I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

 

Trust me #73

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart by Taylor Swift

Rather weirdly, I got into Swift through my old 7-a-side football friend Craig who manages Mogwai's Rock Action label! Craig has superb taste in pop music and highlighted We Are Never Getting Back Together on his social channels many years ago. 1989 was my eldest daughter Zoe's first album!

Like many other fans of pop music, I've fallen for Taylor Swift. What an incredible artist, songwriter, performer and role model Swift is. 

Now, my youngest daughter Rosie (age 9) is a proud Swiftie and I love when she tells me that what she was up to at playtime and lunchtime at school - "Me and my friends were talking about Taylor Swift's albums."

I recently walked behind Rosie and her friend on the way to our local coffee shop and listened in to one of their conversations. I wanted to join in! Swift is inspiring young kids to buy and discuss albums. Incredible!

As a family, we debated about trying for tickets to see Taylor play Murrayfield. I did log on, but there were only 600 quid tickets left. Pretty much on the stage! But 4 tickets would be 2,400! Going on holiday over a one-off night out (no matter how good that night out might be) won over. 

Now, with Taylor's run of Murrayfield gigs coming up this weekend. I kind of wish we'd just bought the tickets ... although we'd be paying for them for quite some time!

Recently, Rosie introduced me to new song I Can Do It With A Broken Heart and we have been playing it pretty constantly in the house and in the car. 

Somehow this incredible slice of pop perfection didn't make the 'normal' version of Taylor Swift's latest album (her 11th) The Tortured Poets Department. For most artists, this would be a lead single. However, Swift is so prolific that I Can Do It With A Broken Heart is tucked in on the Anthology version which contains 31 songs and over 2-hours of music. Taylor has now released a remarkable 274 songs in her career. Incredible!

Starting slow and then kicking in with what feels like two sets of choruses, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart deserves a doctorate in pop music.  There are count-in's, clever lyrics, hooks galore and shimmering synths and beats that work so well with Swift's melodies.

A video has been released with professionally shot tour footage and the lyrics at the bottom. It works perfectly as Swift sings of having to go on tour post break-up with a broken heart.

Official video

A short first verse has Taylor reflecting on what her fans are thinking - she's having the time of her life, touring the world, playing sold out shows, making millions ... but the kiss off line is I can show you lies and then a 1, 2, 3 , 4 count into the pre-chorus.

The pre-chorus builds beautifully, it is classic Swift, a nice use of swearing, tumbling flowing melodies and Taylor pouring her heart out.

Cause I'm a real tough kid

I can handle my shit

They said - 'babe you gotta fake it 'til you make it' and I did

Lights, camera, bitch smile

Even when you wanna die

He said he'd love me all his life

But that life was too short

Breaking down I hit the floor

All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting - MORE

I was grinnin' like I'm winnin'

I was hittin' my marks

'Cause I can do it with a broken heart

Shimmering synths and beats kick in for the chorus proper. Be warned - this is SUPER CATCHY AND COOL! 

I'm so depressed I act like it's my birthday, every day

I'm so obsessed with him but he avoids me, like the plague

I cry a lot but I am so productive, it's an art

You know you're good when you can even do it, with a broken heart

BOOM! All delivered in precisely 1-minute 36 seconds. So good that it's time to do it all again. Another short verse has Swift still searching for her ex's belongings to ensure she didn't imagine the whole relationship. 

COUNTDOWN

That stunning pre-chorus

COUNTDOWN

BOOM

The super catchy chorus again (honestly - how good is this?!!)

Swift is in the zone and isn't quite ready to finish, the beats keep going, the synths still bubble and shimmer as Taylor realise how good she is at doing it in spite of everything. There is humour but also exceptional honesty as she declares;

I'm miserable

And nobody even knows

Before another beautiful kiss off ah, try and come for my job

WOW! Pop perfection. 

Taylor Swift plays Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on June 7th, 8th and 9th. She is a pop superstar. Enjoy if you're catching here in Scotland or elsewhere. 

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE 

Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry

66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker

67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones

68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters

69. Dream Baby Dream by Suicide

70. Stove by The Lemonheads

71. Red Lady by Phil Cordell

72. Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb

3 new Scottish acts for 2023

Here are 3 young Scottish acts I've been keeping an eye on recently. I expect them all to make real progress in 2023. I've yet to catch any of them live, so I hope to change that in the very near future.

Introducing - 3 Scottish acts to look out for in 2023

Swim School 

Hailing from Edinburgh, I fell for Swim School within seconds of listening to Kill You, their recent single and first on LAB Records. I've now listened to it about a dozen times. LISTEN HERE

Kill You is rather gorgeous, the opening guitar riff is super dreamy, as is singer Alice Johnson's voice as she sings;

Are you awake?

I've called you about a million times

During the day

You're all I think of, is that alright?

Johnson says; Kill You is about being in love and wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone ... It's about the confidence you feel when you are in a good relationship and you feel comfortable enough to show your true self. I didn't want it to be your stereotypical love song, which is why I chose the title Kill You. It's funny feeling vulnerable whilst writing a song about vulnerability.

The chorus is a beauty and it's hammered home in all the right ways, firstly as the song bursts into life, then everything drops out to leave Johnson singing;

Ooh, ooh

I wanna have you with me

When days are old and looks have faded

If you're not there, well I'll be waiting

A glorious explosion of psychedelic shoegazey wonder leads to a final couple of runs through the chorus and that's it. Just over 3-minutes of blissful dreamy guitar pop.

Kill You was recorded with Iain Berryman, who has produced Wolf Alice, Florence and the Machine and Beabadoobee, in London's Narcissus Studios. On this evidence, I hope the band go on to record an album with him. Swim School self released a couple of EP's before their latest single. They hint that the band can swing from dreamy guitar pop like How It Should Be, to songs with a slightly punkier edge like the chorus of Too Young To Know (check a live session below).

Swim School are playing a string of dates in early 2023 for the 10th anniversary of Independent Venue Week. Hopefully a Scottish date or 2 is in the pipeline. 

Goliath

I stumbled across Goliath via an interview he did with film director Grant McPhee for Into Creative. I find myself drawn to Grant's taste and style, so I was intrigued to read him describe Goliath as one of the most incredible music talents to emerge from Scotland in years.

There is already a good catalogue of music to explore thanks to a steady stream of singles that Goliath has been releasing. Everybody Cries, released back in the summer, has flowing melodies flow and there is a beautiful vulnerability to the song. The chorus is infectious.

Ghost Town sounds so natural, Goliath's voice is so fragile at times, the song builds around it and the vocals are then layered brilliantly to match, falling to close the song. Eyes Unblinking is also a gem.

Goliath's videos are lovingly DIY, made with creativity and care, much like his music. I do intend to pursue an interview for a follow up blog, so I'm keen to find out if Goliath records everything on his own at home, or if he has friends who help, or if he uses a studio and producer. If he is producing all this himself then he is an exceptional talent.

Fingers crossed for some live shows.

Lizzie Reid

Lizzie Reid released Cubicle, her debut mini-album, in August 2021, following that up in August 2022 with the Mooching EP. The releases have left a mark, leading to airplay, festival appearances and support slots. Reid ended 2022 with a headline show at Oran Mor and supporting Paolo Nutini at The Hydro!

Reid's sound is personal, natural, melodic and catchy, with just the right edge to it. Warpaint (from the Mooching EP) is a fine example. But at other times Reid can strip things right back, like on the exquisit How Do I Show My Love to just her voice and piano

How does that go?

How do I show my love

In these times of dust that seem to be harbouring us?

I imagine that Reid will have a couple of other releases up her sleeve. I definitely intend to catch her live in 2023. Hopefully I won't have too long to wait.

Check the Warpaint video below which has some delightful crashing guitars around the chorus.

New shirts

Team work

But the truth hurts

Teenage Fanclub at Assembly Rooms

Even though it's complicated

We got time to start again

My last gig was 29th February 2020. Looking back at my blog, I attended 6 gigs in the first couple of months in that year. Gig going was (and will be again) a major part of my life - a reason to catch up with friends, to have a wee night out and visit some of my favourite bars in Glasgow, to watch bands and artists I love, to discover new sounds and to get the buzz from entering venues like The Barrowland and seeing audience and artist become one.

February 2020! 

Then everything changed ...

But enough has been written about that. Lets get bang up to date - Tuesday 14th September 2021 to be precise. 

The sense of anticipation of a gig is still there! The buzz of arranging to meet friends, of sorting someone out with a spare, even thinking about what to wear! 

In addition, there is a strange form of planning that is going to become the norm for a while. I missed 2 gigs that I had tickets for the 2 previous Friday's as I knew that this gig and the Barrowland on Thursday were the ones I really wanted to go to. My friend Lorna decided not to go after giving someone a lift home from John Grant at the Barrowland last week and then they subsequently tested positive. Lorna is negative, but worried. COVID is absolutely everywhere. We're learning to live with it, or we are trying to. It's not going away and it feels like we'll all get it at some point - we need to trust in (and test) the vaccine and our immune systems. It feels like we're living in a giant experiment at times. 

But back to the gig!

The Edinburgh Assembly Rooms is a breathtakingly stunning venue. The chandeliers, the craft work and attention to detail on the ceiling ... everything seemed so grand ... from the entrance and the welcome from the staff, to the well staffed bar and to the huge high ceiling-d room for events. 

My sisters band Poster Paints were supporting and playing their first ever gig! You'll find my blogs on their first couple of singles here and here.

They played beautifully and brilliantly. The sound was absolutely spot on, the audience were warm, responsive and by midway through the set the venue was full.

Simon's guitar looked and sounded sublime as he coaxed gorgeous sounds from it, Sita harmonised beautifully with Carla on some songs and my sisters voice was as good as I have ever heard it.

Playing a 7-song set, Poster Paints won the audience with some stunning songs. Circus Moving On is all kinds of slow dreamy gorgeousness, while closer My Song built slowly and hypnotically into a a kind of shoegazey New Order groove.

My friend Luke captured it on film HERE

Poster Paints play their debut headline show at The Poetry Club in Glasgow on Thursday 7th October.

Next up ... Teenage Fanclub!

The warm guitars of About You kicked things off, all of the band looking happy - the combination of guitars and harmonies sounded particularly blissful after so many months without live music. I found myself leaving my friends to move closer to the stage, closer to the speakers to get lost in the music and the rush of the live experience.

Teenage Fanclub were on form - they always are! If I was relishing being back at a gig then my favourite band were clearly enjoying playing with each other and to their fans again. Home was a bit of a standout for me last night, the glorious jam at the end was lovely and tight but loose, Raymond's guitar playing was exceptional.

Warm Embrace was another highlight, the band tore through it and Francis' drumming was outstanding. The band seemed to really enjoy playing this one. Euros on keys and harmonies, Dave really going for it on bass - they flew through it.

There were plenty of old favourites too - Alcoholiday, a romp through God Knows It's True a spellbinding Verisimilitude with the chiming guitar riff sounding heavenly.

Picture by Lee Skinner

Back In The Day is a real favourite of mine from the new album and I was delighted the band included the song in the set. It could become a staple over the next few years. Euros and Norman harmonising effortlessly.

The Concept still sends warm tingles down my spine - the humour, the harmonies, the pleading 'believe me' urgency in the hook I didn't want to hurt you, oh yeah and the guitars and extended outro. 

Norman's The Sun Won't Shine On Me is simply perfect and the chiming guitars and his crystal clear vocals brought me close to happy tears of joy. And then the traditional set closer, the bands debut single, Everything Flows, released way back in the summer of 1990, sounded as perfect as always.

I look forward to doing it all over again on Thursday night at the Barrowland.

I'll never know which way to flow

Set a course that I don't know

Introducing - Sarya AKA swoo

 

photo by asuka chen

Every so often I visit the BBC Scotland channel on the iPlayer and head to the music section. I stumbled across a feature length episode of Tune and proceeded to watch it all. One song and performance in particular caught my attention.

Sarya AKA swoo is a musical poet from Taiwan, now based in Edinburgh (although back in Taiwan with her family for now). Sarya performed her song I'll Break My Heart (So You Don't Have To) in her bedroom. The song has a beautiful homemade lofi loving quality to it - melodic keys, fuzzy synth bass, sparse beats, leaving loads of room for Sarya to sing.

It's better to feel sadness and pain

It's better than nothing

I break my heart so you don't have to

The attention I'm directing at you

Is a manifestation of my boredom and a little love

I couldn't know what I was looking for before it was gone

I couldn't know who I was looking for before you were gone

With her hood pulled up, headphones on, light blue streaks in her hair and a big smile, Sarya won my heart in 4-minutes. She gets lost in the music, making movements to the keyboard riff, dancing ... just beautiful to watch and listen to.

Check the song on Bandcamp and the episode of TUNE on the iPlayer

So I got in touch to find out a little more and was delighted when Sarya emailed back some answers to my questions. I look forward to catching Sarya playing live - hopefully in the not too distant future.

photo by asuka chen

What is your earliest musical memory?

Earliest musical memory: I'm not gonna lie, I think that my first musical memory must have been at like 2/3 years old, singing along with Blue's Clues. Most specifically, MAIL TIME!

I think even to this day, a lot of the music I heard on this show still slaps if I'm being perfectly honest.

When did you start creating your own music? Was there a specific moment when you thought - I can do this?

I started writing and creating music with shitty ukelele chords in 2016, with a song called "Doesn't Matter", which I showed my friends and they loved it! Mostly because it was thoroughly "me" with my highly emotionally blunt lyrics, It eventually encouraged me to host an open mic night that forced me to practice singing every day. I eventually learned guitar in 2018 and then some electronic music stuffs the year after. I didn't really start to take myself seriously as a musical person until I wrote some songs that I thought were worth recording, some of which were songs like "idk" and "insomnia song". 

When I was performing around Taipei and Edinburgh, I started feeling more like a real musician. I thought, "Hey! People seem to like this! Maybe I can do this after all!" And I figured that since so few people who looked like me were doing music in the Edinburgh music scene, it really inspired me to be my own role model. Then when I started to get more comfortable making electronic music, I finally felt like maybe I can do this music thing..I've always been writing poetry and songs, and I never for a second didn't think it was worth doing, but it wasn't really until two years ago, when I moved back to Edinburgh the second time in 2019, did I really think that it was worth showing people.

Photo by Ceridwen Angharad

You create very loving and playful vocal and keyboard melodies. Where do they come from? Do you hear them in your head, or create them through playing?

Sometimes I will randomly sing on the street and then a sentence that randomly pops from my brain sounds really lyric worthy, so I write it down. Then, I kinda sing it randomly in different ways until it sounds like it fits what the meaning is. Songs kind of pour out of me, and I don't need much time to complete a song. I once wrote a song in 30 seconds, and sung the chorus in my voice memos, and I came back to it 3 months later and the entire song just flowed out. 

It sounds cliche, but a lot of the time it really is a matter of translating those words and feelings into music correctly. It's like I have the picture and the puzzle pieces, and then I have to just assemble them. I started as a spoken word poet and I figured that I was writing songs all along. Some songs start with a melody or a few chords, and then some sentences perfectly fit into it. I kind of work from there to make most of my melodies. The vocals are my favourite thing to make because there is so much you can do with backing vocals and harmonies. I like to think of them as a whole other instrument entirely, which really opens up how a song can sound. 

What music do you listen to? Would you say you have any key influences?

My main music taste seems to float around DIY sad indie folk (Death Cab For Cutie, Daniel Johnston, Joanna Newsom), Icelandic experimental postrock (múm, Sin Fang, ), country music (Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette), and experimental electronica (Tami T, Holly Herndon) or queer scandi-pop (AURORA, Beatrice Eli, Ji Nilsson). There's absolutely a lot of emotional influence from early 2000s indie pop/folk, as well as Scandivian soundscapes of ethereal caveness + sincere and simple country songwriting. All those musicians are my idols and I think I sculpt my shape around all those elements. I guess my ideal sound is like Björk but sing-crying about mums in a large reverb-laden cave while melodica billows in the background. 

What's been your favourite thing that you have done as an artist to date?

It's difficult, because all songs are like our lil babes that we have helped nature into full grown ideas, but at the moment my favourite project has been a song that hasn't been released yet called "WHY DO I CRY" (which will be released in June/July). (I can talk about this but I imagine maybe you want something I've released?) 

All my songs have a specific mood and emotional purpose, so it's difficult to actually say which is a "favourite". Since fans have their favs, I always seem to want to give my less popular songs more attention. "incredible" and "waking up is always a disappointment" are two of my more experimental poetic songs that last no longer than 2 minutes. They are both pieces of musical poetry which remind me where I came from and to never forget how music can be played with to create a specific emotion. It reminds me that songs always be a complete verse chorus verse structure, and that I've done it before! Those are both songs that when I listen to them again, I just remember so exactly how I felt when I wrote them, every single time. 

How has the last 16-months been for you as an artist? 

The last 16-months have been a whirlwind! I essentially had to spend half of my visa in lockdown, and I had to move back to Taiwan immediately afterwards as a result. It has been excruciating to see so much devastation in the creative communities and other industries, impacting the livelihood of so many wonderful people. Not being able to perform was definitely on the list of missed things. However, to see the silver lining, it proceeded to make all musicians homebound and very keen to collaborate and work together long distance and otherwise, and I was able to get a lot of angsty music and skill building out of the way. I've written many many songs that I plan to properly release this coming year and the next, because I plan to use the time I have not locked at home to go out and hug people! 

It broke my heart that I had to leave Scotland so suddenly, but I will be back this autumn. At the very least, Taipei is free from lockdown and quarantine, so everything is pretty much normal. I've had a few gigs in Taipei already, and I've been out and about every week trying to make up for lost time. It was so weird to perform though, I think it's definitely impacted how comfortable I feel performing in front of a live audience. It'll probably take some time to regain that eagerness to perform. 

What was your last release?

On May 31st, I released a song called 'PROFESSIONAL WOMAN' which is a house music ballroom inspired song dedicated to trans women and female identifying people everywhere. It's meant to highlight the work it takes to have your gender recognised, especially when it's done so flawlessly and professionally ;) . In light of the GRA not getting passed and just general transphobia across the country and the world, I wanted a fun song that all my lady friends and they/thems to pose and strut to. It's mixed and mastered by a dear friend of mine, maniatrix, who also did a "WHITE GIRL REMIX" of the song that will also be released with it as a bonus track. 

Any concrete future plans? Or are you taking things as they come?

It's hard to make any plans given COVID and the inability to travel. I'm dying to come back to the UK, but at the moment it seems unwise until the vaccine is more available in Taiwan. My plans so far are to do a few gigs and festivals in Taiwan, and then go back in November to participate in the Great Western Festival. Everything is still quite up in the air! 

What We Might Know

From the urgency of the opening chords of They Won't Ever Leave Us Alone through to the bubbling synths that usher in the closing title track What We Might Know, Broken Records deliver big time with the release of their 4th album. 11-songs of heartbreak, parenthood, hope, looking to the future and reflecting on the past, all wrapped in glorious soulful Springsteen heart on the sleeve style.

Broken Records have been on the go for 10-years and this is their 4th album, their first since 2014. Quite a lot has changed during that time and the band have adapted from MySpace to present day, with two releases on the legendary 4AD Records and tours across Europe and USA in between. And that is just the changes in what it means to be in a band - never mind their personal lives which (sounds like) has inspired many of the songs.

Of course what it really means to be in a band, one thing that should never change, is the opportunity to hang with friends, express yourself and to have fun. And that really comes across throughout this spellbinding album. It is refreshingly open, honest, soulful and pure. It sounds like an album Broken Records had to make, if only for themselves.

Back to the opener; They Won't Ever Leave Us Alone is whirlwind of a song, blowing a fresh breeze into your heart to make you sit up with a jolt. The band fly through the song in a euphoric heartfelt way that almost leaves you gasping for breath.

Summer warmth, fading light

As I drive you home at night

Focus on the smallest things

And write them into my heart

If the opening track sets the bar, Let The Right One In accepts the challenge and pushes it higher. The band are on blistering form throughout the album, brilliantly tight but loose and with singer Jamie Sutherland singing his heart out. Producer Stephen Watkins has captured a band in peak condition.

Melodies usher in Open Ground with Sutherland's rich voice offered more space as the pace of the album drops ever so slightly, yet the urgency remains.

Sutherland spits out his vocals during The Inbetween, a man in a hurry to talk about his dreams and memories, the song builds gloriously, the band gel superbly and with ease.

Don't let these dreams carry me away

Anytime is an acoustic beauty, a fragile melodic riff takes us to some place different, Sutherland's voice displays a different kind of richness - one of warmth and concern. The chorus flows and then things drop to a bare minimum before rising again - beautiful.

I mentioned Springsteen earlier on and Broken Records have that whole widescreen soul thing going on throughout the album. The songs flow superbly and Perfect Hollow Love is outstanding.

I know it should be simple

Cause you're the only thing that's ever been clear

Love

Don't turn your back on me

I'm not dying I can fix this yet

Love

Don't turn your back on me

I'm still here I can pay my debt

You can sense how massive When All Of This Is Done is likely to become from the slow brooding intro. Trust your senses. The song builds beautifully, yet where other songs go full throttle the band keep this under control in style and Sutherland's voice is brilliant.

So Free is a slow burning gem before the pace picks up again for Clarity. Broken Records have certainly offered crystal clear clarity on their ability, vision and ambition with this release. At the time of writing I notice that it has already deservedly been nominated for the SAY Award. I really hope it makes the initial longlist and then who knows?

The penultimate Someday You'll Remember Me has another stunning intro where guitar, bass, drums and synth strings combine before Sutherland comes in. There is a little bit of Joy Division-esque bass, a real groove that allows everyone else to work their magic over the top.

And so we end with the title track, the magnificent What We Might Know. Sutherland's rich voice soars over bubbling synths before other instruments lift the song further and a beautifully life affirming way.

Broken Records have been playing a number of live dates to promote the album and have 3 coming up in the next few weeks. You can stream and order their album from BANDCAMP

10/05 - The Borderline, London
12/05 - Night People, Manchester
18/05 - Stereo, Glasgow

Introducing L Space

Photo by ChumChi

The older I get, the harder it becomes for a new young band to get me really excited. Or it could just be that although there may be countless new bands and not that many of them are actually very good or exciting! It’s probably a bit of both.

I mean, do I need to go searching like I used to when I already have access to so much music I love and the fact that it is easier than ever to explore back catalogues of bands/artists of years gone by?

Of course I do! I’m always looking for new music to fall in love with, I will forever chase the buzz of falling head over heels for a new band that are breaking or just waiting to break through.

Anyway, I’ve found a new band that I’ve fallen for. They are pretty brand new, although they have already put out an incredible amount of music through 2017. L Space are the band in question. Gordon Johnstone, Lily Higham, Dickson Telfer and Maura Keane span the Central belt of Scotland and come together to ‘write music about the future using big synths, dreamy guitar and ethereal vocals’ and their Facebook describes them as dream pop, electronic and cinematic.

L Space have released 11-songs to date through 2017 via a series of digital (to my knowledge) EP’s and singles. The quality more than matches the quantity.

I chose Blue Flowers to check out first as I liked the title and I fell for it on first listen; think Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval fronting Portishead.

Photo by Brendan Waters

But there is so much more – this is not a band who find a formula and stick with it, this is a band looking to utilise the sounds at their disposal and the wonderful voice of Lily Higham. Brother Mars is an acoustic comedown gem that those of my generation could compare to early Beth Orton – sublime.

Space Junk meets their dream pop, electronic and cinematic biog head on, whispered vocals that rise with ease, changes in pace and beats at all the right moments and building to a glorious and euphoric conclusion.

When it all just gets too much

I can drift off, drift off, drift off

I am living like space junk

Southern Reach is a dark and menacing instrumental, dropping to a bubbling synth and sampled vocal. Propaganda sounds like a companion piece, with huge beats introduced to dramatic effect halfway through. Carry Armour has drum n bass beats with more sampled voices and a cinematic feel, while Escape V4.1 and So It Goes are hauntingly beautiful.

The band seem incredibly creative with their beats, layers, soundscapes and melodies and I can’t wait to see them live. In the meantime check a Spotify playlist of their releases to date and an interview with the band below.

Photo by ChumChi

How did L Space form? Where and when?

Lily: L-space formed gradually in the prebiotic pools of various workplaces and arts events. Gordon I met when we both needed to glue our shoes together at work, Dickson I met through his spoken word and writing (check it out) and Gordon knew him through his work with The Grind, and Maura I met in a world of unending noodles at the restaurant we worked at. We glooped together and good music came out.

Where did the name come from?

Lily: The name is based on an alternate dimension in the Discworld series of books by Terry Pratchett. Because knowledge = power, and books contain a lot of knowledge, they warp space and time, creating another dimension. You can access the dimension through places like libraries and book shops where there are large amounts of books, and when you enter you can see bookshelves stretch off endlessly in all directions. In Terry P's words "[a] good bookshop is just a genteel blackhole that knows how to read." Basically, I like books and I like physics, so this name is cool.

Did you have a vision for what the band would sound like then? If not, how quickly did you arrive at ‘your sound’?

Lily: I had some vision: I wanted to write beautiful, interesting, noisy music with a mixture of electronic elements and 'real' instruments, creating a retrofuturistic sound while not being too cold and digital. But most of our sound came together naturally from the combination of the band's talents and influences. For example, in my case, I read a lot of sci-fi and like to read about future technologies that will make our world better, so those themes often make their way into my lyrics. Also my voice seems physiologically fixed to have a particular sound to it, and I am working with that sound and its limitations and qualities to find melodies and tones that fit our visions.

Gordon: I think I always had a clearer idea of what I didn't want us to be more than what I thought we would sound like. I definitely didn't want us to be another guitar band or a soulless electronic group. It's important to me that people know there's a very human heart to our songs even when the music is largely created on synths and tackles fairly futuristic topics. Many of the songs start as fairly abstract soundscapes and become fully formed songs when we add bass and vocals, so our sound is somewhere between the two extremes.

Dickson: With writing most of our music on synths and having Lily as our singer, we always knew we were going to have an ethereal sound. Then we added groove and noise and . . . ta-dah!

Maura: Gordon and Lily have been the main masterminds of the sound, but I think we're always trying new things and looking for different influences.

You have released 11-songs already. How do you go about creating/writing? Where do you record?

Lily: Sometimes we write together, building up songs from a base idea that one of us has come up with, but other times we are a very modern band that does most writing separately and sends each other our recordings electronically. Praise to our great internet lord. We record most of the synths at home and record the vocals and instruments at Homegrown Productions studio on a farm in Larbert. We have good fun recording there and it has the benefits of a resident cat and dog. However, one time the cattle escaped and we had to wait until the cows came home before we could finish! When I write a song alone at home I usually start off messing around on my guitar or with beats and sounds on my computer and humming along to find a melody I like. Then I record it terribly on my phone and send it to the others.

Gordon: I usually start with one synth tone, or one chord, I like and build from there. It's not unusual for our songs to have forty or fifty layers on them, but usually we strip a lot of them out when everyone adds their various parts. I love densely layered production like El-P and 65daysofstatic and I think that shapes our music a lot. One of my pet hates is when a song doesn't have an identifiable "good bit", so the music I write almost always builds to a climax or some kind of crescendo. 

Dickson: Usually Gordon writes the skeleton and then we all jump in, bringing our own thing to the party.

Maura: Gordon is always coming to us with new songs and ideas - you can't stop him writing songs. I think it's amazing to work with people who have so much to give musically and are so creative, very exciting and inspiring for the future.

The releases to date highlight quality and quantity. Are you always creating new sounds and songs? Is that important for you?

Lily: I am always coming up with new ideas for songs. It happens when I'm playing around with my guitar or noises on the computer, or it might just happen while I'm walking somewhere or in the shower. I even dream songs sometimes! Many ideas get lost as I don't record them before I forget them, but if I can I try to remember them in some way so we can use them for future songs. It is important for me to always have this creative output as it gives me a feeling of purpose and value.

Gordon: Constantly creating things means the world to me. Since L-space started I've realised that I'm exceptionally difficult to work with sometimes. I've got this compulsion where I can't stop creating music and I constantly want to release it and put it out into the world, but that doesn't always sit comfortably with a band moving at a sensible pace. I pushed us all quite hard for a few months to release a lot of music and do a lot of shows and it payed off when Last Night from Glasgow signed us. Now we can take our time with the album, be pickier with our gigs, and generally enjoy the creation process a lot more!

Dickson:  Yes. It's a good disease.

What have been your highlights from 2017?

Lily: It's hard to choose! One highlight was playing at MugStock festival in the pouring rain while Dickson's dog Dasher ran on stage and while most people were sheltering, two people were dancing in the rain in front of the stage and having a great time. It was nice to see them enjoying it, and for us it was an unusual and memorable experience. Also dog.

Gordon: For me I think it was when Last Night from Glasgow told us they wanted to release our album. It was the culmination of months of hard work and a lifetime's ambition. Knowing that we have a goal and a purpose, that a group of people believe in what we were doing enough to put their name behind it, means the world to me. In terms of the music itself I think it was when we played at a small show for a sci-fi magazine called Shoreline of Infinity. It felt like we turned a corner in terms of our performance and how we were received.

Dickson: Playing a street corner as part of the Merchant City festival and going down well. Also, listening to the final mix of Aloe on Elie beach. I had recorded my bass and then gone on holiday while the others did their thing. It was really cool watching the waves and listening to our latest creation at the same time (cos usually first listen is in the studio)

Maura: I loved playing the Merchant City Festival in the summer, playing outside right on the street and being really noisy. Releasing our single Aloe and getting signed by Last Night From Glasgow are up there too!

So you’ve essentially released an albums worth of songs. But you’re now working on your first album. Will that effect how you approach things and the way you write/create? E.g. will it be written to flow together, or will it be business as normal and anything goes?

Lily: We have all our songs written separately, but I think because they have been written in quite a short space of time, they have all been created from the same kind of 'zone' of ideas and phase of our music writing. The themes of the songs are mostly looking forward to a utopian future and so far I think they all have the L-space sound to them. Because of this, the songs sound like they go together, and all that is left is to put them in an order that most keeps the listener engaged, and with songs next to each other that enhance each other.

Gordon: I think because we have a fairly good idea of how we want to sound the songs will sound pretty coherent. The songs have all been written fairly recently, but some of the ideas on the albums are things I've had rattling around since I was 16 and it has taken L-space to make them work and sound how they should. The overarching theme of a better future is something I think will always underpin our music.

Dickson: There are always plenty songs. We're re-working a couple but the rest are new and fresh, and cool, and noisy, and lovely.

What music are you enjoying at present?

Lily: 65daysofstatic, Julien Baker, The Twilight Sad, Bjork's newest album and the Cocteau Twins record given to me by our record label Last Night from Glasgow.

Gordon: Tusks, The Samuel Jackson 5, Tom Waits, Run the Jewels, Deltron 3030, Lana Del Rey

Dickson: Sun Rose, Agnes Obel, Bicep, Public Service Broadcasting

Maura: I'm listening to lots of electronic music right now, I saw Sylvan Esso live the other night, the energy was amazing. I'm enjoying discovering a Japanese artist called Shintaro Sakamoto who is more 70s pop-rock.

The Charlatans at the Usher Hall

I have seen The Charlatans over 30 times since I first caught them live away back in 1994. They have been helping to provide the soundtrack to my life since 1991. I should no longer be surprised....but I am still amazed.

I'm amazed at the songs, albums and performances that the band continue to deliver all these years down the line. Tim Burgess was on fire last night, singing better than ever and seemingly getting younger rather than older. 

15/20-years ago if Tim said on stage 'I hope you're feeling as good as I am' it would probably have been because he was high on E or coke. In 2015 he is high on life, love, music and family and when he said he was feeling good to the Usher Hall crowd last night you could tell that he meant it.

He then displayed it by bounding effortlessly around the stage, conducting his impeccable band and the crowd and by delivering an exceptional performance - as a singer and a frontman. Tim couldn't keep the smile from his face.

Burgess was on fire and so were his band and Tim recognised this towards the end, introducing them one by one to give them their moment in the spotlight; the stalwarts Mark Collins on electric guitar, Martin Blunt on bass and Tony Rogers on hammond and keys. They were joined by Pete Salisbury on drums and together they created groove after groove.

Highlights? Well check the setlist below, it was pretty much all one big highlight that flowed superbly, but here are my standouts.

North Country Boy - the Edinburgh crowd are (lets be honest) a little reserved. North Country Boy was delivered 3-songs in and the place erupted.

Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over - the groove machine were in full flow, as was Burgess

Trouble Understanding - a surprise highlight for me, delivered with real class and it made me go back to listen to the studio version this morning.

Let The Good Times Be Never Ending - up with the best songs of their lengthy career, they still have it in abundance, the way the band coaxed and teased towards the climatic chorus was orgasmic and the crowd responded accordingly. The grins onstage said it all.

One To Another - powerful and soulful, euphoric

In The Tall Grass - playful and melodic, Tony Rogers was brilliant 

The Only One I Know - the ultimate indie disco anthem 

everyone has been burned before

everybody knows the pain

Come Home Baby - Tim introduced the band and then said 'We're The Charlatans and we're from Scotland' before launching into the song of the year, with a reach for the sky chorus that gets me every time - euphoric

Sproston Green - the intro was incredible, the delivery sublime, ending the show in style

The Charlatans have had a brilliant 2015, releasing an album that has made it on to many end of year best of lists that contains several gems and career highlights, touring the world and playing to tens of thousands of adoring fans.

I look forward to seeing what they do next.

The journey of a music blog - Apple Glasgow

I have kindly been invited to give a talk about my blog at the Apple Store in Buchanan Street, Glasgow, next Thursday (see above). You can reserve a place for free by CLICKING HERE

During the talk I'll be publishing a live blog to launch The Girl Effect #2, curated by TeenCanteen to raise funds and awareness for Scottish Women's Aid. An incredible selection of bands will be covering girl group songs. The first Girl Effect night took place at Summerhall in Edinburgh back in May and raised almost £3,500. Can the Glasgow one top that?

I will hopefully proving the importance of Social Media in spreading news/launching events - if you come along you can certainly help and it would be great to see you. There will also be a chance to ask questions about my blog.

I'll also be discussing;

1. Why I started writing a music blog

2. What I write about

3. The people I have met

4. Who reads the blog and how do they find it?

5. Stats - the good and the bad

6. Tips for those starting/considering a blog

7. A chat with Carla from TeenCanteen re the importance of blogs

8. An update on stats from the blog launched earlier in the evening

Dave Hook, aka Solareye from Stanley Odd 

The Vaselines and TeenCanteen

I have been fortunate to catch The Vaselines 3 times in as many months; in June supporting Mogwai at the Barrowland Ballroom, headlining the Scooter Tent at the Wickerman Festival in July and last night, headlining the brilliant Summerhall venue in Edinburgh. They are in blistering form.

Summerhall was exceptionally buzzy on a warm summers evening mid-Edinburgh Festival season. Pop up bars had been set up in the courtyard next to the superb The Royal Dick pub.

The Vaselines had asked TeenCanteen to support them and with doors running late it meant that there was a sizeable crowd queuing up to get in by 9pm. TeenCanteen came on at around 9.15pm and told us that this was there first full show since February; they had been busy writing and recording, alongside putting on the fabulous Girl Effect night in aid of Scottish Women's Aid.

They played superbly, confident, having fun, introducing their debut single Honey like a lost friend, second song Friends was absolutely superb and the New Order bass groove towards the end of second single You're Still Mine got a great response. Then it was on to the new songs; Sirens had been debuted on their recent 6music session and it was absolutely superb, Dancing (Hey You) slowed things down, almost Joy Division like at times in terms of sparseness. Closing with Sister to a packed hall and a great response, TeenCanteen definitely won some new fans with their 3-part harmonies, clever lyrics, melodies and passion.

Pic by Duglas T Stewart

The Vaselines came on swiftly and played an exceptional set of power pop punk perfection. 3 guitars gelling together to sound absolutely sensational with Scott Paterson from Sons and Daughters in stunning form - firing out riffs and making it all look incredibly easy.

Eugene and Frances were hilarious between songs, the chemistry between them is pure and true, Frances seemed a little tipsy and they laughed that it only took 6 songs for her to mention vagina's!

Due to the fact things were running late the band absolutely blasted through the second half of their set, firing through 2, 3 and 4-minute guitar pop punk gems. Eugene was in brilliant form, clearly enjoying the sound on stage, the way the band were playing and the response from the crowd.

Frances in action - photo by jock'n'roll

Highlights - well the whole set was superb but here goes;

High Tide Low Tide set the tone as an opener; powerful and melodic, the guitars sounding superb. I Hate The 80's was in the same vein.

The Day I Was A Horse was absolutely brilliant. Under 2-minutes of trippy, fuzzy, punky guitar with the vocals spat out by Eugene and Frances. The original is almost lo-fi, the modern Vaselines with 3 guitars turned up to the max take it to another level.

Lovecraft was just fired down our throats, the clapping style guitar riff was powerful and playful, Eugene and Frances' vocals contrasting but sounding like they were meant to be. Sex Sux Amen has been a real standout from the 3 shows I have seen The Vaselines play recently, a joyful romp.

Eugene asked TeenCanteen to join in the fun on Molly's Lips and Carla and Sita played the horn parts and amazingly Eugene got through the song without laughing.

Pic by Deborah Smith

Son Of A Gun is more akin to the Nirvana cover than the original these days, Frances vocals sound as innocent as they did back on the original but the guitars are ferocious and all the better for it. Dying For It is up with Sex Sux and The Day I Was A Horse as real standout and thankfully The Vaselines responded to chants for an encore to come back on and ram it down our throats.

I was fortunate enough to catch up with Eugene briefly after the show and he agreed that the band were in great form, they were enjoying it and will hopefully be playing some more shows before the end of the year - fingers crossed!