As those of you who are unfortunate enough to follow my incessant, vacuous rambling on social media will probably know by now, we have released the first single from the new Adam Stafford album, and it is called Please.

We struggled a bit with the singles for this record actually, because for all there are a couple of tunes which are obviously more easily digestible and immediate than the rest of the album and which I suppose most people would call the ‘obvious singles’, they aren’t actually all that representative of the kind of record you would be buying. For all Please sits nicely on the album itself, the overall record is odder than this one song might lead you to imagine, so what do you do?

Well, we could always have made the awesome title track or something like Invisible Migration the tunes we used, but then we’d be sending a seven and a half minute long, densely layered and distinctly weird tune out to radio and expecting them to play it. And that, with the exception of one or two shows, quite simply isn’t going to happen. So do we hobble our chances with radio and trust to our mailing list and social media contacts to make sure that is a worthwhile pay-off? Or do we just send out the most hummable tunes and hope no-one gets too much of a shock when they buy the album? I don’t know, and perhaps that’s a conversation for a different time.

In any case, this is a splendid, splendid tune, gently soulful, with a hard-panned mix which reflects Adam’s fascination with old Motown records. I think I mentioned before that we’ll be co-releasing this with our pals at Kingfisher Bluez in Vancouver, giving Adam every chance of achieving what we at Song, by Toad like to modestly refer to as Total World Domination. I am really looking forward to getting my hands on this album, just for my own sake, and I think that’s how record labels should be run – so there!

On Mayday (yes, tomorrow) we shall be celebrating the release of the new Rob St. John double A-side single Charcoal Black and the Bonny Grey/Shallow Brown which you can buy from Song, by Toad Records here.

Both of these tunes have been staples of Rob’s live set for quite a while now, and last year he assembled a Coven Choir of his regular associates and we recorded versions of these songs live in the main studio* here at Toad Hall. It was all pretty live and creaky, with the cracks and groans of our decrepit old floorboards and wooden furniture rather prominent in the recordings. The percussion on Charcoal Black was even played on an old vaulting horse which we use as a bench in the living room, but overall I think the effect works really well. After two rather guitary Split 12″s I think this is the first acoustic recording I have made to which we’ve given a formal release.

The songs themselves are rather interesting too, and follow recent work on Lancastrian history, myth and folklore with the Folklore Tapes label in Manchester, curating the successful Pendle, 1612 project (in collaboration with Dylan Carlson, Dean McPhee, David A Jaycock and others). Charcoal Black and the Bonny Grey is a Lancastrian song originally sung to Cecil Sharp by J Collinson of Casterton, Lancashire in 1905.  A song of the Industrial Revolution: crumbling mill towns butting up against moorland and trees growing out of chimneys.

Shallow Brown is a West Indian sea shanty collected by H.E. Piggott and Percy Grainger from the singing of John Perring in Dartmouth, Devon in 1908.  The spirit of this version traces an imaginary line to Sunderland Point on the tip of the Lune estuary in Lancashire, a thriving port for slave ships and press gangs until siltation forced a steady decline in the late 1700s.

The artwork is really nice as well, and was done by David Barker who runs Folklore Tapes. And look how pretty the vinyl is…!

*Alright, alright, I mean our living room.

 The Scottish Album of the Year Award longlist has been announced, and there happens to be a little Song, by Toad Records interest this year, as Meursault have been nominated for Something For the Weakened. Now, of course, from my point of view they are the one and only justifiable winner of this award and if it goes to anyone else it will be a fix/swizz/further evidence of the Glasgow-centric, incestuous cliqueyness of the Scottish music industry (delete as appropriate).

I would also like to make it clear now that if it goes to someone who sold more records then the process is clearly just about rewarding commercial pop shite, rather than art, and if they just understood real music they would never have made such a terrible decision.  However, if it happens to be awarded to someone who has sold fewer records then it will simply prove that the panel only ever wanted to award it to their mates, are trying to be obscure just because they’re a bunch of sneering hipsters, and are snobbishly refusing to take notice of how many people loved this album.

Right, excuses all in? Good, we may proceed.

As well as Meursault there are a few albums on there I think would also thoroughly merit this award. Most notable amongst them would be PAWS and R.M. Hubbert, whose respective albums in 2012 are both huge favourites in Toad Hall. The Twilight Sad and Django Django also both made excellent records, so if it goes to any of those guys I will be delighted.

There are definitely a few on there I know nothing about, of course, and a good few I simply haven’t heard a note of yet, and I think this is a good thing. The relative diversity of last year’s list compared to most other Best Of lists out there suggested to me that it was relatively unbiased list, which was pleasingly broad in scope, and I’d say the same this year. It may make us less likely to win, but the breadth of the initial selection panel is a good decision, and although it risks excessive populism (Emeli Sandé and Calvin fucking Harris? You’re having a fucking laugh, surely) I do think it’s the best way to strike a sensible balance between respecting knowledge and expertise on one hand and simple, broad brush appeal on the other.

So good luck to everyone. The full longlist is at the bottom of the page, after four songs by the bands (other than Meursault of course) I would personally prefer to win.

Full list below:

Admiral Fallow – Tree Bursts In Snow
Auntie Flo – Future Rhythm Machine
Calvin Harris – 18 Months
Dam Mantle – Brothers Fowl
Django Django – Django Django
Duncan Chisholm – Affric
Emeli Sandé – Our Version of Events
Errors - Have Some Faith In Magic
Human Don’t Be Angry – Human Don’t Be Angry
Karine Polwart - Traces
Konrad Wiszniewski & Euan Stevenson – New Focus
Lau - Race The Loser
Meursault – Something For The Weakened
Miaoux Miaoux – Light of the North
Paul Buchanan – Mid Air
PAWS – Cokefloat!
RM Hubbert – Thirteen Lost & Found
Stanley Odd – Reject
The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know
The Unwinding Hours – Afterlives

Click to englarge

Ah, Record Store Day 2013, finally upon us.  Amongst the many things you could be doing, we here at Song, by Toad will be releasing Beer vs. Records in association with Barney’s Beer. For those of you who don’t know about it, the whole concept is explained in more depth here, or in the following sentence: people will happily spend twelve quid on a single round of beer, but it seems they’re reluctant to spend twelve pounds on a record – why?

Well the 4-packs of Barney’s with the download code and the new Song, by Toad Split 12″ will be available as of tomorrow, in the following places:
Edinburgh: The beers are in Vino in Stockbridge, Morningside, Broughton and that one just off the Meadows, and also The Last Word cocktail bar in Stockbridge. The records are in VoxBox in Stockbridge, Underground Solu’shn on Cockburn Street, Coda on The Mound and Unknown Pleasures on the Canongate.
Glasgow: The beers are available in The Good Spirit Co. on Bath St. just round the corner from LoveMusic who are stocking the record. Those two are going head to head on sales, so choose very carefully as lives may be at stake*. Monorail are also stocking both.
London: Rough Trade East have both the vinyl and the beer, so please go down and buy them so I don’t look like a dick for being the only person in history unable to sell alcohol to the British.

We have made to propaganda videos, representing the sides of GOOD and EVIL, depending on your predilections. Thanks to Gavin White and Ian Greenhill, these look awesome.

Record Store Day 2013 Daytime Funtimes

At Voxbox tomorrow ourselves and the ever-brilliant Gerry Loves Records have partnered with the shop to run a series of brilliant live shows in The Last Word cocktail bar across the road from the shop. Well, I say partnered; they did all the work, I just suggested some bands and provided the PA, but I am keen to take as much credit as possible nevertheless. The running order is below:

12.00-12.30 Wounded Knee
13.00-13.30 Magic Eye
14.00-14.30 eagleowl vs Kid Canaveral
15.00-15.50 Mike Heron Band
16.00-16.30 Rob St. John
16.50-17.20 Honeyblood
17.30-18.00 Adam Stafford

And finally, in the evening we will be hosting the official Beer vs. Records launch night at Summerhall. The price is £8 on the door, £6 if you’ve spent money on anything at all at a Scottish independent record shop during the day, and £4 if you bought our new Split 12″ from a Scottish shop during the day, so spend your money in record shops as you are being encouraged to and we will try to justly reward you.  All four bands on the split are playing, and doors are at 8pm. See you there!

*Then again, they may not.

Rob St. John is going on tour next week, with nights booked in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, Cambridge and Bristol. These dates serve as launch nights for Rob’s new single, which is released on Mayday (1 May), and is a 7” single of two traditional songs Charcoal Black and the Bonny Grey and Shallow Brown.  If you’ve been to a show in the last year, you’ve doubtless heard both.

The recordings were done in a day with a Coven Choir of Tom Western, Bart Owl, Malcolm Benzie and Owen Williams, and are a fair bit more free-form and fractured than anything we’ve released by Rob before. Owen played drums on the vaulting horse in our living room, and I actually recorded and mixed the two songs myself, so umm yes, please don’t say anything mean about them.  More info on this to come, pre-order link up here.

The Edinburgh and Glasgow shows are even more interesting than a mere (mere? MERE?) single launch too, as they will be nights which celebrate the absolutely brilliant Pendle 1612 tape, now long since sold out, which Rob and David Jaycock put together last year. Rob recently conducted a really interesting interview with The Herald where he goes into the project in much greater depth, and also has this to say about the two nights:

“Folklore Tapes is an ongoing research and musical heritage project covering and soundtracking the folklore of the UK in volumes of tapes housed in bespoke books, boxes and hand stamped envelopes, which have included contributions from artists such as Dylan Carlson (Earth), Paper Dollhouse, Anworth Kirk, David A Jaycock and Dean McPhee.

“This pair of specially curated nights in Scotland on 24/25 April will host Rob St. John’s release of the ‘Charcoal Black and the Bonny Grey’ 7” single (including a live performance); a bespoke performance based on Iona folklore by Iona Magnetic; the first live outing of a collaboration based on Devon witchcraft between Ian Humberstone and Malcolm Benzie (eagleowl, Withered Hand); a presentation on traditions and practice of folk song and field recording by Tom Western; and music and projections from David Orphan (Folklore Tapes / Finders Keepers).”

24 April: Glasgow Glad Cafe.  Folklore Tapes night with Iona Magnetic, Ian Humberstone & Malcolm Benzie, Tom Western and David Orphan (info and tickets)
25 April: Edinburgh Scottish Storytelling Centre.  Folklore Tapes night with Iona Magnetic, Ian Humberstone & Malcolm Benzie, Tom Western and David Orphan (info and tickets)
27 April: London St John’s Church Bethnal Green with Dean McPhee (info and tickets)
29 April: Cambridge CB2’s with Dean McPhee and C Joynes (info and tickets)
2 May: Bristol Cafe Kino

As well as taking all the photos for the sleeve artwork, Nic Rue popped round recently to take some pictures of the actual finished products, now that we have them.  She took some on a plain white background – you know, for the papers and that stuff – and then from the looks of it started drinking my bloody beer and using the record sleeve as a coaster. The full set of her photos can be found at her website here.  Feel free to use them however you wish, just please link back to Nic’s site and credit her if that’s okay. We didn’t exactly pay her a fortune for this stuff, so a bit of credit would make a big difference – thanks!

As I head off to Wide Days today and may find posting a bit of a challenge for the next day or so, I thought I should leave you with some goodies. This is another video from the sessions for the new Split 12″, but these songs are from the 4-pack of beer, not the record itself.

The launch night for this is on Record Store Day, 20th April, and remember that if you spend money in a Scottish record shop on RSD then you get in for £2 cheaper, and even better, if you buy our Split 12″ from a Scottish record shop you get in for £4 cheaper. Fucking super.

The release of Sparrow and the Workshop’s third album is still a good month or two away, but as anticipation builds to a near hysterical fever pitch* there are a few ways in which you can ease your anticipation, at least for the immediate future.

For Southern types, the band will be playing two London shows around the album release. The first is a late-notice show at the Shacklewell Arms on Wednesday 10th. It’s only a fiver in and there aren’t that many tickets available, so if you intend going I recommend you get them now.

There’s also going to be a show at the Lexington, on the 24th June I think, but given it ain’t listed on their site yet maybe there are some details still to be worked out there. Besides, that’s ages away, you really should go on Wednesday anyway.

I assume most people reading this site will have heard the Shock Shock single by now, but for those itching for just a little more music from Murderopolis, the video below was made from a Marc Riley 6Music session version of Odessa, which is the third song on the album. The rest of the session is embedded below the video, if you want to hear the whole thing.

In addition to the London shows, there are of course two launch nights planned up in Scotland: in Glasgow on the 8th May at Mono, and in Edinburgh on the 9th at The Caves. Tickets will be £8 on the door, but you can get them for £6 in advance from here.  Go on, it helps me plan, and makes the evening cheaper for yourself as well, what’s not to like! And in the meantime, you can pre-order Murderopolis on CD or vinyl from here. Enjoy!

*Well alright then, but what’s a better way of saying ‘people seem quite keen’ but with a bit more oomph?

People will happily twelve quid on a single round of beer, but it seems they’re reluctant to spend twelve pounds on a record – why?

Two Edinburgh independents, Song, by Toad Records and Barney’s Beer, are collaborating on a unique project to explore this question.

On Record Store Day 2013 we will be releasing eight songs on a limited run of 250 clear red vinyl records, in a beautiful sleeve featuring photos of the recording session taken by talented local photographer Nic Rue.

Simultaneously, we will be releasing another eight songs as download codes on bottles of Barney’s Beer.  Two songs per bottle, each one of a limited edition of 250 custom made 4-packs will represent the same amount of music as the record, only delivered on a selection of tasty, tasty beer.

Who will sell out their batch of 250 first? It’s BEER vs. RECORDS!

Do music fans want lasting mementoes of their love for music, or are intangible mp3s and a good pint just as good? Do the kind of people whose enthusiasm has fuelled the renaissance of craft beer and organic food have the same interest in small enterprise craftsmanship and local community when it comes to music and art?

All ingredients and preparation will be local and small-batch.  Barney’s is Edinburgh’s only micro-brewery, and their beer is brewed using traditional techniques; no pasteurisation, no filtration.  The music will all come from emerging bands from the Scottish underground DIY scene, recorded in the living room at Song, by Toad, one of the country’s most exciting* independent record labels.

The locally-sourced, organic movement seems to be doing incredibly well in the world of food and drink, whereas in music the hand-wringing over the possible demise of HMV demonstrates that we are still very much in thrall to old, industrial scale business models.  Can music fans learn from foodies and embrace the independent, the small and the local? Can music businesses learn from their counterparts about how to make a living out of small batches and more modest reach and distribution?

THE BANDS:
Le Thug punctuate hypnotic, shoegazey washes of electronics and electric guitar with beautifully impassive, crystal clear female vocals.
Magic Eye make shimmery dream-pop with a distinctive, twinkling guitar style.
Plastic Animals call themselves ‘atmospheric punk sludge rock’ before admitting that they think that’s a terrible description, but the best they can do.  It’s the best I can do too.
Zed Penguin are a more ragged indie rock band with a distinct, lazy sense of swagger.

THE BEERS:
Le Thug Lager 4.8% – Light straw coloured, smooth and a light fruity zing. A clean, dry, finish.
Zed Penguin Pale Ale 3.8% – Gold coloured, a good honest full-bodied pale ale with a subtle citrus & spicy hop finish.
Magic Eye Red Rye 4.5% – made with 2 types of rye malt & German melanoidinmalz. Copper/dark amber colour, with a crisp, toffee apple & fruity taste.
Plastic Animals IPA 5% – Light straw coloured, assertive bitterness, erupting with US style hop character.

And here, should you be interested, are the results of the print run of carriers for the beer. A Sunday well spent, I think.

Having toured Europe extensively in the last few years, it’s not all that frequent that Meursault get the chance to charge around the UK for a bit.

In May they have some really good dates coming up though, including Manchester, Brighton and London.  I can be woefully disorganised about this kind of thing, so I thought I’d give you plenty of notice this time. The band will have a new single available by that time as well, and these gigs will be your first chance to get your hands on it, just in case you needed a little more incentive.

26th April – Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh – tickets
30th May – Sticky Mike’s, Brighton – tickets
31st May – The Garage, London – tickets
1st June – Night & Day, Manchester – tickets
23rd June – Oran Mor, Glasgow – tickets

The lineup for the May tour will be a little different to the orchestral extravaganza you see below, but the guts of the song will be much the same of course. And he may be a nuisance, but the boy can sing.