My Scottish Albums of the Year

Today in The National newspaper, with the help of a select panel, Stefan and I selected our favourite Scottish albums of the year. 

Naturally, many of our favourite albums didn't make the list when we averaged out the final results. Luckily for me, this meant my own winner took the prize. However, there are many albums that I loved that didn't make the final cut which I'd like to pay tribute to.

So without further ado, my personal top 20 of 2015:

1. Chvrches - Every Open Eye

2. Kathryn Joseph - Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I Have Spilled

3. Iain Morrison - Eas

4. Mog - Nomad's Land

5. Halo Tora - Omni/One

6. Vasa - Colours

7. Urvanovic - Amateurs

8. Lockah - It Gets More Cloudy

9. Sorren MacLean - Winter Stays Autumn

10. Prides - The Way Back Up

11. Federation of the Disco Pimp - Inamorata

12. Woodenbox - Foreign Organ

13. Bigg Taj v Spee Six Nine - Verses 2

14. C Duncan - Architect

15. A Mote of Dust - A Mote of Dust

16. Pinact - Stand Still and Rot

17. Girobabies - Who Took Utopia?

18. Young Fathers - White Men Are Black Men Too

19. Auntie Flo - Theory of Flo

20. Best Girl Athlete - Carve Every Word

EP's:

Sega Bodega - Sportswear

Hector Bizerk - The Bell That Never Rang

Ubre Blanca - The Sadist

The Van T's - Laguna Babe

Grum - First Contact

Dialects - LTKTL

Merry Christmas btw! x

Bloc+ End of Year Showcase

Glasgow venue-cum-record label Bloc+ hosted a celebratory end of year showcase two weeks ago, featuring performances from experimentalists Kill the Waves, grunge outfit The Van T’s and indie four-piece Cherri Fosphate.

Bloc+ Music’s stated aims include promoting artists that are “in a stage of development where they deserve to reach a bigger audience”. It's this supportive approach that makes Bloc+ one of my favourite labels in the country. Unsurprisingly, each band displayed attributes that suggest they’re on the cusp of success.

Take twin-sister led The Van T’s for example, who have already found their niche with an overtly 90s rock inspired sound. The sisters’ impeccable vocal harmonies stood out as ever, but it was the wailing grooves and shoegaze-inspired guitar tones of new EP tracks Growler and Another Sun that gave their sound a discernible edge. Though the band didn't make any of their end-of-year lists, I'm beginning to reconsider. Their EP 'Laguna Babe' is well worth a listen. 

Cherri Fosphate also provided a fresh take on a well-trodden genre. Though their template felt overly reminiscent of early 2000s acts The Strokes or The Libertines, vocally in particular, the band displayed greater a sense of sonic adventure. I'd say that their set had the rhythmic guile of Foals but with a greater emphasis on hooks and punchy riffs.

By contrast, Kill the Waves had a more drawn out approach. The experimental six-piece were billed as electronica-inspired, but their best tracks tended to be their slower, more textured tracks. Combining the talents of two strings players and a more rock-based set up, they offered a colourful style of post-rock that ebbed and flowed nicely.

The peak of the set proved to be a cover of Sia’s megahit Elastic Heart. Vocalist Tim Kwant wisely sidestepped the difficulty in belting out dramatic chorus hook with a tasteful echo effect, while the strings and guitars conveyed the song’s drama powerfully.

The cover summed up the potential of Bloc+ Music’s acts: not necessarily ground-breaking, but undeniably creative. It'll be interesting to see whether they recruit any more acts over the coming year. I'll be watching with interest.