It’s been a few weeks since my gig at Henry’s Cellar Bar with The Occasional Flickers and Thank You So Nice (TYSN).

Here’s the board outside the venue on the night in question…

I’ve no idea who Dr. No is, but he sounds like a fun dude. ’60s, ska, rock steady and early reggae? All in one night? Phew!

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. The gig on the 9th of March was great fun. I have to say a huge thank you to TYSN for inviting me to come and play.

I also want to say a massive thanks to my special guests who were kind enough to join me on stage; Simon Herron, Sam Bradley and Kelagh O’Neill.

Kelagh provided vocals on my most recent LP ‘Like Lovers‘ but took on the challenge of learning parts for 2 new songs. Here we are duetting on ‘Roll’ in a very different version to the way it appears on ‘Like Lovers’…

Just for comparison’s sake, here’s ‘Roll’ as it appears on the LP…

In further gig related news, I’ve been invited to headline The Listening Room in The Blue Blazer pub, Edinburgh on Sunday June 30th at 8pm.

I previously headlined The Listening Room last year and it was great fun.

For those who aren’t familiar with the concept, The Listening Room is completely unplugged. That is, no mics, wires or nonsense. Just performer and audience in the same room, sharing an evening.

The night starts at 7pm, with several artists performing up to 3 of their own compositions. Just FYI, the standard is intimidatingly high! You will not regret coming along early. The night is rounded off by the featured performer who goes on around 8pm.

Thank you so much to everyone who came along to gig at Henry’s. I’d be so pleased if you wanted to come and see me again (or for the first time!) at The Listening Room on June 30th

Muchas gracias
Arran

I was very kindly invited by the wonderful folks of Thank You So Nice to appear at their next gig as a very special guest!

The gig is entitled Nuts In March, an obscure reference to ye olde BBC film ‘Nuts In May‘ (TYSN couldn’t wait 2 months to justify the reference!).

The gig is happening at Henry’s Cellar Bar (on Morrison Street) in Edinburgh, on Saturday March 9th. Doors open at 7pm and it’s £3 in (Facebook event here).

For that princely sum, you get to see TYSN, The Occasional Flickers and myself. That’s £1 per band! Kerrrrrazy!

I’ll be performing some guitar versions of tunes from my latest LP ‘Like Lovers‘ and will hopefully invite some special guests to join me onstage! So you should come!

With the gig imminent, and with TYSN organising the event themselves, I decided it was time to dust off the Arran Arctic Podcast and grill TYSN on all things gig related.

Listen below (or subscribe to the podcast feed in iTunes)…

 This podcast featured music from…
Thank You So Nice – thankyousonice.blogspot.co.uk / tysn.bandcamp.com
The Occasional Flickers – occasionalflickers.co.uk / lingeronrecords.bandcamp.com

 Note: Express consent was received from each band before they were included

This podcast also mentions…
Henry’s Cellar Bar - theraft.org.uk
Dauphin - dauphinmag.com
Jock Rock - jockrock.org
Scots Whay Hae! – scotswhayhae.com

To download this podcast and listen at your leisure, right-click the file below…
Arran Arctic Podcast #6

Every now and again, I come across a record that has the power to make me perform a complete 180. That is, on the initial listen I’ll absolutely hate it, but over time come to love it more than my (as yet non-existent) children.

‘Something‘ by Chairlift is one of these records.

A while back, on first listening to PJ Harvey‘s ‘Let England Shake‘, I  publicly decreed my dissatisfaction… then later had to humbly repent. I decided to learn from past mistakes and keep my gut reaction to ‘Something’ under my hat. And boy, did it pay off!

It seems there’s value in the old adage; “if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. Mainly because it allows you to skip the apologies when you later have lots of nice things to say!

Like most folk, Chairlift initially came to my attention by way of an Apple iPod commercial featuring their song ‘Bruises’ from their debut album ‘Does You Inspire You‘.

Between then and now, Chairlift have abandoned their icy indie in favour of punchy pop. Along the way they’ve lost a member but gained something much more valuable, a sense of fun.

That’s not to say ‘Does You Inspire You’ is a bad record. On the contrary, it’s an album I return to again and again. But, where ‘Something’ surpasses its predecessor is in it’s willingness to give front woman Caroline Polachek’s vocals free reign.

Although her vocals have always been front and centre, Polachek really shines on ‘Something’. One rarely hears such accomplished technical vocal ability sans auto tune. Don’t believe me? Listen to Chairlift live…

I’ll admit there are a few tracks on ‘Something’ that I’m not fussed on. However, there is always at least one moment or melody that is worth waiting for on every song, and band mate Patrick Wimberley’s production is flawless throughout.

What has also helped this record win me round are the band’s fantastic alternative promotional videos (see above regarding newly found sense of fun!). The Japanese version of ‘I Belong In Your Arms’ and karaoke style video are justification enough for the new fans Chairlift are no doubt winning.

And here’s another version of ‘Met Before’ with Mystery NYC girl group vocalists accompanied by fucked up bass guitar. Listen to those choral harmonies!

I’d strongly suggest anyone who initially passed on ‘Something’ go back for a second listen. I, for one, am really glad I did. And the record is all the more enjoyable without having to eat my own words!

Cheers
Arran

OMERGOD! ‘Like Lovers’ is here!

Instead of me prattling on, I’ll let you enjoy the record in all its glory.
You can download ‘Like lovers’ for £2, or buy the CD for £5, at its album page.

I also promised you another free single didn’t I. Alright then, here you go. It’s called ‘Window’ and is track no.7 on ‘Like Lovers’.

‘Window’ features guest vocals from the amazing Kelagh O’Neill of Jump:Press A fame. Her voice is as clear as a ringing bell and graces ‘Like Lovers’ on a further 2 occasions, namely ‘Armies’ and album closer ‘Slumber’.

Oh, and I’ll also mention that the artwork for the free single ‘Window’ was designed by my bestest pal in the world, Dan Hanna. If you have graphic design needs, he’s your man.

Window (Single)

I have to admit it folks, I’m a little burnt out, so the accompanying video for ‘Window’ isn’t quite as spacktacular as its predecessor ‘Covers’.

The video is a simple moment I captured when recently traveling North from Edinburgh to Inverness for a brief “I’m going mental getmethefuckoutofhere!” break. I think it has a charm of its own, and lets the music speak for itself.

I’ll speak more about the making of ‘Like Lovers’ in the coming weeks.

For now though, I’d like to say a huge thank you to my partner Dan for putting up with me during the recording of the album, Kelagh for lending her awesome voice to the LP, (different!) Dan for creating the ‘Window’ single artwork and all the music podcasters, bloggers, broadcasters and reviewers who generously support my music with nothing less than their time and effort.

And finally, thank you to everyone who is listening.

If you do like ‘Like Lovers’ please download or buy it and tell your pals. If you don’t, go watch X Factor… it’s on right now.

Much love
Arran xoxo

Surprise! Here’s a free single called ‘Covers’ from my upcoming LP.

Covers (Single)

The LP itself will be called ‘Like Lovers’ and will feature plenty more dark and light little vignettes on love and relationships.

As promised, ‘Like Lovers’ will be mostly clarsach (small harp) based, but there are a few surprises and variations on the theme along the way.

Oh! And I made a video for ‘Covers’. It’s amazing what you can achieve in 30 minutes with a torch in a dark room!

If you like the song, the video, or both, do me a flavour and share it with your pals on Facebook… or something. If you hate it, give your enemies a buzz

I know this is a bit out of the blue. If it was an official type release I’d have buzzed the crap out of this free single for about 3 months leading up to its release. However, one of the nice things of being an independent musician is that I can do whatever the hell I want, whenever the hell I feel like it

Accordingly, the full LP, ‘Like Lovers’, will be available at some point in the next few months. Who gives a rat’s tits about release dates? It’s ready when it’s ready!

Cheers
Arran

Beach House have been around for a while, but they only really came to my attention with the track ‘Norway’ from their previous album ‘Teen Dream‘…

Although I love that track, I didn’t really find anything on the rest of the album that held my interest. That’s not to say that this album is bad, just not to my own personal taste.

That’s why ‘Bloom‘ was such a surprise. The lead single ‘Myth’ led me to the rest of the record which, although criticised by some for being too samey, I personally find to be their most consistent, well-rounded and accessible album.

If you like summer tinged dream-pop with glacial bursts of guitars and a hypnotically androgynous lead female vocalist, you’re not going to get better than this.

Oh, and the LP cover glows in the dark. Suuuweeeeet!

If I’ve got one criticism, I don’t know why the vinyl release had to be made 45rpm and split across 2 records. The album also features a hidden track, which is a personal pet peeve of mine. But who cares when the tunes are this good

Cheers
Arran

Howdy everyone. It’s been a while since I last wrote because I’ve been knee deep in musical related business.

Unfortunately, this means a few of my other streams have suffered (the Arran Arctic Podcast, Twitter etc.), but I didn’t get into this music biz to sit on Twatter all day!

I’m very pleased to report I’ve finished recording a new LP’s worth of tracks. I even managed to rope in Kelagh O’Neill of Jump: Press A for a few guest vocal spots!

Double thumbs up! Yeah, we had fun

 Sadly, since recording is finished the fun part is over. Now follows weeks of making minute adjustments to mix, EQ and volume… mastering = frustration.

I’m hoping to get a free single up on the website this autumn, followed closely by the album itself. I’ll be posting the album artwork before that though, so plenty to look forward to.

Stick with me folks, we’re nearly there

Cheers
Arran

Those of you following me on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter may already have heard that I’ve been locked away, toiling over an entire re-brand of my back catalogue.

Well, feast your eyes my friends, the time is now…

‘In My Hands’ CD – £5.00	‘The Boy In Brown’ CD – £5.00
‘Electronic Blood’ CD – £5.00	‘Notebook’ CD – £5.00
‘By The Sea’ CD – £5.00

You can click the album covers above to go to each album page, where a larger image of the new relevant artwork is available

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed there are Add to Cart buttons for all the albums. That’s because, where previously only In My Hands and The Boy In Brown were available on CD, my first 3 albums are now also available!

To celebrate, I’ve added a whole range of CD Bundle Deals on the Buy page.

The Bundles are explained below in this handy video…

I can’t stress enough: if you do decide to purchase a CD Bundle Deal, please use the relevant CD Bundle Deal Add to Cart button on the Buy page.

Don’t just use the individual Add to Cart buttons for each album, because you’ll be charged £5 each time – It’ll show up in your shopping cart, so you’ll know what you’re getting

Once you go to the checkout with your CD Bundle Deal, you can specify which albums you want, and in what quantity, by leaving a note to the seller – me!

Hope you enjoy the new artwork and bundles

Cheers
Arran

The fantastic website, Scots Whay Hae!, who featured ‘Interrupt Me’ from In My Hands as one of their top 5 tracks of 2011 and also featured me on their recent podcast have started a series of posts on lost albums.

They’ve been asking for contributions from readers, so I thought I’d submit some blurb on one of my favourite lost albums: ‘Parallelograms’ by Linda Perhacs.

And, not only were they kind enough to post my submission, but they also described me as “one of the most interesting and experimental musicians in Scotland today” – thanks guys!

For my full spiel on the album, go check out my featured post on Scots Whay Hae!

And listen to Linda Perhacs! She’s awesome!

Cheers
Arran

That’s right! I’m in the studio… by which I mean my house, because you all know I roll DIY

In the "studio"

I’ve made a tentative approach to writing about musical work in progress, because creating music is, for me, an intensely personal and solitary experience.

The last thing I need is to be told the demo I’ve just posted sounds crap… goodbye motivation!

Another issue of sharing work in progress is that you can end up going in a different musical direction, either shelving or binning the demo you’ve already punted out.

This is the case with A Land That’s Ours, a demo track I included in episode number 1 of the Arran Arctic Podcast series (you can download the demo by signing up to the AA mailing list and visiting the Fans Only area of the website).

Although folk were genuinely supportive and encouraging of the track (thank you!!!), A Land That’s Ours just didn’t fit with the direction I’ve ended up taking with my recent recordings (it’s been shelved, not disposed of!).

This brings me to the new music I’ve been “in the studio” recording…

The lengths I travel to get the right quality of sound!

I’m very excited to announce there will be a new Arran Arctic album as a result of my recent work – just don’t ask me when it will be ready! Originally I had thought the recordings might provide me with a mini-album, but gosh darn it, I just couldn’t let it be.

I was trying to keep it secret, but I think I’ve let it slip on social media that the main instrument I’ve been composing / recording on is a 19 string clarsach (or small harp).

I love the sound of harps and, although I would’ve liked to sit behind a full concert sized beast, secretly pretending I was Joanna Newsom, the AA budget (£0) can only stretch so far…

Someone's been taking full advantage of my empty instrument cases...

I had a few wobbles about the general sound of the album (what, no guitars?!), but some good advice from my pals on Facebook steadied my hand – thanks guys

To say any more would be reckless, so I’ll just say that things are going well. Rest assured, I will let you know as soon as there is something to show for my labours.

Thanks for listening.
Arran xoxo