Wojtek The Bear - A Long Wait For Bad News

Fun fact - Wojtek was a bear who was enlisted in the Polish Army during World War II, rising to the rank of corporal, before retiring to Scotland and living out his life in Edinburgh Zoo.

I'm presuming that it is this ursine and its Scottish connection is where Glasgow band wojtek the bear (all lower case) took their name from. The band released their debut album last year, and are just about to set sail with Belle & Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub & a host of other heavy hitters on a set of Mediterranean dates.

The group have just released their latest single, and second of 2019, called "a long wait for bad news". Musically, the song calls to mind the sound of fellow compatriots Idlewild & King Creosote, a melancholic folk-inflected indie-rock song, held together by the sorrowful and haunting tones of Tam Killean.

"A long wait for bad news" by wojtek the bear will feature on "old names for new shapes", a limited edition 10" vinyl collecting the band's planned single releases for the year, in November 2019.

Teenage Fanclub - I'm In Love

As anyone who has read this blog on a regular basis or follows me on Twitter will know that one of my favourite bands ever is Teenage Fanclub. As far as the rankings go, I put them at #3 on my list of top musicians, although admittedly it's been a while since I've considered my internal band ranking, so I might have to sit down at some point and consider whether there should be any movement (and just so you know, #2 is The Cure, and I don't need to tell you who is at #1).

It's been about six years since the band have released their last album, "Shadows", although the members have been rather busy in the interim period. Norman Blake releasing records as both The New Mendicants and in collaboration with Euros Childs, Jonny. Gerard Love released an album under the name Lightships, whilst Raymond McGinley played guitar for Snowgoose. They reconvened last year to record a new album, and with that on its way in September, they've unleashed the lead single on us.

"I'm In Love" offers a welcome return to the band after their absence. Like most of their post "Songs From Northern Britain" material, it's a lot less noisy and more subdued, yet still has all those qualities that make us love the band - the sunkissed harmonies, the jangly guitars, and that unbridled optimism that shines through. At this point in their career, what you get from a new Teenage Fanclub release is more or less what you expect from it, but of course that doesn't make it any less satisfying.

"Here" will be released on 9th September on CD, vinyl, download & cassette.

Prides - Messiah

Having introduced themselves to the world last year with the fantastic "Out Of The Blue" last year, and re-reminded us of their brilliance a few months ago with "The Seeds You Sow", everyone's favourite non-Chvrches Scottish synth-pop trio Prides have announced the release of their brand new single.

The band have stated that the goal of their new single, "Messiah", is to bring back pitch bent keyboard sounds into popular music. To allow it to rise from the dead, if you will. And I think it's fair to say that they have done a pretty decent job of it. Prides seem to specialise in making synth-pop that is just screaming out to be played in stadiums, and if "Messiah", a track that's as 80s as the Rubik's Cube and as big as Giant Haystacks, is anything to go by, they are gradually inching their way there.

"Messiah" will be released on June 23rd. They play at The Great Escape, Brighton on May 9th, and spend the rest of the month supporting Foxes, the lucky beggars.

Prides - The Seeds You Sow

Q. What type of material is "The Seeds You Sow", the new single from Glasgow based trio Prides, made out of?

A. Chart material. It is made of chart material.

Prides crashed onto our radar back in May with the stonkingly good "Out Of The Blue", a track so good that the only people who hate it are those without ears and prog-rock fans. Now with a major label behind them, the band are lining up their first E.P release in March. Before that, they've got new single "The Seeds You Sow" coming out, and if that song doesn't give them their first charting single, then I honestly don't know what will. It's a fantastic slice of synth-pop that isn't afraid to overload on infectious hooks. Prides are on the tipping point to greatness, and "The Seeds You Sow" deserves to be the song that pushes them there.

"The Seeds You Sow" will be released as a single on February 10th, with the E.P to follow on March 31st.

The Little Kicks - Girl

Over the past few days, the wonderful Public Service Broadcasting have been announcing the artists who will be supporting them on their upcoming tour. While there are a few names announced that this blog is familiar with (including the wonderful Yes Cadets, who have been announced as the support for their Belfast gig at The Stiff Kitten on November 15th), it's always nice to come across some names which are new to the blog.

Names like Aberdeen based band The Little Kicks. They will be supporting the band for the Scottish portion of their tour from November 4th-6th, and it gives us a great excuse to check out their most recent single, the immediately infectious "Girl". With its great indie-disco rhythm, and sleek production, it comes off as a great cross between Franz Ferdinand and Eugene McGuinness. If you are heading to see Public Service Broadcasting in Aberdeen, Glasgow or Edinburgh, then you have no excuse not to head down early to catch them.

"Girl" is taken from The Little Kicks' new album "Put Your Love in Front of Me", which is out now.