Like many expat Scots, I find myself talking about Scotland a lot. And aside from the standard conversations about golf, whisky or Braveheart the subject of Scottish music frequently arises. In the past, when band names alone were not enough to impress certain people, I would end up making them a mixtape or cd.
These days I usually just tell any unbelievers to look up DearScotland.com, but if it is someone really important then I think a lovingly compiled mixtape or cd can be pretty special.
There has been so much great new Scottish music showcased on these pages by the likes of Vic Galloway, Matthew Young, Peenko and Shiner that I thought it was about time that I made a wee Dear Scotland cd.
So if you want to show your mates or co-workers why Scotland is still the greatest place in the world for music, or if you just want to hear some of the best new Scottish bands around, then this cd is for you.
All of the bands on the playlist have featured on these pages recently as regular readers will know. This iMix playlist is available now on iTunes in the US by following this link. It should fit nicely on one cd.
More about the bands featured:
Side 1
1. Frightened Rabbit – Just back from a great SXSW and about to head out on major US tour – article here
2. We Were Promised Jetpacks – Just finished headline US tour, Dear Scotland interview
3. The Phantom Band – Dear Scotland interview ahead of French shows in December
4. Sparrow and the Workshop – Heading out on European tour with Brian Jonestown Massacre – article here
5. Broken Records – Dear Scotland interview ahead of European tour last year
6. Meursault – About to release 2nd album on Matthew’s Song by Toad Records and European Tour imminent
7. Camera Obscura – Currently on US tour, Dear Scotland interview here
8. Paolo Nutini – Announced European tour and festivals this week
9. Withered Hand – Edinburgh singer songwriter, championed by Matthew
10. Over The Wall – Peenko’s band of the week this week
...
Side 2
11. Errors – 2nd album just released, European dates coming, Dear Scotland interview
12. Django Django – Dear Scotland interview ahead of French shows last year
13. Young Fathers – Pioneering Scottish hip hop artists. Late scratch from SXSW, article here.
14. Franz Ferdinand – Currently on tour in South America, article here.
15. Copy Haho – Dear Scotland interview ahead of recent European dates with Los Campesinos
16. Twin Atlantic – On tour in US now, Dear Scotland interview
17. St Deluxe – Just back from storming SXSW, Dear Scotland interview here
18. Spaghetti Anywhere – One of Peenko’s favourites from last month
19. Biffy Clyro – About to finish massive US tour
20. Zoey Van Goey – Just played show in Dublin
Hope you like it. Please download the tunes legally from iTunes and support the artists.
The Dear
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCkUqQesAxw