TRIP FONTAINE
Sounds like The illegitimate love child of Neils Young and Diamond
Who Writing and performing his own material he's appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and went on to wrn the Canon’s Gait Music Club ’Best Solo Artist 2000’ award He’s currently in the process of shooting hrs first vrdeo for proposed debut single ’COuntry Boy’, which continues his trend of poptastic melodic psychedelia. Hear Downloads currently available from
w. peoplesound . com and coming soon to his own website. He's also a regular performer at the Wednesday Night Music Club, Canon’s Gait, 232 Canongate, Edinburgh. (HN)
Web www . lavenue . com/tripfontaine and www.trepannerheadmusic.co.uk
GRAND UNIFIED
Sound like Cross-pollinated drum & bass.
Who Signed to Virgin wrth fellow drum & bass producer G-Mac in the early 90s (but back in the days when they made commercial pop pap), Kenny Macleod, also known as Grand Unified, has since had a stuttered recording career, Hrs melodic, surging drum & bass sound was featured on last year’s Outpatients compilation on Hospital Records and his forthcoming album, provrsionally titled Play It By Ear sees Macleod perhaps controversially movrng in a 2-step direction. Its release is scheduled for the late summer.
Hear 'Sweet Sounds’ srngle on Second Skin. (C 8)
Web www. basstrap.com
HUCKLEBERRY
Sound like Motdrhead havrng a skiffle scuffle With The Doors.
Who Edinburgh based Huckleberry have been going for a while, but a new streamlined and muscular line-up has given the psychedelic garage popsters fresh impetus recently. With Radio One DJ Vic Galloway as the ever- gregarious frontman, Huckleberry lay on a feisty mess of a show, with breakneck riffs, mrndbendrng organ woops and more than a little on-stage humour, something often lacking today. Currently recording a new album, this could be the year they break big style.
Hear Hard Luck Stories album out on Copper Records. (DJ)
Web www. hucksite .co. uk
JAMES ORR COMPLEX
Sound like Often heart-rending, with folk and occasional Jazz references.
Who The James Orr Complex IS in fact one man, Chris Mack, and hrs gurtar. Mack will be a familiar name to followers of the Glasgow underground thanks to various other proiects, notably perennial favourites Eska. The James Orr Complex rs an outlet for more soulful songwriting efforts, With an emphasis on the emotronal. After five years of fairly regular appearances around the usual indie haunts, Mack is currently cutting back on his live performances to concentrate on writing new material and preparing for the release of hrs solo recorded debut on Stuart Brarthwarte’s Rock Action imprint.
Hear The first James Orr Complex release is due before summer this year. (JM)
MARTIN KERSHAW QUARTET
Sound like Kicking contemporary Jazz With funk undertones.
Who Alto saxophonist who arrived in Edinburgh as a student, and found himself part of the local jazz scene. He has returned from a stint at Berklee College in Boston to develop this excellent acoustic Jazz quartet, which plays mainly hrs own compositions, with the odd cover of Steve Coleman or Courtney Pine thrown in. Kershaw also plays in the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, in Groovedrggaz (a 70s funk outfit) and in Green Juice. Hear A debut album IS still awaited, but catch their regular gigs at Henry’s Jazz Cellar in Edinburgh. (KM) Web www . jazz—in—scotland . co . uk
LAETO
Sound like Slrnt fighting wrth Johnny Marr
Who Proof that Dundee has more to its credit that being the birthplace of Scotland's ’top' family newspaper The Sunday Post, Laeto side-step the whole 'post-rock’ equation/conundrum by strrdently ignoring it. The quartet admit only to playing 'mostly instrumental rock muSic' and do, only more so, wrth glistening, melodic twrn guitar work punctuated by distorted blasts. Tours wrth IdleWild and Snow Patrol have hardened the quartet to on-the-road rigours and a new album is expected this year
Hear Make Us Mi/d album on Guided MiSSile Records. (MR) Web www . guidedmissile . co . uk/ laeto . htm and www.1aeto.com
LA P (Lil LL l; 5.? 5:; Lil i544);
Sound like Shellac getting all overwrought and emotional With Tori Amos after one sherry too many.
Who Combining emotive piano lines (no keyboards, they leave that to Rick Wakeman) With an angular guitar rock power trio, Lapsus Linguae bring something fresh to the saggy pile-ridden arse of rock Not Without a sense of humour, they pride themselves in their matching rock star uniforms — leather keks, matching logo T-shirts in AC/DC typeface and excitable hairstyles — While making music which is both a headrush and a pull at the heartstrings. Hear A limited 7in srngle Will be released in the coming weeks and mp3s are available for download. (MR)
Web www. lapsus].inguae . co . uk
Lll E: lE llll l1 Ll? l. l3 " 5.]
Sound like Bits of Sonic Youth, The Slits and Black Box Recorder.
Who Like the question of where bees go in Winter, and why White Wine isn’t actually white, Life Without Burldings are one of life’s unexplainable little oddities. lf singer Sue Tompkins gets her lyrics using a faulty OUiia board and a Scrabble set, that might explain a lot. The most common mistake most people make are that the band are Scottish. Although all are of a Glasgow School Of Art persuasion, only gUitarist Robert Johnston is actually from oop north. Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian and Rector fame IS a keen admirer.
Hear Any Other City album out on Tugboat on Monday 26 February. Track nine, ’New Town’, if you’ve only got time for a qurck fix. (JC)
Web www. lifewithoutbuildings . co . uk
G R A N T Nil ill; C C) lb“ ‘3;
Sound like Across the board funky to progressive house. Who A recent graduate from Edinburgh University, MacDonald got his big break last year by Winning a DJ Magazine competition prize of a two-hour set at Ministry Of Sound, an achievement that led to him also Winning last year’s Muzik magazme ’Bedroom Bedlam’ title. Inspired by the success of former Bedlam winner Murray Richardson, MacDonald is currently pushing to secure a reSidency at the Honeycomb that will feature past and present ’Bedroom Bedlam’ Winners including Edinburgh’s own Colin Millar and big name talent like Yousef.
Hear No production work as yet. (C 8)
Web 9 . r . macdonaldebigfoot . com
S C O TH“ M A. C. D C)” N Jill i; D: Sounds like A more engaging Tom Petty or Neil Young with less nasal vocals.
Who A year spent gigging and working on a sheep farm in the Australian outback set up MacDonald to return to his native Scotland and release the ’Burn Baby Burn’ EP All that time spent in the wilderness resulted in a set of songs filled With Wide open space, languid but rhythmic pacing and a country twang.
Tour support for Bert Jansch, Handsome Famin and headlining gigs around the Highlands and Islands has burlt a growrng fanbase. If the altcountry boom isn’t eclipsed by the rock revrval he could be huge, but as a credible songwriter he’ll be gigging for a long time regardless of fashion.
Hear New Heart album on Dragonfly. (LP) Web www.scott-macdonald.co.uk _. i (3
NEW MUSIC SPECIAL
Life Without Buildings, Degrassi, Huckleberry, Dolphin Boy, Trip Fontaine
15 Feb—l Mar 2001 THE U81 15