Cougar Microbes

LightGuides released their mini-album ‘Samba Samba Samba‘ earlier this month on Alcopop Records. We caught up with drummer Dave to discuss the ‘veggie challenge’, the healthy state of Scottish music and that elusive Jay-Z and Beethoven collaboration. And it goes a little like this:

Cougar Microbes: What time did you wake up today? Was it out of choice or necessity?

LightGuides: I think around 9:30am? We crashed at Richie (Jumping Ships) house after our Hastings show, which was lovely. Rich is very hospitable, all the Ships boys are! Unfortunately we woke up out of necessity as it’s a fairly long drive from Brighton to Leeds and we wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to get to the Leeds show today.

CM: Describe LightGuides to the uninitiated?

LG: I think we have a touch of early 00s American pop-punk (The Starting Line, Blink 182, New Found Glory), a dash of early-mid 00s Brit post-hardcore (Hundred Reasons, Reuben, Biffy Clyro) topped off with a spot of more recent Scot rock (Twin Atlantic, The Xcerts).

CM: How have you been killing time on the road, hobbies?

LG: Well Martin (guitar) and myself have taken the “veggie challenge” on the road, so it’s been fun trying to find decent vegetarian food, we are completely hooked on falafel! A lot of the Southern dates on this tour we’ve never been to before, so it’s been great taking the camera out and going exploring. Going out for beers is always a great way to kill time; we had a lovely night on Brighton beach drinking copious amounts of beer and wine on Saturday. Mark (vocals, guitar) and I went for a swim in the sea, boy is that a great way to sober you up!

CM: What have been your favourite venues to play? Any Venues you hated?

LG: I think our favourite venue on this tour so far has been the Old Blue Last in London. It had everything; great bands, great venue, great crowd, and it was really nice to catch up with friends and also Jack (Alcopop! Records’ Big Boss Man). Although I know we’re all really looking forward to the album-release show at King Tuts in Glasgow, it’s the last day of the tour too so hopefully we can end it with a bang!

CM: Is there a song you are simply sick of playing? Do you think that will ever happen?

LG: I don’t think there is a song I’m sick of playing, I guess when you play a song live there are so many variable factors (the onstage sound, the crowd reaction, the venue itself) so there is always a kind of freshness to the track. The songs we’ve been playing live for over a year, maybe we’re a bit tired of practicing these at rehearsals but once onstage it’s as exciting playing the oldies as it is the newbies.

CM: What is the songwriting process like for LightGuides. Are you able to write on the road or do you do this in your off time?

LG: Usually the guys will allocate time in our practice studio to jam out some ideas, and once they’ve got a general structure and the foundations to a song I’ll come in and give my opinion, and we’ll usually tweak it here and there. Then I’ll figure out what drum patterns I’m going to use, and Mark will start thinking about vocal melodies and lyrics. We’ll then sit down and go through the melodies and cement down the lead and backing vocals. It’s easier for the guys to do this is the studio than on the road, they find it slightly more relaxing and peaceful jamming out there, when we’re on the road things are usually pretty manic!

CM: Favourite LightGuides track and why?

LG: My favourite track would have to be ‘The Arts Factory’, it’s just really fun to play but at the same time quite demanding to play live, it’s a nice challenge. I think we’re all agreed on this one, it’s Martin and Mark’s fave too.

CM: If you could record any cover what would it be?

LG: Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’. That song just makes me want to have a good time, all of the time.

CM: Do your songs go through many revisions via demo recordings?

LG: Not really no, we spend a fair amount of time working on the songs at the time of writing and sometimes we’ll touch certain areas up once we’ve listened back to demo recordings, but the foundations of the songs never really change.

CM: What came first, the lyrics or the melody?

LG: THE MELODY. Usually we get all the instrumentation of the songs sorted, before figuring out melodies. Mark will start writing lyrics once he has a good idea of what the melody of the song is going to be.

CM: What are your views on auto tune?

LG: I’d be a hypocrite if I said I didn’t agree with it as we’ve used it on our recordings, but only ever really to polish a vocal-pitch. What I would say is; in the recording process it’s really useful, but only in moderation. I’m not a huge fan of the current branch of pop-artists who rely heavily on auto-tune (so it sounds like their voice is half-human-half-keyboard), but I think it’s a bit of a fad and we probably won’t still be hearing that kind of pop music so much this time next year.

CM: Any other band/bands from your local scene we really should know about?

LG: There are some really great bands coming out of Scotland right now, here’s a little list : The Lafontaines, Fatherson, There Will Be Fireworks, Endor, Carnivores, Aerials Up, The Winter Tradition, Make Sparks, Pareto, He Slept on 57, French Wives. Sorry that little list ended up quite expansive! I highly recommend checking out any/all of these bands.

CM: Most flattering thing you’ve read about yourselves?

LG: To be honest if anyone says anything remotely nice about us we get really flattered! When people show an interest in the band it really brightens up our day. If I had to choose one though it would be the recent album review Rock Sound magazine gave us, were they stated ‘The Arts Factory’ is right up there with the best songs of the year. To hear that from a publication we ‘ve been reading for years and really respect is amazing to us.

CM: What was the first record/tape/cd you ever bought?

LG: I’m pretty sure it was ‘Crocodile Shoes’ by Jimmy Nail, and at the same time I bought Bon Jovi’s ‘Someday I’ll be Saturday Night’. Big Jon Bon uses an expletive in that song and I used to love screaming it as loud as I could: “My life’s a bargain basement, all the GOOD SHIT’S GONE”, haha.

CM: What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

LG: ‘Edith’ by Tellison. It’s always the 1st song on our playlist when we hit the road, great for perking you up for the drive. Also ‘Movers and Shakers’ by Jumping Ships, the boys have been opening their set with it and I’m pretty sure at any given moment someone in our band is singing it, albeit usually singing the wrong words!

CM: What was the last show you paid and queued up for?

LG: Endor at King Tuts in Glasgow, and coincidentally they’re the next band I’ve bought a ticket to go see. They are playing a 10-year anniversary show at The Captains Rest in Glasgow just after we finish tour, will be a great way to combat post-tour blues.

CM: If you had to bring on artist back from the dead in exchange for sending a living artist down ,which artists would it be and why?

LG: I’d probably say John Lennon. I don’t actually listen to the Beatles too often I just think it would be really interesting to see what they would be doing now, if they would still be together, if so what style of music would they be writing. Mark is driving beside me and his choice would be Beethoven, because he’d like to see his take on modern music. Can you imagine Beethoven guest-rapping on the next Jay-Z record? That would be sick!

LightGuides’ mini album ’Samba Samba Samba‘ is out now on Alcopop Records

TRACKS:

Old Bucket Seats – LightGuides

Over the past year Belle and Sebastian have toured the heck out of their ‘Write About Love‘ album taking their dulcet sounds all over the world. The band played a host of countries as scattered as Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Argentina, Chile, Poland and the Czech Republic for the very first time.

The band are set to release a “12 single comprising remixes of the tracks ‘Come On Sister‘ and ‘I Didn’t See It Coming‘ through Rough Trade on the 18th of July as well as other unheard material.

Here is the Paul Fegan directed clip for the Tony Doogan version of ‘Come on Sister‘ featuring the band members “faced with reality at the end of a year of touring“.

TRACKS:

The Fratellis were perhaps best known for the track ‘Chelsea Dagger‘; one of the definitive festival anthems of the late 00′s. It’s harsh that that song quickly became linked in my mind with yobs getting wrecked on Stella and starting fights whilst chanting the popular refrain.

That is all forgiven because frontman Jon Fratelli is back with his debut solo album ‘Psycho Jukebox’ which is preceded by the single ‘Santo Domingo’. By the sounds of it he has gelled his never doubted melodic touch with some gravitas-lending soul for something all together more durability.

TRACKS:

A quick hunt for information on Scottish band The Son(s) makes it hard not to wonder if they are deliberately elusive–the only band bio to be found is the rather terse “The Sons were three. Two are gone. Now there is only one.” Happily this is one of those rare situations in which the music speaks volumes for itself.

The first single, ‘Radar‘, from their self-titled debut album, was released in January. It stands well as a representative of the album’s sound as a whole; a melodic journey in and out of slow acoustic burners and upbeat jams. Since I must rely on that crutch of all reviewers, and draw comparisons, the vocals are a pleasing combination of Grizzly Bear and Iron & Wine, supported with finger-picking that would make Paul McCartney sigh and hang up ‘Blackbird’ forever.

My first listen of ‘Radar‘ instantly brought to mind Rubyhorse (anyone remember them?); their 2003 album had a hidden gem called ‘Never Grow Old‘ that captures the same light, layered vocals. But where Rubyhorse tended to overproduce the album and lean a little heavily on the reverb, The Son(s) seem to have that rare ability to produce the beautiful, simple song that doesn’t need much help from the studio.

‘Dogs, Boys & Men‘ is the band’s second single, and is probably the stand-out track on the album. At first listen it seems a little incongruous, with a foreign sounding, almost mexican flavour that doesn’t match the rest of the album. But a tendency to stand out is not exactly a bad thing for a single–it is certainly more powerful, and more energetic, than the milder acoustic tracks that make up the album’s core.

The track itself is an effective mix of lighter, acoustic verses with heavier, more jammy choruses. It is probably the injection of percussion that makes the chorus so bold and fresh in comparison, but the addition of a heavy, blazing electric guitar certainly adds some power as well. More than anything else, I think the song showcases The Son(s) ability to layer vocal tracks, while avoiding that gooey pop production quality that layered vocals can often create.

For this band, the key seems to be a varied and imperfect approach to the layers– the vocals don’t sound perfectly matched or very rehearsed, and this works perfectly for the rough, raw energy of the song.

Whilst the origins of The Son(s) remains a bit of a mystery the music is coming through loud and clear.

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This is the first post by new Cougar scribe by Emily

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TRACKS:

Frightened Rabbit returned to the fore in 2010 with the release of ‘The Winter Of Mixed Drinks‘ and bagged themselves spots not only on our full site top album breakdown but several writers personal lists (which will be published soon).

Here is why Cougar scribe Ruby deemed it worthy of a spot:

After the warm reception of ‘The Greys’ and ‘Midnight Organ Fight’ the pressure may have been on to pull yet another Frightened Rabbit out the hat.  And it is with great satisfaction that I can reveal that those scruffy haired Scots did the rabbit and the hat trick with their latest offering.

‘The Winter Of Mixed Drinks’ also saw a step away from subdued shadows of their former albums and generally provided us with a more brash and attention grabbing sound. The band have added more heart, more guts and more build than ever seen before.

Fan’s shouldn’t be disappointed as there are still plenty of nods to their staple sound; somehow FR manage to straddle the thin line between hope and horror. Yet despite this there is a notably richer and more radiant sound suggesting that things are looking a lot less miserable now for the likely lads whose efforts this year have handed them a place in my personal list.

When we reviewed the album back in april Kenny suggested that “what sets ‘The Winter of Mixed Drinks’ apart from previous Frightened Rabbit albums is a sense of heightened focus“. In his year end list he added:

I’m a big fan of Frightened Rabbit‘s previous albums but their 2010 offering is a different beast. This is a brilliantly crafted and contemplative album filled with great instrumentation. It is mature yet exhilerating; epic yet subtle. When I heard it — even early in the year — I knew it would be on this list.

TRACKS:

NEXT: #18 Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2010: Gregory and The Hawk – Leche

PREVIOUS: #20 Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2010: Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (II)

Fresh from touring with Biffy Clyro in the US and UK The Twilight Sad have immediately followed up their ‘Forget The Night Ahead’ album with a new EP.

‘The Wrong Car‘ EP consists of two unreleased tracks plus 2 remixes and is due the end of September. The EP sees the band continue to show their flair for stunning melodies and dark atmospherics.

That massive sound coupled with their distinctive Scottish twang makes this cinematic EP stand out from the pack.

TRACKS:

The Twilight Sad – The Wrong Car

With just a handful of tracks in my possession I think it is fair to say Oscar Charlie have kept me guessing since I first heard them at the start of this year. Hailing from the Shetland Isles, but recently relocated to Glasgow, the band’s synth heavy songs weren’t what I was expecting when I first checked them out.

Sounding positively brooding and taking the quiet/loud mantle from their contemporaries the band  mix elements from Editors as well as fellow scots Copy Haho, Idlewild and Frightened Rabbit.

in just a few tracks Oscar Charlie display a load of promise and a tendency to build layer upon layer of melodious sound.With a single just released and an EP due at the start of June I would recommend keeping tabs on this lot.

TRACKS:

Oscar Charlie – Hello Chrono

Frightened Rabbit came to my attention back in December with a blistering set opening for Modest Mouse at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. I should, perhaps, have had my eye on them much earlier. Nevertheless, they have eased into the public eye after the release of second album ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ and an impressive performance on BBC2’s The Culture Show last year. March saw the jock’n’rollers release their third album, a milestone which more celebrated acts from The Strokes to Razorlight have struggled with in recent years.

Thankfully ‘The Winter of Mixed Drinks’ serves up pretty much exactly what the doctor ordered; familiar melancholic undertones and plenty of fresh ideas. We’re talking handclaps, vocal intros, shakers, choral arrangements and much, much more. The album moves thematically, from ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’s self deprecating Romeo, to apprehensive adventurer. First single ‘Swim Until You Can’t See Land’ is an ode to [metaphorically] throwing everything at one’s ambition and crucially overcoming the crippling fear of failure. Rousing stuff indeed.

Frightened Rabbit’s releases are always packed with build-ups. However, more often than not the ex-Glasgow School of Art students resist the temptation to break into the anticipated anthem, preferring instead to opt for the unexpected. It is, to a certain extent, what makes them such an exciting act and is a strategy they persist with on this latest offering. The most notable examples are opener ‘Things’, ‘The Loneliness and The Scream’ and ‘Not Miserable’.

What sets ‘The Winter of Mixed Drinks’ apart from previous Frightened Rabbit albums is a sense of heightened focus. There is a more ruthless approach to track selection with only ten full length songs making the final release. Themes are introduced and reintroduced, lending a feeling of completeness perhaps lacking in earlier efforts.

Almost as much a folk group as they are a rock group, Frightened Rabbit are one of the most exciting Scottish exports since Irn-Bru.

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Post written by Kenny the malefic.

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TRACKS:

Frightened Rabbit – Fun Stuff