Music

tUnE-yArDs, Captain’s Rest – Glasgow, Wed 15 Jun 2011

Merrill Garbus is an offbeat, un-obvious, must-see pop act

23 Jun 2011

Three years after she self-released homemade album BiRd-BrAiNs, recognition and even a degree of hype are finally starting to come the way of Merrill Garbus, aka tUnE-yArDs, and so it is that her Wednesday night show at the Captain’s Rest (a venue she…

Battles - The Arches, Glasgow, Tue 7 Jun 2011

No Tyondai, no old stuff, but Battles deliver powerful digital rock show

23 Jun 2011

It’s unfortunate with gigs as hotly-anticipated as tonight’s that nobody really cares about the support. Baltimore’s Thank You aren’t too far removed from their stage-mates this evening in terms of complex and angular rock, but still, they play to a…

GWAR, with Clutch - O2 ABC, Glasgow, Tue 14 Jun

23 Jun 2011

The differences between GWAR and Clutch might be as obvious as they are many, but there was no doubt that the bearded southern destroyers were capable of holding their own with this one. This hour-long set further cemented Clutch's status as a…

Emmy the Great - Virtue

Haunting, twisted, and atmospheric follow-up to First Love

23 Jun 2011

(Close Harbour Records) Inspired by heartbreak – as so many of the best albums are – this second collection of unusual and supernatural songs are the result of the breakdown of Emma-Lee Moss’ engagement. But rather than wallow in misery, Emmy…

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo set for Glasgow Jazz festival date

West African afro-beat band tour their new album Cotonou Club

23 Jun 2011

The influential West African band have set a series of tour dates circling the UK this summer, visiting Glasgow for the first time in the 30-plus years that they have been a band. Having formed in the late 60s, they have accumulated a collection of…

Vivian Girls - Cassie Ramone interview

'We are weathered women.’

21 Jun 2011

‘It kinda bums me out if a reviewer compares us to anything twee or C86,’ explains Cassie Ramone, frontwoman of Vivian Girls, taking a break from her laundry at home in Brooklyn to talk to The List. ‘Bands like that really weren’t an influence on us at…

RockNess - Dores, Loch Ness, Fri 10-Sun 12 Jun 2011

Something-for-everyone and friendly, if intense, atmosphere

21 Jun 2011

At first glance, the RockNess 2011 line-up looked a little schizophrenic. Acts were mainly pulled from the distant camps of Scots indie rock (Glasvegas, Paolo Nutini, Frightened Rabbit), and pioneering electronica (Jamie xx, Chemical Brothers, Groove…

A Midsummer Day's Dream brings Chris & Cosey to Glasgow Tramway

Bill also features Tut Vu Vu, Tristan Perich and Lucky Dragons

21 Jun 2011

‘None of us went on to do anything remotely industrial,’ pointed out Chris Carter in a recent interview. ‘We’d burned ourselves out of it and we didn’t want it to sound like [Throbbing Gristle].’ The truth of that statement will be evident at this…

Mulatu Astatke set for Glasgow Jazz Festival

Ethio-jazz pioneer visits Scotland for the first time

21 Jun 2011

An alto saxophone line snakes slowly over shimmering vibraphone and sensuous Latin percussion. Horns create a dreamy, exotic mood as Ethiopian modes meet Western scales. A buzzing guitar or grooving organ might come in, bringing a touch of slow-burning…

Wu-Tang Clan - HMV Picture House, Edinburgh, Tue 14 Jun

Impressive show despite ceasing to be a creative entity years ago

21 Jun 2011

An appearance of any sort by the Wu-Tang Clan is to be met with a healthy dose of scepticism. Given that the Wu ceased to be seen as any kind of creative identity a good while back, to be replaced with ‘The Wu-Tang Brand’, understand that their…

Tom Vek - Classic Grand, Glasgow, Tue 14 Jun 2011

Return of multi-instrumentalist a muted success

21 Jun 2011

After the critical acclaim and moderate commercial success of Tom Vek’s 2005 debut album, We Have Sound, it looked, on paper at least, like he was on to a winner. Instead, despite pursuing the potentially long and fruitful career ahead of him, he more…

Wounded Knee - Anicca

Drew Wright’s ongoing adventure in ethno-celtic vocal loops

21 Jun 2011

(Krapp Tapes) This latest excursion in Drew Wright’s ongoing adventure in ethno-celtic vocal loops marries two extended pieces back-to-back on a cassette that comes in a plain brown, hand-stamped envelope and wrapped in an offcut of Harris…

Six Organs of Admittance - Captains Rest, Glasgow, Wed 8 Jun 2011

Ben Chasny's return to solo performance playful but unenthralling

16 Jun 2011

Alec Cheer’s delicate acoustic loops and tape reel hiss has become a kitemark for lush DIY drone work within the Scottish underground scene, and despite some minor tech hitches, tonight was another strong example of him hitting his stride. Next, with a…

The best use of Sigur Ros' music in film

Analysis and examples including The Life Aquatic and Vanilla Sky

15 Jun 2011

Sigur Rós' influence is undisputable. Their manipulation of neo-classical and ambient sound into music that sounds like pure emotion has won them a huge fanbase, and introduced many to the emotional impact music can have. There is a problem with this…

The Wild Swans - Captain's Rest, Glasgow, Tue 7 Jun, 2011

Reignited version of iconic Liverpool post-punk group

14 Jun 2011

Heroism comes in many forms, but Paul Simpson's ongoing awfully big adventure fronting his reconstituted, reconfigured and on this showing on the first date of a short UK tour thoroughly reignited Wild Swans nom de plume is a sublime experience that…

RockNess - Dores, Loch Ness, 10-12 Jun 2011

Chemical Brothers, Paulo Nutini and Erol Alkan among highlights of festival

14 Jun 2011

As T in the Park’s younger, ravey-er and arguably more affable sibling, the first 'biggie' of the Scottish music festival season kicked into gear on Friday under a cloudless cobalt sky. Situated near sleepy Dores on the banks of Loch Ness - the…

White Heath - Take No Thought For Tomorrow

Edinburgh five-piece pop-rock collection latest fruits from Stow College

14 Jun 2011

(Electric Honey) The latest graduate of Stow College’s music industry course’s in-house record label is this Edinburgh five-piece’s collection of epic soundtracks to vocalist Sean Watson’s heartfelt lyrical concerns. Delivered in an opaque vocal…

TV on the Radio return to live show after death of bassist and geographical spread

New York group take 4th album Nine Types of Light on the road

13 Jun 2011

A little over two months ago this show had ‘cancelled’ written all over it, and nobody would have grudged TV On the Radio their right. On 20th April this year, the Brooklyn-formed quintet’s bassist, Gerard Smith, died of lung cancer. The sad news came…

Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Follow-up to much-revered debut an warmer, bigger, more welcoming beast

13 Jun 2011

(4AD) Everyone is better-off with a little soft-rock in their lives. Alt-smooth indie supergroup Gayngs proved that assertion in 2010, when their nostalgic-pop album, Relayted, topped many end-of-year polls. One of that band’s most prominent members…

Lach - Ramshackle Heart

New York anti-folk overlord's sixth album a rash of styles, but with distinctive voice

13 Jun 2011

(Song, By Toad) Amid news that New York anti-folk overlord Lach will be bringing his anti-hootenanny open-mic session to Edinburgh again this August and tempting hints that he might be setting up home here, the release of only his sixth album in…

Junior Boys - It’s All True

Elegant and modern-sounding collection unselfconscious in its soothing repetition

13 Jun 2011

It’s All True (Domino) This fourth album from Canadian production duo Jeremy Greenspan and Matt Didemus is an elegant and modern-sounding collection, but it doesn’t make extensive efforts to disguise an array of less fashionable influences…

Paul McCartney - McCartney II

1980 album a work of bonged-out pop genius

13 Jun 2011

(Commercial Marketing) A relative flop in 1980, McCartney II is a work of bonged-out pop genius. The ‘hits’ – the dork disco gem ‘Coming Up’ and the beautiful ‘Waterfalls’ – although wonderful, only hint at the oddness within. ‘Temporary Secretary…

Woods - Sun and Shade

Lo-fi alt-folky tunes from Brooklyn cottage industry derailed by cosmic jams

13 Jun 2011

(Woodsist) Brooklynites Woods are a cottage industry of sorts who release their own lo-fi alt-folky tunes through a label run by their frontman, Jeremy Earl. Their sixth album highlights both the ups and downs of a band not having anyone to answer…

Wu Lyf - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain

epic, cascading musical backdrops from the joyous and triumphant to rough and urgent

13 Jun 2011

(LYF recordings) WU LYF, aka World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation, further refine their self-sufficient musical approach with their self-released debut, Go Tell Fire To The Mountain. Recorded in a church in Manchester, each song plays out with an…

Shonen Knife - Free Time

Winning daftness of Japanese all-girl punk-pop

13 Jun 2011

(Damnably) Despite this 30-year veteran Japanese all-girl punk-pop trio being down to just a solitary remaining founder member in guitarist and singer Naoko Yamano these days, their reserves of winning daftness remain plentiful. Yamano’s lyrics…

Brian Eno - Drums Between The Bells

Soundscapes accompanied by spoken-word passages from contemporary thinker Rick Holland

13 Jun 2011

(Warp) Featuring the words of poet and contemporary thinker Rick Holland, Drums Between The Bells isn’t so much a collection of songs as a series of soundscapes accompanied by spoken-word passages, here uttered by nine people, including actress…

Richard Youngs - Amplifying Host

Resolutely avant-garde workings of simple folk songs

13 Jun 2011

(Jagjaguwar) A Glasgow-based librarian with a cracked choirboy voice, Richard Youngs alternates between experimental releases on tiny labels, and more ‘songwriterly’ albums on US indie Jagjaguwar. This is one of the latter, but it’s resolutely…

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - The 1st Album (1973)

Sensationally funky West African music from a 16–piece with brooding organ melodies

13 Jun 2011

(Analog Africa) In 1970s West Africa, various creative ensembles emerged in the former French trading post of Cotonou, Benin; notably the vibrant Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. Their distinctive earthy grooves mined a musical axis involving neighbouring…

Jonnie Common - Master of None

Skewed-pop amble is a lo-fi electro-folk wonder

13 Jun 2011

(Red Deer Club) He’s an affiliate of Inspector Tapehead, a former member of Down the Tiny Steps, and the sorcerer behind the recent Deskjob compilation, but Glasgow’s Jonnie Common finally takes to the spotlight with Master of None, his debut album…

Fire! With Jim O’Rourke - Unreleased?

Members of The Thing, Tape and Wildbirds & Peacedrum

13 Jun 2011

(Rune Grammofon) Saxophone behemoth Mats Gustafsson is best known for his work with baws-oot jazzers The Thing, but Fire! is a relatively controlled affair, more rock-oriented improv than free jazz. Gustafsson, bassist Johan Berthling (Tape) and…

The Japanese War Effort - Surrender To Summer

Hazy, iridescent offering from Conquering Animal Sound's Jamie Scott

13 Jun 2011

(Song, By Toad) Portobello surf-pop; Meadows skate-rock; Leith Walk chill-wave; call it what you will: this hazy, iridescent offering from Jamie Scott, aka The Japanese War Effort and one half of Conquering Animal Sound, is gorgeous: a lo-fi…

Quentin Collins/Brandon Allen Quartet - What’s It Gonna Be

Breath of traditionalism amid experimentalism of London jazz scene

13 Jun 2011

(Sunlightsquare Records) A breath of traditionalism amid the experimental directions currently dominating the London jazz scene from trumpeter Quentin Collins and saxophonist Brandon Allen, with Ross Stanley on Hammond organ and Enzo Zirilli on…

Julian Lage Group - Gladwell

American guitarist's multiple genre style quietly captivating

13 Jun 2011

(Emarcy Records) American guitarist Julian Lage made a big impression as a teenager when he appeared with Gary Burton at the Glasgow Jazz Festival a few years back, and is now maturing into an idiosyncratic and fascinating artist. Like Bill…

Photo gallery: Stag and Dagger - Sat 21 May 2011, Glasgow

Toro Y Moi, Clinic and Ghostpoet captured at Glasgow all-dayer

1 Jun 2011

Photography from Glasgow leg of the fourth annual multi-venue Stag & Dagger festival, featuring Conquering Animal Sound, Warpaint and Ghostpoet. All photography by Alex Woodward at Crimson Glow Photography

Singles and downloads May/June 2011

Battles' ‘Ice Cream’ take Single of the Month title

31 May 2011

The phrase ‘singer-songwriter and professional footballer’ would have most reviewers frisbeeing a CD into the bin faster than you can say ‘super-injunction’, but fortunately enough for Kevin Rutkiewicz it’s a fan of his club, the mighty Dunfermline…

Song wishlist for T in the Park 2011

Request a specific track from your favourite T in the Park band

31 May 2011

Will you be a mardy bum if Arctic Monkeys don't play 'Mardy Bum'? We're creating a wishlist of songs that we want to hear bands play at T in the Park, and we're inviting readers to contribute. If you're desperate to hear your favourite track played by…

Ms Dynamite, Yasmin, Niki & The Dove announced for RockNess 2011

Yet more names join this year’s bill

31 May 2011

Garage MC Ms Dynamite who recently collaborated with both Katy B and Magnetic Man (who also appear at this year’s RockNess) leads the latest additions to the line-up. Joining her is female British rapper Yasmin, Highland singer-songwriter James…

How to put on a festival: Essential dos and don'ts

Organising your own music festival

30 May 2011

There are days now when The List can barely pop out for a pint of milk without tripping over a pop-up shop, flashmob silent disco or warehouse rave; and that’s not just because we live in a particularly hip part of town, it’s because this is the age of…

The Phantom Band and Lucky Me pick 2011 music festival highlights

Modeselektor, Bronto Skylift, Ango and Machinedrum among picks

30 May 2011

Found We toured with them recently and they blew me away every night I saw them. Great music by a great bunch of lads, I’ll be around singing my heart out to this. T in the Park Echo and the Bunnymen I stole my brother Joe’s tape of Songs to…

Interview - Cyndi Lauper on The Beatles, The Stones and Joey Ramone

The singer on Annie Hall and becoming a Hallowe’en costume

30 May 2011

First record you ever bought Meet the Beatles! Last extravagant purchase you made My car. First film you saw that really moved you Bambi. Last lie you told I won’t be late. First movie you ever went on a date to I think it was Annie…

Polar Bear, The Vaselines and Alasdair Roberts set for Doune the Rabbit Hole

Music festival in leafy grounds of a Perthshire country house

30 May 2011

Situated in the leafy grounds of a Perthshire country house, Doune The Rabbit Hole is a magical, family-friendly affair, inspired by Lewis Carroll and the early free festivals. Ursine jazzers Polar Bear headline on Friday, with The Vaselines and the…

Capercaillie, Lau and Eddi Reader set for Fringe by the Sea 2011

North Berwick festival offers alternative to August in Edinburgh

30 May 2011

What is there to dislike about Fringe by the Sea? For those in the capital mid-August sick and tired of being jostled by flyer-folk, it’s a wonderful opportunity to seek a retreat and still get a shot of culture. For residents in the North Berwick area…

Sons & Daughters, Quantic and JD Twitch head up Kelburn Garden Party

Family friendly festival in beautiful location on west coast of Scotland

30 May 2011

A treasure trove of hidden nooks and spaces around a scenic country glen, Kelburn Garden Party is certainly one of the most enticing festivals on this summer’s bill. Resolutely family friendly (under-13s go free) and based around a 13th century castle…

Lau, Charlie McKerron and Michael Marra set to play Insider 2011

Music festival with Victoriana theme set in Cairngorms National Park

30 May 2011

Formed following the demise of nearby eco-festival the Outsider, the Insider is an ever-so-genteel alternative to the rowdy weekenders that young ones go to nowadays. Now in its third year, the fest will feature a day curated by esteemed Scots folk…

Echo and the Bunnymen and Anna Calvi among highlights of Belladrum

Music festival set in deepest, brightest Inverness-shire

30 May 2011

The award-winning festival event returns for an eighth time with a big bunch of music acts parking their campervans in deepest, brightest Inverness-shire. Alongside the music fare, there’s whole lot of entertainment for children, street theatre…

Madness, Kelis, The Waterboys and Tinchy Stryder play Northern Lights festival

New Aberdeen music festival boasts Edwyn Collins and Paloma Faith

30 May 2011

The one for … hitting the north Northern Lights Introducing a brand new contender to Scotland’s expanding festival scene, as Northern Lights welcomes an unexpectedly star-packed line-up to Seaton Park, a public field on the north of Aberdeen’s city…

Ferry Corsten, Eddie Halliwell and Pete Tong among highlights of Coloursfest 2011

10th anniversary of Scotland’s only dance-focused festival

30 May 2011

This year is the tenth anniversary of Scotland’s only dance-focused festival, and they’re throwing a little party. Who’s got the cake? And the Buckie? And the poppers? A ten thousand-strong sell-out for six years running, Coloursfest isn’t for the faint…

Interview: Katy B on bringing everything to RockNess - including the kitchen sink

The chart-friendly, female face of dubstep

27 May 2011

‘When I was 13, listening to Choice FM, I would listen to a lot of R&B from America, and whenever a British person tried to do it, it didn’t really work, they just sounded like they were trying to copy that whole style. Now the music sounds British…

RockNess 2011: Bus times, line-up and stages

New stages, weekend highlights and travel times

27 May 2011

RockNess have laid on three brand new arenas for 2011. Firstly, the Rock’n’Roll Circus will showcase cutting-edge music and comedy talent from the likes of Jamie Woon and The Cuban Brothers. Secondly, Glasgow clubbing institution Sub Club will present…

Interview: Glasvegas - Rab Allan on being older, wiser and stronger in 2011

Glasgow band talk to us ahead of their main stage slot at RockNess

27 May 2011

‘My head wasn’t in a very good place either. My head was up my arse. I didn’t really know what was happening. I was just as bad as he was,’ explains Glasvegas guitarist Rab Allan with a nervous laugh. He’s referring to frontman (and Rab’s cousin) James…

RockNess veteran Rob da Bank gives us his tips for top acts across the weekend

DJ and bestival boss on why RockNess is such a unique festival

27 May 2011

It’s one of the most beautiful sites for a festival probably anywhere in the world. Obviously you’ve got Loch Ness nestling at the bottom of the site but the whole drive out there from Inverness through rolling hills and valleys is totally stunning.

Timeline - Summer music festivals 2011 from Scotland and beyond

A chronological list of the best festivals in Scotland and beyond

27 May 2011

A chronological list of the most significant festivals happening in Scotland this summer, along with the biggest and best from the rest of the UK and beyond.

Interview - Friendly Fires ready for summer festivals circuit

UK act take Balearic bliss of second album Pala on the road

27 May 2011

From the sound of their second album Pala, you could easily imagine life in Friendly Fires being a constant summertime carnival. Washes of Balearic blissfulness mingle with Mardi Gras percussion, Ibiza beats and euphoric choruses. The most rapturous…

Festival essentials: what the stars are packing in their rucksacks

By Jamie Woon, James Vorley, Paloma Faith and Jill O'Sullivan

27 May 2011

Jamie Woon Blankets Normally stolen off planes, but handy for that point in the early morning, if you’re sitting around a fire or outside a tent and it starts getting cool. Cheap sunglasses I tend to break or lose sunglasses pretty quick, so these…

The Nightingales - Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh, Mon 23 May 2011

Skewed meat n' two veg avant-garage from alt-punk stalwarts

27 May 2011

The Nightingales are what happens to 1970s-sired latch-key kids if you leave them alone with a CD of Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica, a DVD of The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club and the Bumper Book of Existentialism For Boys. After more…

Domino Records host Edinburgh International Film Festival event

Event aims to showcase effective combination of music and film

27 May 2011

A good advert can, sometimes, sell more than jeans, or alcohol, or cars. Think of the 1999 number one song, 'Flat Beat', which gained enormous popularity after a puppet called Flat Eric danced to it in a Levi’s advert. Levi’s shifted their jeans, the…

Found singer Ziggy Campbell on what Morrissey means to him

Morrissey gears up for tour of provincial Scottish towns

27 May 2011

Someone approached me after a FOUND gig recently and informed me that Morrissey was playing in Hawick town hall. Perfect, I thought. If ever there was a humdrum town that the rain fell hard on it has to be Hawick. I know this because I grew up in a…

Exposure: Wolf Gang

Max McElligott prepares for debut release Suego Faults and UK tour

27 May 2011

Multi-instrumentalist Max McElligott, otherwise known as Wolf Gang, spent a good chunk of his childhood living in Scotland. If you've not heard of him yet, his single 'Dancing With The Devil' is probably a good intro: an infectious electro-indie pop…

Optimo and Alasdair Roberts highlights of Glasgow's West End festival

The French Wives and Fence Collective also on bill

27 May 2011

1. Fence Collective There are dozens of good musical reasons to take yourself to the West End Festival this June. How about Fife’s favourite indie-folk collective for starters? The line-up’s a secret until the day, but the name ‘Fence’ is all the badge…

Glasgow's Merchant City Festival 2011

A new way of looking at a beautiful part of the city

27 May 2011

Ten years old and the perfect example of a localised ‘area festival’, the MCF works with the Merchant City’s strengths – namely, its great restaurants, shops and architecture. If the past decade is anything to go by, look out for tasting stalls and…

Laurel Halo, Gatekeeper and Konx-Om-Pax - Knock Knock!

Glasgow weekly clubnight assembles great bill of synth nostalgists

27 May 2011

Among the current crop of hybrid synth nostalgists, the Dionysian headrush of rave is as much of an influence as obscure kosmische musik or brittle Nintendo bleeps, as exemplified at tonight’s weekly clubnight Knock Knock! by Michigan-born artist Laurel…

Leith Festival 2011 features Gala Parade and Tug o’ War

Also hosts Edinburgh Short Film Festival

27 May 2011

Not for nothing is the slogan for this blossoming festival ‘I Heart Leith’ – whether giggles, galas or gigs are your want, they’ve got it covered. Much like the area itself, this annual jamboree has the community and colour to entertain the locals, and…

Tracer Trails/ Cry Parrot weekender 2011

Two heavy hitters in Scotland’s DIY music scene stage September festival

27 May 2011

Champions of all that is diverse, curious, metropolitan, undersung and fun – two heavy hitters in Scotland’s DIY music scene are joining forces to put on a brand new two-day festival. Glasgow-based independendent music promoters Cry Parrot and Tracer…

Edinburgh's Retreat festival 2011

A fine August ending to Edinburgh’s annual festival hoopla

27 May 2011

It’ll be the fourth year running for the pocket-sized festival, which the organisers describe as ‘an independent micro music festival celebrating Edinburgh’s contribution to the international pop underground.’ And by ‘pop underground’, last year that…

The Fall, Chrome Hoof and Dubfire set for Electric Frog 2011 summer weekender

Mount Kimbie and Optimo also on bill for Glasgow city centre festival

27 May 2011

The Electric Frog team – they who recently brought us a weekend of warehouse dance action in the shape of François K, Danny Krivit, Optimo and more over the Easter weekend – are back with a summer weekender. Taking place in the same venue – the…

Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang - Aestuarium

27 May 2011

(Ideologic Organ) Ideologic Organ, Edition Mego’s ‘old records’ wing, have given this 2005 recording by Sunn O))) and Mick Patton collaborators Jessika Kenney and Eyvind Kang the handsome reissue it deserves. A Stephen O’Malley sleeve graces this…

Matthew Halsall - On The Go

Miles Davis-inspired jazz trumpeter delivers accomplished third album as band leader

27 May 2011

(Gondwana Records) I first heard this Manchester trumpeter through his impressive work on saxophonist Nat Birchall’s Guiding Spirit, and this album – actually his third as leader – lives up to expectation. Birchall returns the favour here, and the…

Sounds of the Summer 2011 Spotify Playlist

The best summer listening, as chosen by List music critics

25 May 2011

The List: Sounds of the Summer Playlist 2011 You've bought your sausages, you've scrubbed your charred old BBQ back to shiny, chrome perfection, and you've invited your most lithe and beautiful friends around to your back garden. Everything's in…

Edinburgh International Festival 2011 IN festival membership scheme

EIF and The List deal for half-price tickets, events and freebies

24 May 2011

Edinburgh International Festival - in association with The List magazine - are offering members of an innovative and exclusive membership scheme a whole host of half-price tickets, event passes and freebies for the 2011 Festival season. Membership to…

Interview - Battles' Ian Williams on the story behind Gloss Drop

Ian Williams on life and making music after four members became three

24 May 2011

While deeply ensconced in the making of their second album, Battles singer/guitarist Tyondai Braxton announced his departure from the band last year. The news hit fans keenly anticipating the follow-up to 2007’s math rock masterpiece Mirrored hard; as…

Stag & Dagger Festival Glasgow - Sat 21 May

Warpaint, Toro Y Moi and Sons & Daughters ensure Glasgow party is no washout

24 May 2011

You couldn’t blame Stag & Dagger for the torrential rain that fell from Glasgow skies for the duration of the all-dayer’s third instalment in the city, though better planning on organisers’ behalf might have lessened time spent getting drenched. Using…

The Very Best Of Morrissey

A new Morrissey collection might leave Moz fans wanting

24 May 2011

So, from the man who once spat vitriol at record companies and bands who fobbed off fans with reissued, repackaged, re-evaluated records comes The Very Best of Morrissey, long-lost brother to 1997's Suedehead: The Best of Morrissey. More than half the…

Profile: Joy Orbison

London-based DJ and producer set for Edinburgh date

24 May 2011

Joy Orbison’s a bit like one of those sought after rare birds: elusive, tantalizing, gleaming with a certain flair and vaunting a slightly mischievous charm. A comparison to Kevin from ‘Up’ springs to mind, only Joy Orbison’s quite a lot cooler. Since…

Interview - Ducktails set for UK tour

Exotic pop augurer Matthew Mondanile

24 May 2011

With Julian Lynch, Big Troubles Captain’s Rest, Glasgow, Fri 3 Jun; Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, Sun 5 Jun Exotic pop augurer Matthew Mondanile, alias New Jersey DIY buff Ducktails, has a hedonistic day ahead. ‘I just woke up,’ he says from his Brooklyn…

Hebrides Ensemble: Kurtag - Kafka Fragments

Work based on Kafka’s diaries and letters with Soprano Elizabeth Watts

24 May 2011

One of Britain’s hottest new singing talents, whether in opera or on the concert platform, 31-year-old soprano Elizabeth Watts (pictured) joins leading chamber music group Hebrides Ensemble for Kafka Fragmente by György Kurtág, an extraordinary…

Interview - Dananananaykroyd set for UK tour

Hyperactive Glaswegian sextet hit road after release of There is a Way

24 May 2011

As hyperactive Glaswegian sextet Dananananaykroyd ready their second full-length effort – the Ross Robinson-produced There is a Way – for mass consumption this summer, the band seem keen to put a fairly quiet and frustrating 2010 behind them. ‘Last…

Interview - Matthew Dear shares his on-the-road eating habits

The minimal techno producer and co-founder of Ghostly International

24 May 2011

Minimal techno producer Matthew Dear co-founded the record label Ghostly International, and has been responsible for sending dancefloors into meltdown since the late 90s with his own fusion of pop and electro, under various aliases including Audion…

Exposure - Tenniscoats

Japanese duo/couple Saya and Ueno Takashi who have released eight albums

24 May 2011

Who are Tenniscoats? They’re a charming Japanese duo made up of real life couple Saya and Ueno Takashi, who, over the last decade, have released eight albums of their prolific songsmithery as well as playing with fellow traveller Maher Shalal Hash…

Fucked Up - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Tue 11 May 2011

Their sweaty whirlwind plants a slobbering kiss on Reekie

24 May 2011

Opening this Canadian double header is Black Lungs, a side project from Wade MacNeil of post-hardcore stalwarts Alexisonfire. They tick several clichéd punk boxes with spitting, posturing and utterly generic riffage; coming across as a slightly garish…

Low - Classic Grand, Glasgow, Tue 17 May

Tenderness and latent menace: that’s Low all over

24 May 2011

Half-way through this suitably intense and reverential set by Low, Alan Sparhawk responded to a loved-up heckler with a telling remark. ‘After 18 years we add a fourth person and he’s the first to get a compliment?’ he deadpanned. His comment served…

Sailor Jerry presents: Pete and the Pirates

Reading-based indie rockers set for Glasgow Stereo date

24 May 2011

Pete and the Pirates are set to headline Stereo in Glasgow on May 27 as part of the Sailor Jerry Presents series of gigs across the UK. The Reading-based indie rockers released their acclaimed debut album Little Death in 2007 and have been gaining…

Lady Gaga - Born This Way

Finally we’ve got the freaky music to match the monsters

24 May 2011

(Polydor) However much we snigger at the egg shell antics and purposely deranged interview technique, people gobble up everything Gaga does right now. So Gaga wins. But sticking firm to her Warhol and Bowie-inspired artistic roots and achieving…

King Post Kitsch - The Party’s Over

Variegated yet cohesive; dreamy yet gripping psychedelic rock

24 May 2011

(Song, by Toad) To the regal ranks of Scots pop innovators King Biscuit Time and King Creosote, let us welcome Glasgow-via-London psychedelic rock tsar King Post Kitsch – alias sound engineer Charlie Ward. Ward kicks off his debut album in style…

Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys

Where usually notoriously dour, there’s traces of sunshine here

24 May 2011

(Atlantic) There’s a tangible buzz for Codes and Keys, Death Cab for Cutie’s 7th studio album. It seems the cult US indie-ites are teetering on the edge of true mainstream triumph, and having hit No. 1 in their homeland in 2008, the time is nigh for…

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011 - sneak preview

Liberace, Finnish a capella groups and iPad fairy tales just some of the coming attractions

23 May 2011

Whether it’s origami genitalia, homosexual deities or political commentary on the Lockerbie bombing, Edinburgh’s Fringe seldom arrives with a whimper but rather a ruddy great roar. June sees the official launch of 2011’s line-up, but we thought we…

New music books: Luke Haines - Post Everything, Andy Kershaw - No Off Switch,

Simon Reynold - Retromania, Scott Weiland - Not Dead & Not for Sale

23 May 2011

Semi-absent fans of former Auteur and Black Box Recorder man Luke Haines might have received something of a jolt on suddenly Googling him. The words on the second entry would have immediately caught the eye: ‘It is with deep regret that we have to…

Wee Jaunt features musicians performing in the most unlikely places in Edinburgh

Detour's one-day festival from David Weaver and Ally McCrae

23 May 2011

We at List HQ take great pride in our ability to give you all the details you could possibly need to pack your lives chock-full of top-notch, culturally-fulfilling activities every month. So imagine our confusion when we tried to write about something…

Ben Butler & Mousepad - Henry’s Cellar Bar, Edinburgh, Thu 5 May 2011

Electronica wunderkind pairs cold synths with a fun-loving sensibility

23 May 2011

Even on a quiet Thursday, faced with an array of geekish men of a certain age, tapping feet and nodding along while comparing notes on synth model numbers, Joe Howe still manages to put on a show. The sometime Gay Against You and Germlin member…

Atari Teenage Riot - Is This Hyperreal?

A compelling call to arms following ATR’s abrasive sonic formula

20 May 2011

Alec Empire’s anarcho cadre issues an angry communiqué for the digital era

Various Artists - Making Moonshine 3

7VWWVW, Rory McLeod and Burnt Island contribute to tribute covers EP

20 May 2011

(SL Records) A blind musician and inventor of instruments who wandered the streets of New York dressed as a Norse god, Moondog was bloody great. He’s once more the subject of this third tribute covers EP from Edinburgh’s SL, with the five artists…

Sons & Daughters - Mirror Mirror

Optimo JD Twitch-produced album takes in goth-rock, electronics and post punk

20 May 2011

(Domino) It’s taken Sons & Daughters five years to record their third album, but the result ensures their catalogue remains high-quality and ripe for future (re)discovery. Optimo’s JD Twitch makes his album debut as a producer here, stripping things…

Patrick Wolf - Lupercalia

Partner piece to The Bachelor shows that OTT is pretty much Wolf’s MO

20 May 2011

(Mercury) ‘I wish you the top, top, top of the morning,’ beams Patrick Wolf on his fifth album’s rambunctious opener ‘The City’, as if springing fresh out of bed to begin another fine day in fantastical glam pop land. Quite how the androgynous…

Tom Vek - Leisure Seizure

Broadly similar follow-up to much-pilfered sound of debut

20 May 2011

(Island) Circa his debut album We Have Sound’s arrival in 2005, Tom Vek was hailed by some as the new Beck – quit tittering at the back there already. The Londoner’s garage-recorded mix of monotone drawl, angular beats and popping bass was…

Dananananaykroyd - There Is A Way

An incredibly smart rock record driven by their trademark tireless energy and joy

20 May 2011

(Pizza College) Award five stars or have them sectioned? It’s often a fine line, but a world without Dananananaykroyd’s glorious lunacy would be a sad place indeed. The Glasgow six-some have excelled themselves with There Is A Way; an incredibly…

Susana Baca - Afrodiaspora

20 May 2011

(Luaka Bop) Grammy award winning Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca was an early signing to Talking Head David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label and her latest, long-awaited album sees her explore rhythms of the African-Latin diaspora. Her attractive, clear…

Battles - Gloss Drop

Techno-rock propulsions and afro-cuban wig-outs featuring Gary Numan and Boredoms’ Yamantaka Eye

20 May 2011

(Warp) Battles feel so well-established in the innovative rock canon – so visionary, brawny and enduring – that it’s easy to forget they’ve only released one album, 2007’s thrilling Mirrored. Granted, their very formation bore the legacy of a…

White Denim - D

Further wildly adventurous tracks held together by old school psychedelic country vibe

20 May 2011

(Downtown) The Austin, Texas outfit’s previous album, the fittingly titled Fits, was a brilliantly balmy rock-out that proved to be even more dazzlingly unpredictable than their debut. And when they played material from it on tour in Scotland, they…

Jacob Yates and the Pearly Gate Lock Pickers – Luck (Re:Peater)

20 May 2011

Hallelujah! The ghost of Uncle John & Whitelock, Glasgow's seriously demented purveyors of their self-styled horror r n' b, is reborn and delivered here in the still possessed shape of Jabob Yates (nee Lovatt), former howler of that parish. Lovatt and…

Golden Grrrls - 2011 Tour cassette

8-track cassette of breakneck, spindly, indie guitar fuzz by Glasgow trio

20 May 2011

(self-released) Now how DIY is this? An eight-track cassette of breakneck, spindly, indie guitar fuzz by Glasgow girl/boy trio featuring former Park Attack drummer turned singer/guitarist Lorna Gilfedder that has no name and no label and is available…

She’s Hit - Pleasure

'Like The Stooges giving the Jesus and Mary Chain what for'

19 May 2011

(Re:Peater) Named after a suitably scuzzed-up epistle by Nick Cave’s former breeding ground/alma mater The Birthday Party, but judging by the band photos too young to shave, this Glasgow quintet take their forebears’ primitive voodoo trash aesthetic…