TEN FOR 2010
TIPPED FOR THE TOP Looking out towards the musical horizon, here are the rest of the ten Scottish bands we’re tipping for greatness in 2010. Maybe they’ve been threatening a seriously good follow-up to a well-received debut, or they’re poised to dramatically burst into the public consciousness. Either way, as Ryan Drever explains, you may well care to check these guys out
DIVORCE ERRORS
Noise, beautiful noise is the speciality of Glasgow’s Divorce. Smarter than you’re average metal band, there’s hints of the brilliance of Lightning Bolt or Liars in the fivesome’s 10” EP, released last year on Optimo Music. Plus they deliver an awesome live show. myspace.com/puredivorced Rock Action favourites Errors first made their twitchy, electronic mark with 2007 EP ‘How Clean is Your Acid House?’ With another Channel 4-referencing album Come Down With Me in February, expect more melodic electronica and a full tour to follow. myspace.com/weareerrors
PEARL AND THE PUPPETS It’s the old story. Girl meets guitar. Girl meets Elton John. Flowery alternative pop abounds across mobile phone adverts. There’s enough Regina Spektor in Katie Sutherland’s (aka Pearl)’s ouput to balance out the Sandi Thom, however. Album in the spring. myspace.com/pearlandthepuppets
MIDNIGHT LION
THE PHANTOM BAND LAU
Accomplished electropop from ex Drive-By Argument members Midnight Lion.The duo score points for Miike Snow-esque chart potential and, just as Vodaphone do (they also tip them for success) we admire their melding of slick beats and Scottish accents. myspace.com/midnightlionmusic
The brilliance of last year’s Checkmate Savage shot these ‘proto-robofolk’-ers straight into our Hot 100. Here’s hoping that, after various name changes, they’re going to stay TBP long enough to promote this year’s new album. myspace.com/ thephantombandpage Multi-award-winning folk trio Lau (comprising Kris Drever, Martin Green and Aidan O’Rourke), encapsulated the idea of achingly beautiful, traditional yet progressive folk music with their excellent Arc Light album last year. Unmissable live. myspace.com/laumusic
THE UNWINDING HOURS SILVER COLUMNS
MEURSAULT
Ex-Aereogramme men, Craig B and Iain Cook, make a welcome return with The Unwinding Hours. Their new material shows the same engrossing and heart-wrenching qualities. A self-titled debut album is due to be released on 15 Feb. myspace.com/ theunwindinghours
Silver Columns – a top secret duo poised to reveal their true identities any day now – captured our imaginations with 2009’s brilliant disco gem, ‘Brow Beaten’. Still largely mysterious (did someone say Fence?) a debut LP this spring will be hard to resist. Keep it hush. myspace.com/silvercolumns
Another gem from the Song, by Toad stable (see Labels of Love, page 64), Neil Pennycook and co aim to match the brilliance of 2008’s, Pissing on Bonfires/ Kissing With Tongues with an album in April, plus launch night at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. myspace.com/meursaulta701
7–21 Jan 2010 THE LIST 21
momentum I don’t really have any specific [ideas like] ‘If we do this then the album will have succeeded’, because in lots of ways it’s already succeeded because I’m happy with it.
What were the highpoints of 2009? The [packed out] Queen’s Hall show that we did over the [Edinburgh] festival was one of those moments where we were like, ‘What’s happening here?’ I didn’t really see that one coming. Also, playing Bowery Ballroom and being in New York in January as well. It’s really the only way for us to gauge how things are to go out and play live, and it’s what we do the most of anyway, so for us it’s always about landmark shows. Any New Year’s resolutions? No resolutions. I always vow to take a month off boozing. I did that this year and it was kind of enjoyable, but I don’t want to repeat it, so that one’s done. Like I said, I try not to set myself too many high goals because you just end up getting disappointed if you don’t reach them. In the next decade, I’ve always said five records for Frightened Rabbit and then we’ll see where we’re at. So, I’d like to complete that cycle of five and then we’ll reassess everything. In the next year just, I don’t know, more of the same. I’d be happy with that.
The Winter of Mixed Drinks is released on FatCat Records, 1 March 2010. Thanks to Party Mania, 30 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh. www.partypartyparty.co.uk