Some More New Music...

First off I want to doff my hat to fellow blogger that manage to post something every day. Throughout December and January I managed over 40 consecutive posts, which was certainly some sort of record for me. With work, family and many other commitments that people have in their every day lives it is not always possible to find the time to post, but somehow there are some who manage to produce consistently good posts every day. I certainly intend to post far more than 2014 and as mentioned in a previous post I fully intend on putting more new music on the blog...as an honorary Surfer Of The Zeitgeist

There are many reasons why I am proud to be Scottish, not least of which is the vibrant music scene that Scotland has had over the years. I have already posted in the past about how fortunate we are in a relatively small country to have such talent, from the innovative hip hop of Young Fathers and Bang Dirty, to the effortless harmonies of The Hazey Janes, to the textured soundscapes of Mogwai, to the ethereal lullabies of Julie Fowlis, to name but a few. This is a country punching well above its weight in musical talent and that shows no sign of abating in 2015.

As well as some terrific releases last year from the likes of Chris Devotion, Withered Hand and Atom Tree, 2014 also saw the release of the debut album from Glasgow two piece Honeyblood. The first time I heard their debut I immediately thought of Postcard Records, Camera Obscura, The Shop Assistants and, perhaps subconsciously, another Glasgow two piece Strawberry Switchblade, although the band themselves cite PJ Harvey and The Breeders as major influences. Packed full of great melodies and gutsy hooks this is a hugely impressive debut album that bodes well for the future. Formed in 2012 through a mutual love of Best Coast, 2015 should hopefully see a breakthrough for one of the most exciting new bands around. Their debut certainly goes some way to delivering on the promise of their early singles mainly because nearly every song feels like it could be a single, starting with the terrific opener Fall Forever.

There is a huge amount of good reason to be optimistic about  the music scene in Scotland and the likes of Honeyblood, Young Fathers and Atom Tree showcase the new, emerging bands that make Scotland, and Glasgow in particular, somewhere that bands continue to want to play.