Archive for September, 2011

A dose of Jose Vanders

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

During the first three years of this blog’s existence, a significant portion of the articles could have come under the sub-heading: preview of potentially wonderful up-and-coming non-Scottish act visiting Scotland on tour.

It was only when I sat down to enthuse about the imminent arrival of Jose Vanders to Glasgow that I realised I hadn’t written one of those types of posts since November 2009, mainly due to the abundance of talking points served up by the Scottish music scene and, probably, my own fussiness.

For some reason, Jose (pronounced as in the first syllable of Josephine, not as in Hosay) hasn’t become as famous or as fabulously wealthy as I was convinced she’d be when I first chanced upon her a couple of years ago. The 21-year-old Londoner may spend most of her time studying English Literature at Bristol University but it’s hard not to get hooked on her extracurricular exploits, with Jose alternating between piano, acoustic guitar and ukulele to make the most delectable of pop songs. If you’re looking for quick reference points, Regina Spektor or a less irritable Kate Nash come to mind.

Jose has been recording and releasing EPs and mini-albums since she was a teenager, her back catalogue including Transactional Language (2007), Red Black Blue & The Tortoise (2008), Literature Lovers (2009) and Blue Notes (2011). Her next release is a Split EP with Luke Leighfield out on September 19 and, conveniently enough, the two of them are doing a co-headlining tour around the UK and Europe to promote it.

Check out the gorgeous video of Jose Vanders and Luke Leighfield covering Bon Iver’s Blindsided on Vimeo and download the song for free via Bandcamp. Seek out more of Jose’s music on Bandcamp and Big Cartel.

Jose Vanders – Summer

Jose Vanders – Puppets

September 20, Bloc, Glasgow (free)

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Music Alliance Pact – September 2011

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

I’ve been trying to get a Pearl And The Puppets song on MAP since January, but the politics involved in obtaining permission to share a track by an artist signed to a major label meant my request went unresolved for most of the year.

While getting dropped by Universal Republic/Island Records this summer was obviously a bummer for Katie Sutherland, the good news is that it has allowed me to let you hear and exclusively download this recording of Little Diamonds, which she self-financed. Every cloud, eh?

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a .zip file of the whole 35-track compilation via MediaFire.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Pearl And The Puppets – Little Diamonds
We join Pearl And The Puppets at a career crossroads, with Katie Sutherland having split from her record label this summer before she had the chance to release a debut album. While the Glasgow-based singer is better known for her radio-pleasing acoustic pop, Little Diamonds takes an altogether more refined approach, with Katie whispering her lyrics over gentle piano notes and subtle string work. The best is yet to come from this lass.

September 16, Abertay Union, Dundee
December 1, Oran Mor, Glasgow (tickets)
(more…)

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Twitter wars: Avalanche Records vs Los Campesinos!

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Here are some screenshots of a very public debate/slanging match between Edinburgh independent store Avalanche Records owner Kevin Buckle and Welsh indie-pop band Los Campesinos! last night. Probably the most entertaining thing I’ve ever seen on Twitter. Enjoy!