How I fell in love with Fleet Foxes

This is going to sound a little odd or sad but until recently I had never heard anything by Fleet Foxes.  Of course, I had heard all the hype surrounding the band and their debut album but I had also heard the words Crosby, Stills and Nash mentioned and so made a body swerve to avoid the band and the album and wait until the hype all died a death.  Anyways, at one Kays practice both Russell and Graeme swore to me that I’d love the album, infact I think Russell said he’d eat his hat if I didn’t as it was right up my street.  So I bought it.  And I listened a few times.  And I didn’t get it.  Well I did, but not completely.  Anyways, I have been travelling to and from the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for the past 5 days on a regular basis and after 2 days of having to listen to the pish that people call Radio 1, XFM etc I decided I needed to remember a cd for the car.  It’s not easy to remember things when your drifting from one place to the next without any time to really breathe or think whilst in a sleepless haze!   Anyways, I picked up Fleet Foxes and headed out to the car and since then its been on constantly on my journeys too and from the hospital.  And I have this to say.  It’s genius.  Pure and simple.  I’ve heard a lot of tlak about The Felice Brothers and how good they are and I agree that they are great but give me this simply beautiful album anytime of the day or night and I’d take it.  To be honest, at this moment I’d take it before any other album I own or have heard recently.  It is simply magnificant filled with beautiful song, melodies and harmonies.  Rich with colour and texture.  Atmospheric, haunting, sad and yet remarkably uplifiting and entirely rewarding.  This is the album I will always associated with my little boy.  It will therefore always have a special place in my heart.  Most of all, it’s kept me awake and focused on the way to and from the hospital.  Now I’m home though I plan to have it on repeat for sometime to come.

Top 5 on Myspace

Given the imminent birth of my first child and the resulting fact that I will be stuck at home for long periods of time, unable to venture out into the world of Edinburgh music for fear of having forgotten what it is to be a musician, fan and how to interact with other humans, I have decided that I am going to do a weekly list of my top 5 bands on myspace.  I spend a lot of time listening to new music – whether it be because of requests to play Trampoline, being pointed in the direction of  a band by a friend or just from general browsing.  So I figure, why not do a weekly list of 5 bands who have grabbed my ears and fucked them good.   This probably won’t start until next week, but hopefully it will result in some excellent discoveries and help some people get heard or read about.

In other news, I heard The Views new song last night.  I don’t like The View and actually can’t stand their previous songs/album.  However, the new song, whilst still pretty uninspiring, is sung with such a distinct Dundonian twang that I cannot help but love it.  If I’m honest, the verse is really good but it goes to pieces at the chorus.  So it’s not that catchy and it’s pretty predictable, but simply for being so Dundonian and so rough I’m going to give it 2 thumbs up.  Well done lads.  It’s a good thing to be Dundonian!

Kays on facebook

So after a whole lot of resistance The Kays Lavelle now have a facebook page.  I personally thought a myspace page was enough but I have been hassled enough but folk about how useful a tool facebook is for a band.  With the album to be released later on this year, it certainly does appear that facebook is as good a way to let people know about it as any other annoying website.  So I’ve given in and now have a facebook page for myself, one for trampoline and one for the kays.  I may even have another one soon – depending on whether or not I go ahead and set up my own record label.  Yes, everyone and their dog seems to be doing it at the moment – but I honestly feel that there isn’t a label out there that caters for the kind of music that I truly love.  So it’s something I’m giving serious thought to.

And talking of new bands I’ve recently discovered, check ou We Are Trapped In Kansas……they might be featuring at Trampoline in the not too distant future.

New band on my radar: Trespassers William

Ok, so Rich from Glissando, who is a good friend of mine, runs a lovely little record label called Gizeh.  This label is home to his own band Glissando, the fantasticly dark Her Name Is Calla and the sparse and beautiful Sleepingdog.  He sent me a message a while ago telling me to check out another couple of bands he was hoping to work with.  As always I really did plan to but got caught up with other things and ended up not listening to either of them.  By chance, last night I was speaking to Fraser from Small Town Boredom and he told me to check out a band called Trespassers William who are responsible for one of his all time favourite songs.  I think his exact words were ‘in my humble, but correct opinion’!  Fraser, if you’re reading this – I’ve been busy at work all morning, I’m going for dinner with friends after work and then I’ll probably just work on Kays songs…..(private joke for those who are now lost!)  Anyways, he mentioned that the band were on Gizeh and it immediately rang bells in the back of my head as a band Rich had previously told me to check out!  And I am so glad that I have finally got around to it.  What a great batch of tunes they have up on their myspace page.  Just brilliant.  I don’t normally sit and listen to every track by bands on myspace but last night, with this band, I did.  I fully intend to go back later today as well to listen again.  They are American so unless they plan to head over to the UK I doubt Trampoline will get the chance to put them on – but if they do decide to head our way, I will definitely be asking Rich if we can do their Edinburgh show.  Great band.  Check them out at:

www.myspace.com/trespasserswilliam