From Olive Us To Olive You

The lovely Lloyd who runs Olive Grove Records has brought his label family together to celebrate Christmas and to raise awareness and funds for a cause close to his own family's heart.

All of the profits that are made from the album are going to be donated to CDH UK, a charity who support and advise families who are affected by Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). My son Luke was born with CDH three years ago this month, so it means a lot to me to be able to give something back to families who might not have been as lucky as ours.

You can find out more at http://www.cdhuk.org.uk/

The Olive Grove Records family have done Lloyd proud with an eclectic and beautiful album. 

Pocket Knife really caught my ear and demanded an immediate repeat listen with a song called Half The Presents which addresses Jesus being such a capricorn and assesses some of the traits that make him such. 

There is an early Belles bassline that keeps a loose indie groove throughout the song, spoken word starsign patter and a great melody and humour throughout. This is rather brilliant and rather promising for what Pocket Knife will deliver in 2018. Can't wait to see them live.

My own sister has 3-songs on the album including 2 duets with Eugene Kelly (Vaselines/Eugenius/). Carla's natural sense of melody and flow pours out on to Christmas Eve Alone and talks of her love working late while she wants an open fire, to be toasting marshmallows and watching Christmas movies. In turn Eugene promises he'll be home for Christmas Eve to the sound of Christmas bells ringing. The song breaks into a real flow and the voices combine beautifully.

Carla's song Spending Every Christmas Day With My Boy (about her old cat!) was on her Homemade Lemonade album and it has another heartfelt melodic flow to it.

The trilogy is complete with another cracker (xmas pun!) It's Starting To Snow (Please Be Mine). You would never guess that she counts Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift For You as a favourite! :-)

You are my winter sunshine

You are my Christmas time

Campfires In Winter simply call their song Christmas Song and call to burn the tree, have fun and get out of hand. The performance mataches the lyrics - great fun, great sound.

Randolph's Leap drop in with a fragile beauty that contains some great lyrics, sung with tender care over a sparse acoustic guitar that rises with the introduction of some considerate beats, organ, percussion and keys.

There were moments when Santa Claus

Wasn't sure who he was

He's got a sleigh to ride

But baby it's warm outside

As the climates change

That doesn't seem so strange

Henry and Fleetwood come up with the goods, The State Broadcasters have that tender gorgeousness that Lloyd seems to spot in artists and  Woodenbox come up with a wonderfully warm soaring song that captures all of their strengths. Then we have Jo Mango with a beautifully slow and melodic song and The Son(s) with some glorious guitars.

There really isn't a bad track on the album. The initial pressing has already run out but head to Monorail or Love Music in Glasgow for physical copies. You can download from Olive Grove's band camp page or stream on Spotify.

The Winter Garden Playtest

Joe Kane is a well kent face and voice from the Glasgow music scene through his work in bands like The Owsley Sunshine, Dr Cosmos Tape Lab and also with Them Beatles.

Kane introduced his new outfit The Radiophonic Tuckshop back in the summer  with an EP of psychedelic pop and he now returns with a 14-track Christmas album titled The Winter Garden Playtest. 

Playful melodies, humorous observational lyrics and upbeat vibes (most of the time) are spread throughout the album. 

The title track is lysergic instrumental that is rather gorgeous. Probably my favourite song on the album - little riffs and melodies collide or are layered quite beautifully. This is one of the most stunning pieces of music I have heard all year. Kane is capable of moments of genius - this is one of them.

The Summer That Never Was is another beauty. Humour is never far away, Secret Santa is rhymed with Gin and Fanta. 

The Guy In The Grotto gets better as it goes on, all about someone taking on a Christmas job and being thoroughly depressed - not only through his job but also losing his love.

Didn't I give you everything?

To throw it all away is such a sin

The imaginative and experimental side of Kane comes through on The Star Factory, it's quite beautiful, I love when he does this kind of thing. 

Quiet genius at work

Kane can create melodies with ease. They are liberally sprinkled across the album when they hit the mark, they really they hit the mark - like on Runaway Rudolph

Rudolph please come home

I didn't mean to make you feel alone

Santa's got a message for you

The subsequent flowing section with kind of choppy vocals is just brilliant. Kane knocks this kind of thing off in his sleep - he is a melodic genius.

Dubious origins has Joe taking the piss out of himself and it also questions the origins of Christmas. Head Frost is another winner - just so playful, imaginative and instantly likeable. 

The Festive Thought that closes proceedings in a kind of Scotch and Wry manner, highlighting that he wrote and recorded the album in 3-weeks and thanking everyone involved - himself! 

The Winter Garden Playtest is the sound of someone having fun creating music, melodies and lyrics. It is daft at times, very observational and it has those special moments that Kane has the talent to find and when he hits the sweet spot he really does hit the sweet spot.

You can stream the album on Spotify, download from iTunes and various other places or order a Ltd CD from Last Night From Glasgow's website.