Video: Vimeo – YouTube
Photos: Flickr
Audio: freely downloadable below…

Loch Lomond came over to the UK in May to play some dates in Scotland, so we took the opportunity to record a Toad Session with them.  We first met the band when we went out to Pickathon in 2008 and interviewed them there.  Since then we have released a split 12″ and an EP by them over here on Song, by Toad Records.

Elephants & Little Girls is actually from that split 12″ release, but the other three songs are new, and from their next album.  That album has been finished for about three months now I believe, although I have yet to hear it, so all I know about it is from these three songs.

Many thanks to Gavin Tarling for recording and mixing the session, to Matthew Swan and Fiona Buckle for their help with the photography and video cameras, and to Chris Bryant for being in the band for the day.  Feel free to help yourselves to the downloads, and enjoy the videos.  The whole interview can be heard on the podcast below, the video at the top of the page is sort of a general video of the whole day, and those of the individual songs are embedded below.

Toadcast #138 – Loch Lomond Toad Session

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Loch Lomond – Blood Bank (Toad Session)

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Loch Lomond – Egg Song (Toad Session)

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Loch Lomond – I Love Me (Toad Session)

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Loch Lomond – Elephants & Little Girls (Toad Session)

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01. Loch Lomond – Blood Bank (Toad Session) (04.39)
02. Run On Sentence – Out in the Woods (11.07)
03. Sallie Ford – Danger (14.35)
04. Loch Lomond – Egg Song (Toad Session) (22.10)
05. Vadoinmessico – In Spain (27.02)
06. Brothers Young – Good Deeds (32.35)
07. Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer (37.10)
08. Loch Lomond – I Love Me (Toad Session) (45.00)
09. The Generationals – When They Fight They Fight (48.24)
10. Loch Lomond – Elephants & Little Girls (Toad Session) (59.35)

Hmm, I was expecting to like this far more than I actually do.  Murder ballads laced with Americana, a band described in places as Gothic folk… what could possibly go wrong?  Well honestly, there’s just a little too much rock ‘n’ roll in this.  It’s got a seventies feel to it, even to the extent that there’s a little psychedelia in here, and between that and the rolling rhythm, I’m just not enjoying it all that much.

It just annoyed me from the very start, for some reason.  You know when you hear something and just think ‘oh dear, no’ pretty much immediately?  Well that was this record.  The wooby-dooby organ thingy on Preacher’s Sister’s Boy is just rotten, and that kind of style intrudes on the album in quite a few other places.  There are lovely songs here and there – Black Rock and Black River Killer are rather nice – but I can’t really handle the whiff of seventies faffing about which permeates the album.  It really can be like the Eagles cheesier moments when it wants to be, and that is just not my cup of tea at all.

I’m forever amazed at just how specific music taste can be.  I can so easily imagine talking a new acquaintance about music, and they might love Blitzen Trapper, but I might prefer Horsefeathers, and they might like Cold War Kids but I prefer Tapes ‘n’ Tapes and they might like Julie Doiron but I prefer Alela Diane and to all intents and purposes, particularly as far as the rest of the world is concerned, we would like the exact same music, yet agree on nothing.

This is perfect for me, but I just don’t like it at all, and I have no idea why.  It makes no sense to me at all.

Blitzen Trapper – Black River Killer

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Blitzen Trapper – Going Down

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Evenin’ all.

Once again we, over at the ever-grateful TWR, are taking advantage of Toad’s generous offer to host our nonsense on the hallowed pages of  S,bT while we negotiate a permanent home for the radio show.

For those of you who give even the slightest hint of a toss, we’re currently talking to a number of very interesting (& interested) proper professional radio stations, here in the UK & the US.   We should be in a position to make an informed decision early part of January ’09.  Until then we’re taking a bit of a break from the ‘on air’ chaos &  are instead just podcasting each week’s outing.  Essentially it’s a busman’s holiday.

This week we have the pleasure of introducing to you, the Listening Few, the following sweetness: Mother Mother, The Duchess & The Duke, Arthur Adams, Blitzen Trapper, Tom Williams & The Boat, Michael Bach, Rags & Feathers, The Tallest Man on Earth, Jay Jay Pistolet, Fredrik, Eagleowl, Francis + the now expected many much so more.

The Theme Tune Competition is still running, as are competitions for the Sŵn bundle of goodies, the Ida Maria/V.V. Brown bundle, as well as the  The Kabeedies/Tim & Sam’s the Tim & Sam Band with Tim & Sam/Pelle Carlberg/Lucky Delucci bundle.  Free stuff, effectively, for the sake of an email.

Tune in, then, you.

The Waiting Room: 10th December 2008

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