out of order will be deleted.]

Just found all this, wow it’s great you all are so passionate about the Bowery, this is something I can totally respect and agree with. However there’s loads of conjecture going on here and I don’t think it’s helpful. I’m currently helping manage the Roxy and am employed by EUS. Some of you will probably know me from the place.

EUS completely support and respect the Bowery and what’s it has done and hopefully will continue to do. We’ve supported it so much we’ve essentially subsidised it’s existance over the past year as we also want to support this community and grassroots arts. The reason you didn’t get an answer out of the person you called is because you (both) spoke to the director of the EUS and believe it or not that was the first mention he’d heard of it, as EUS are not kicking the Bowery out of the building. He understood you were a journalist calling up about something he thought was incorrect. It was nothing to do with ‘the likes of you’ as the likes of you = the likes of us.

There are some changes going on (ie the general manager position) as for the building to continue to exist we have to increase revenue in order to pay the mortgage and upkeep etc so as not to lose it and get it turned into luxury flats (which is what we saved it from) however we aim to do this in the fairest, most open way possible and with the involvement and dialogue with the community using it.

I also manage other projects within the EUS and this place require someone to be focused just on it And yes there probably was some miscommunication with the Bowery about this and for this we are truly sorry, but we have really tried to be as open as possible.

As Jane says, the best way to support the place is to come down and drink there, go to gigs there, spread the word to other bands to play there, try and encourage touring bands and promoters to use the upstairs hall. It all goes to the same place – paying the mortgage and ideally helping more of us get work within the arts we love. Any other questions feel free to email me (my email address is the one on the Roxy website) or I’ll try and check back here.

Keep on keeping on, Dan

What do I wonder?  I wonder if collectively we only have one bloody brain between us, and it’s spread so damn thin each of us only gets the slenderest of slices to make use of at any one time, that’s what I wonder.

I remember when Mrs. Toad used to subscribe to Wallpaper or Living Etc. or whatever the hell it was.  We’d just moved in together and were still furnishing our flat at the time, and most of our furniture came from second hand shops and eBay.  Actually, that’s pretty much still the case, but I digress; what I meant to say was that we weren’t going into showrooms or watching home improvement shows, or any telly much at all for that matter.  So I don’t know how it happened but every damn time we bought something we were really excited about, the damn thing showed up in Living Etc. the next month.

We bought a vaulting horse instead of a sofa, because we saw one in Crawford’s Sale Rooms in Leith (highly recommended, by the way) and the same bastarding thing appeared in next month’s issue.  I bought a gorgeous old bentwood Captain’s chair for the desk, because Mrs. Toad and I grew up in Vienna where those things were absolutely everywhere, so it was a bit of a nostaligic purchase, and what happened..?  Yes, exactly.  The bastards.

It was kind of the same with music.  I went for years listening to the kind of music which not one single other person I knew was into.  I genuinely thought my taste was just a bit off the wall… until I discovered the blogosphere.  That was when Tapes ‘n’ Tapes, The Decemberists, Beirut, Sufjan Stevens and so on were just getting really bloggy and I suddenly realised that not only were my tastes not all that unique, but actually they were part of a readily identifiable target market, nicely marked out and writing blogs to showcase their herd behaviour.  I really had no idea – no-one I had ever spoken to had ever heard of these bands.

I mention this, not because I have ever particularly strived to be unique or idiosyncratic, but because I was stunned at just how easily all my tastes were pigeonholed.  I presume we are all roughly built the same, so if we are all subject to the same cultural stimuli then a fairly predictable number of us will react in a particular way and so on and so forth, but I don’t know where I was picking up these influences, particularly musically.  It really was a slap in the face for all this individuality pish we try and insist upon half the time.  I’ve never felt so much like an automaton in my life. Fair enough though, it doesn’t mean I like the music any the less, it was just an odd experience.

And what brought all this on?  Well I just discovered this blog, rather by accident.  Look at the name: Toad’s Music Corner.  Then look at the albums of the decade which Todd has chosen!  Bloody hell, what the fuck is it with Toads and indie music, for crying out loud?  Mind you, they are really good choices, so do go and have a read of his blog – I’ve got some important cud to chew – not too far from the herd though, not too far, that would MADNESS!

I am back on Fresh Air Radio this evening, although unfortunately not accompanied by the lovely Ruth, as she’s not feeling well. However, to keep the loveliness quota nice and high, the extremely lovely Diana de Carrabus from Candythief will be playing live in session for us this evening.

She may be named like a dastardly Bond villainess, but Diana’s music is theatrical pop joy.  A somewhat stripped-down set is required in the tight confines of the Fresh Air studio, however, so it will be just herself and an acoustic guitar, accompanied by violin.

On air 7pm-8.30pm GMT – listen here.

The tracklisting will be updated live below, so feel free to add your comments in as we go along.

1. Eef Barzelay – Make Another Tree
2. Elbow – Station Approach
3. Candythief – Bargains (Live in Session)
4. Son Volt – Sultana
5. Alex Ward – Sounds Like Someone We Know
6. Timber Timbre – Magic Arrow
7. Candythief – Pass It On (Live in Session)
8. Betty Harris – Mean Man
9. Seasick Steve – The Letter
10. Wild Beasts – Two Dancers (I)
11. Candythief – Amnesty (Live in Session)
12. King Charles – Beating Heart
13. REM – Disturbance at the Heron House
14. Felix Lighter – The Rational Pedestrian
15. Candythief – Junk (Live in Session)

And here, for those who missed it, is last week’s session with Thomas Western.  The sound is rather scratchy unfortunately, but I am still getting used to the desk.  To those who care, I think it’s his guitar mic which was clipping, not the vocal one, because the two were very close together:

Thomas Western – Fresh Air Session and Interview

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Thomas Western – The Worm Forgives the Plough (Live on Fresh Air)

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Thomas Western – Your Front Door (Live on Fresh Air)

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And the accompanying videos:

Just a meandering, pointless, chatty post, this one, bringing up some bits of news and so on and so forth.

Did everyone know that eagleowl have a new 7″ single coming out in December?  They’re having a launch party at the Bowery on Friday 11th December which we in Edinburgh should make sure we give the most fantastic send-off you can imagine.  Bring the Bowerettes flowers and postcards and letters and drawings and photos and anything you can think of to show them how much the place meant to you.  We should bloody well do that constantly for the next two months actually – fill the walls with messages which show how much we appreciate the work they did for us all.  There you go, there’s a mission for you that should keep you out of (much) trouble for the next little while.

As for eagleowl, they played a couple of new songs at the Withered Hand album launch, and they were gorgeous, so I am really looking forward to getting my grubby little mitts on this particular vinyl treat.

eagleowl – Sleeptide

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We have a few Toad gigs coming up over the next couple of months as well.  Maxwell Panther‘s album launch will take place in the form of a house gig as soon as I can persuade him to get on a train and come on up to Edinburgh.  I am hoping to persuade Dan from Withered Hand to play too, but the swine hasn’t answered his phone for a while, and his phone seems to have voicemail turned off.  Bloody caller ID, if only mobile phones were more anonymous I could ambush him unexpectedly.

Maxwell Panther – Lost Soul on a Roll (That’s Me)

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Then there’s the Toad Christmas Party at the Bowery on the 12th December, with Meursault, Jesus H. Foxx and the usual open-mic nonsense beforehand.  Rory from Broken Records has promised some violin-and-loop-pedal madness during that bit, which I am well looking forward to.

And finally, a gentleman called Jon Rooney who records as Virgin of the Birds is going to be in Edinburgh over New Year and we will be arranging a house gig for him around the 31st or the 1st.  Personally, I think it’s likely to be on New Year’s Eve, but planned to be over early enough for people to get off to other places for the actual New Year itself if they want to.  I’ve invited Rob St. John to play as well, as he’ll be around, but he’s still sorting out his plans for that time of year, so it’s not sorted just yet.

Do you think a house gig/New Year’s party is a good idea?  Or would everyone rather go up the town and get smashed?  I like the idea personally, but I’m flexible if everyone reckons it would be terrible.

Virgin of the Birds – Baby Let Me Trace You

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