Music, Mark Edmundson

Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Dependence

A band’s submission in the ‘Sounds Like’ column of their myspace page is often telling, and in the case of Kings of Convenience their self-effacing ‘music your parents like too’ hints at the quiet Norwegian duo’s fond acceptance of where two albums of…

The Law - A Measure of Wealth

Galling as it must be, comparisons with fellow Dundonian upstarts The View are hard to resist when taking on The Law. Both are undeniably cut from the same cloth as youthful champions of raucous, anthemic, singalong indie-rock with celebrated live…

The house that Jaxx built - Basement Jaxx interview

From the home front, Basement Jaxx have been uncharacteristically quiet for the last three years. They’ve kept out of view, retiring into studious production mode and, while they say they never went away, they can’t deny they have, at least, been…

Horace Andy

After giving us The Congo’s first ever Scottish show, the Summer Reggae Sunsplash season turns up a more familiar talent in the distinctive vibrato of Horace ‘Sleepy’ Andy. Hardly warranting introduction, Andy’s career as first guitarist, then singer…

The Congos

REGGAE As mournful tenor trembles above falsetto and baritone amid a bubbling cacophony of bass and effect, the statuesque and trance-inducing ‘Fisherman’ ushers in a cult reggae masterpiece. It is tempting if unfair to say that The Congos have…

De La Soul

De La Soul got stung. For much of the two decades since the release of seminal hip hopera 3 Feet High And Rising, Plugs One, Two and Three have been at pains to put a significant margin between themselves and the care-free, cartoon mishmash of crunchy…

Amadou & Miriam

When asked to define Jazz, Duke Ellington declared that there were only two kinds of music: good music and bad. Nevertheless, pigeonholes have proved a necessary evil in the pursuit and commoditisation of music, and rarely have the categories been as…

Novalima - Coba Coba

WORLD FUSION This third release for the Lima-London collective Novalima furthers the adventures in Latin form, Afro-Peruvian percussion and electronic tweaks that spawned 2005’s award-winning Afro. Coba Coba, however, bears all the hallmarks of a…

The View - Witch Bitch?

INDIE ROCK Packing indie festival anthems, bar room garage, cheeky backstage ditties, stadium rock and orchestral grandiosity The View’s follow-up to 2007’s Hats off to the Buskers has it all – all besides a coherent identity that is. As an album…

Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Darkest Light: The Best Of . . . Remastered Edition

JAZZ FUNK There’s nothing overtly African or rocky about Lafayette Afro Rock Band, an American funk outfit who relocated to Paris in the 1970s and acted as session band for Pierre ‘Berjot’ Jaubert, a one-time Motown artistic director. Their cult…

Welcome Wagon - Welcome to the Welcome Wagon

SACRED INDIE FOLK Taking a break from the absurdly ambitious ‘Fifty States Project’ Sufjan Stevens acts as producer, A&R and spokesperson for this collection of gentle-to-symphonic gospel-folk ditties. The trademark sound and song structure of…

The Skatalites

SKA Well, you could hardly propose a less festive gig, but ska pioneers The Skatalites make their triumphant return to Scottish shores this month for another round of spot-the-founding-member. There ought to be three, namely Lloyd Knibb, whose…

Findlay Napier and The Bar Room Mountaineers - Out All Night

SCOTTISH AMERICANA This debut from the Back of the Moon, Croft No. Five and Celtic Connections stalwarts is a peculiarly natural Scottish Americana that weaves traditional Scots instrumentation with an altogether wider influence, exemplified by the…

James Orr Complex - Com Favo

BRAZILIAN MATH-FOLK BLUES Having relocated to São Paulo, Christopher Mack’s follow up to Chori’s Bundle doesn’t immediately suggest any discernable favella-sourced inspiration. Indeed, there is nothing immediate about what might be mistaken for…

Singles & Downloads

What’s that Lassie? Name+Relucto are trapped down the well? ‘Spawnofspoon EP’ (Hum+Haw) ••• is a plinky-plonky kind of techno that is thankfully less like being punched hard in the face over and over, and more like the voices in your head have taken to…

Armand Van Helden – New York: A Mix Odyssey Two

Vanity project or something of merit from a DJ who, having found chart success, is taking a considered look at his inspirational roots? The packaging captures the African-influenced look of the late 80s we’re revisiting here while the mix itself serves…

Al Green

It’s a sad fact that however unstoppable an ageing artist was at the top of their game, few can hope to make music that really matters in their golden years, save for reminding everyone they’re still alive. Al Green comes to Glasgow this fortnight and…

Sly & Robbie with Amp Fiddler - Inspiration Information 1

SOUL Purveyors of fine music compilations, Strut have branched out into fresh studio recordings by pairing up acclaimed artists for exclusive five-day sessions. In this first instalment former Funkadelician and contemporary smooth soul rambler Amp…

Found Magazine

We’re a curious bunch us humans. We seem compelled to concern ourselves with the business of others, be it people-watching in bars or gazing into strangers’ front rooms. Now, there is a quiet phenomenon coming to our shores from America, offering a…

Found Magazine - Tales from the unexpected

What’s the best thing you’ve found? There’s a note I found in our hometown, I think I just found it next to my bike one day. It’s a pretty handsome looking flyer, and it says, ‘Please Lock This Door. It will prevent unauthorised people from entering…

Mungo's Hifi - Sound System Champions

REGGAE ETC Sound system culture is surprisingly at home in a dreich Scotland and one has come of age here throughout the course of the last decade. Here Mungo’s self-congratulatory debut long-player champions the collective as no less proactive in…

Thievery Corporation - Radio Retaliation

WORLD LOUNGE Leaders of the horizontal protest Thievery Corporation remain resolutely political in their approach and there is really no mistaking who programmed this set of sophisticate dub lounge. The breadth of styles treated to their signature…

Various - RECON-naissance: The Live Sessions Vol 1

LIVENESS (RECON-naissance) There’s an accomplished and impressive spread of talent on this lush live showcase from the Glasgow club night of the same name, from the sultry Gallic lounge of Irregular Slinky and the jazz-funk of Das Contras to ‘wegian…

A Band Called Quinn - Sun Moon Stars

INDIE POP (Tromolo) Boasting a guest guitarist spot from Echo and the Bunnymen’s Gordy Goudie, a chrome and polish from Parisian producer Kid Loco and delightful artwork care of Bruno Gallagher, this industrious Glasgow trio’s latest offering is an…

5 Reasons To Go See - Reggae

It’s hot - Nothing says summer like sweet reggae music. That enviable Caribbean climate seems to emanate from the speakers, giving all a feel-good, lazy day, sunshine quality. It’s just the weather, right? It’s heady - While great for kicking back and…