Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

Another week has passed, the highpoint of which was a wonderful meetup with my friend / Three From Leith listener / Podcast User Magazine editor Linda who kindly flew up from London after PodcastConUK on the 19th to spend the day with me. We had a great day, I was filled in with the goings-on at PCCUK, we blethered, we ate and Alastair from Dropkick and I made Linda try Irn Bru. It must have been a hit – the can’s now back in Philadelphia !

This week’s show came about through my observation that Blind Divine had a Kate Bush-ness about Paula’s vocals; after that I went through my collection and the web to find Kate-ness to bring you. Enjoy the results.

Blind Divine – Something Magical
Impressed by last week’s track, I just had to play another from the 3-CD box-set, ‘Melancholia’, which the band very kindly sent me over. This is the opening track from their 2005 release, ‘Devouring The Beautiful’, and beautiful is the word I’d use to describe it. Snap a CD up for Christmas here.
Blind Divine’s MySpace
Email Blind Divine

Lindsay Sugden – In This Life
Intelligent, talented multi-instrumentalist and singer with a hauntingly sensual voice, it’s Lindsay from Chocyamo and Flowers for Algernon. The e-bowed guitar lines in here make me just want to melt; I don’t know why, but they just do. Magical ! Buy the ‘When Lightening Strikes’ EP by clicking the PayPal logo here.
Lindsay’s MySpace
Email Lindsay

Alice Marie – Lipstick Diaries
Life-coach and sensual songstress Alice Marie’s song was hauntingly familiar, especially when I remembered it as ‘the dodgy stomach song’. You’ll hear why in the show; needless to say it’s a bit light-hearted and possibly slightly disrespectful to such an amazing song. Listen out for the vocal and guitar solo interplay at the end. It sends shivers up my spine; I love the emotional and physiological effects that great music can have on me. Buy the music here.
Alice Marie’s MySpace
Email Alice Marie

The soundbed was ‘Sad Sequence Part3 (edited)’ by Fumitaka Anzai.
Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
The Podcast Of Pointless Singing – top-class silliness as people submit those daft little tunes sing to themselves without realising.
The Electrical Language Podcast – Gabor’s first anniverary podcast is almost upon him !! The more of you I refer, the more money he owes me 😉 Drop him a note or send him an audio comment and tell him what your favourite track was from the last twelve months of TELP, and he’ll play it again just for you ! Keep my bribe money rolling in !!!
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – November issue out now & December issue out soon !

Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: Leith, Blind Divine, Lindsay Sugden, Chocyamo, Flowers for Algernon, Alice Marie, Fumitaka Anzai, Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, The Podcast Of Pointless Singing, The Electrical Language Podcast, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine

Who says lyrics can’t be literature ?

A BAND from Edinburgh has seen one of their songs taught alongside Shakespeare and the poets of the First World War to help pupils improve their English.

The Dead Beat Club, a Capital-based band formed just over a year ago, have been approached by a school in England and asked if the lyrics to their song, Circa 1985, can be used as part of their GCSE course work.

Well done to Andy and the boys and girls – a very cultured bunch indeed now ! Read the full story on the Edinburgh Evening News website.

Technorati Tags: The Dead Beat Club, Edinburgh Evening News

Just when you begin to believe that podcasting is taking off, along comes a story like this (albeit based on research in the US) to bring you back down to earth.

Even more of a shock was the online poll that the BBC conducted:

It’s a sobering response and indicates just how much more we podcasters have to do to convince the public that our podcasts are worth downloading and listening to. Let’s get to it !

Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

We had a lovely summer, and a very mild start to the autumn / winter here in sunny Leith. Every week since I can remember I’ve recorded the show whilst wearing slouch pants and a t-shirt, feeling warm and clean after my post-cycle shower and slumming about as the weekend began. This week there was a marked change – the TFL studio was really quite cold and my feet were like two blocks of ice, so the heating had to be turned back on again. Next week I’ll have to podcast wearing a warm fleece and proper legwear, and the usual recording garb will be put in storage until the warmth returns in the summer of 2007 ! Yes, as I said last week, time is really flying by….

Stephanie’s Id – Unmistakably Love
Bask in the warm glow of this beautiful song by the lovely Stephanie’s Id. It has hints of summer romance and a cheery hummability that will leave you clamouring for more. Huge thanks to Stephanie for getting the track to me, and hearty congratulations for her recent marriage to Chuck. If you’d like to hear more and buy their music, download them from iTunes or take a trip here for the phtsical CDs !
Stephanie’s Id’s MySpace
Email Stephanie’s Id via their MySpace page

Ledenhed – Same
Transplanted Canadian Ledenhed dropped me an email telling me about himself and pointing me to his music on the PMN. I clicked the link and really enjoyed what I heard; so much so that he instantly joined the tracklisting for this week’s show ! Psych-pop at its best, this track stood straight out and it’s a cracking winner. See if you agree. If you do, go and tell him so and vote with your wallet as you pick up his work.
Ledenhed’s MySpace
Email Ledenhed

Blind Divine – Find The Cure
Another last-minute approach from a band which led to me being so impressed that it was dropped into this week’s show, especially since it fitted the vibe so well. It was almost as if it was always meant to be here. To my ear a lovely melting-pot of Kate Bush, Delerium, Hungry Lucy which pours out a distinctive sound all of its own for Blind Divine. One to savour, so make sure you try (and buy) some more here.
Blind Divine’s MySpace
Email Blind Divine

The soundbed was ‘Sad Sequence Part1-2 (edited)’ by Fumitaka Anzai.
Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
The Electrical Language Podcast – Gabor’s first anniverary podcast is almost upon him !! The more of you I refer, the more money he owes me 😉 Drop him a note or send him an audio comment and tell him what your favourite track was from the last twelve months of TELP, and he’ll play it again just for you !
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – November issue out now & December issue out soon !

Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: Leith, Stephanie’s Id, Ledenhed, Blind Divine, Fumitaka Anzai, Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, The Electrical Language Podcast, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine

Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

The weeks are just flying by now. I’m just realising that summer is really over now and before that’s sunk in I’ve been reminded that there are just 6 weeks left until Christmas. Argh !! It’s definitely an age thing – time speeds up as you get older, where once it crawled by during childhood. Similarly, the older Three From Leith gets, the quicker each week passes and the wiser I get. This week I learned that no matter HOW much you like a track, it’s wise to wait until you have a copy of it in your virtual hands before you record a show which includes it. That way you prevent that awful feeling of panic which grows as the publishing date gets nearer and you realise you might need to re-record a large segment of the show to include a completely different song ! I’ve only got myself (and MySpace) to blame. I now know that any tracks you get permission to download from there are encoded at 96kbps and sound dreadful on a show mixed down and encoded at 160kbps. Now sit back and enjoy the fruits of my panicked labours !

Impossible Songs – Let’s Make Pearls
With an innocence in the vocals reminiscent of Electrum, this duo from South Queensferry produce some sublime alt-pop which they describe as sounding like “a mixture of [their influences listed on their MySpace page] when falling out of a tumble dryer and not being picked up for a few days.” Whatever it is, I love it ! If you love it too, buy their CDs here or check out the impressive list of shops and download sites on their MySpace page.
Impossible Songs’ MySpace
Email Impossible Songs via their MySpace page

Sky Like Static – Nervous Enemy
The enigmatic Sky i (who I’ve identified as Andi Watson through the wonders of Google) is definitely an artist to watch for. This is a cracker. I’ve also learned (through a mysterious Mr X who learned of my request to play this track through channels I cannot explain) that there will be a band to tour the material and an album being launched in (hopefully) January 2007. It’s all getting a bit X-Files….
Sky Like Static’s MySpace
Email Sky Like Static via their MySpace page

The Lost Patrol – Orbit
Let me just quote a chunk from these New Yorkers’ MySpace: “…Such emotive range then and such diversity. Few bands can make you weep one moment and smile the next…The Lost Patrol are Badalamenti meets Morricone. Blue hotels and ghost highways…” This track also throws in a large smattering of influences from Pink Floyd’s “One Of These Days” and Dr Who. Marvellous ! Grab a stash of their wares here and revel in it.
The Lost Patrol’s MySpace
Email The Lost Patrol

The soundbed was ‘Fujiyama Dawn’ by Nick and Gerald.
Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
The Electrical Language Podcast – Gabor’s first anniverary podcast is coming up soon. Drop him a note or send him an audio comment and tell him what your favourite track was from the last twelve months of TELP, and he’ll play it again just for you !
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – November issue out now !

Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: Nick and Gerald, Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, The Electrical Language Podcast, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine

Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

It will come as no surprise to many – given the number of plays over the last year – that Phideaux Xavier is one of my all-time favourite independent artists. As a teen prog-lover, it comes as a breath of fresh air in my middle age that there are still musicians out there that love the genre and can provide a fresh, new angle that still sends the shivers down my spine when I listen.

It’s therefore with great pleasure that I present an interview with Phideaux, where I play and discuss three tracks from his latest CD, ‘The Great Leap’. Part one of a conceptual trilogy (part two – “Doomsday Afternoon” – will follow sometime later in the year) and named after Chairman Mao’s famously inept great leap forward’ campaign, it’s an album of “angry, scary, paranoid songs about life in an increasingly totalitarian society”.

Wake Up

Rainboy

Last

If you want to get hold of the CD (or any other Phideaux albums), you’ll find a list of vendors’ sites here. As the proud owner of every single one, I can safely say that each one is a gem in its own right and worth every penny / cent / dollar / pound.

Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
The Electrical Language Podcast – my good friend (and unofficial legal advisor) Gabor’s about to do another amazing job of hosting his second AMP’ed show in the space of so many months (see below). Go cheer him on !
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – November issue out soon !

Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, The Electrical Language Podcast, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine

Yes, it’s that time again ! Issue 10 is now out. Read what I thought of my Review Roulette choice and find out more about the cross-continent / cross-network Accident Mash !

You can also meet the many of the good people behind PUM at the upcoming PodcastCon UK. Sadly, I won’t be there but do make sure you say hello to my lovely colleagues !

Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

Lots of different things in this week’s Three From Leith – vocals recorded with the help of the SE Reflexions Filter (aka The Beast), an advert which isn’t all that it seems to be and some soul from a member of the family. I don’t think I’ve quite managed to get the settings right on my audio processor to cope with the changes brought about by the filter – hopefully the quality’s not bad enough to spoil your enjoyment of my ramblings !

Have a listen and see what this all means….

Jette-Ives – E
Jette-Ives is the amalgamation of writer/singer Jette Kelly (my new chocolate-eating friend and diet guru !!) and composer/producer Holmes Ives. The duo was introduced at a party in 2005 by a mutual friend who predicted an explosive collaboration. He was right. This is a track from their debut album, ‘In The Deep’, which will be released early in 2007. Keep your eyes on their website for details.
Jette-Ives’ MySpace
Email Jette-Ives

Lauran Gangl-Plant / The GangBangs UK – Swell
Now even as a qualified linguist I had trouble pinning Lauran’s accent down, though I knew she was Scots. It turns out that she is Glasgow born, moved to St Andrews until she was nine and then variously in the British Virgin Islands, Mecca, Memphis, Aix en Provence, Miami, NYC, Paris, Puerto Rico & LA. She’s sung with the Paris Opera Company, Robert Plant, Rod Stewart, Lou Reed, Julio Iglesias and Belinda Carlisle. Phew ! She’s engaged to Robert Plant’s nephew (uncle-in-law is singing backing vocals on this track !), though as you heard she loves me and informs me that the opening instrument is a Pipa and not a banjo as I thought !! A wonderfully friendly lady and a wonderfully upbeat and summery song. Go buy the Swell album here, or get The GangBangs UK on iTunes.
Lauran / The GangBangs UK’s MySpace
Email Lauran / The GangBangs UK

Ron Joseph – A Change Is Gonna Come
The Soul Man of Bourbon Street – my brother-in-law is an amazing showman, singer and drummer from New Orleans. If you’ve ever been on a Carnival Cruise, you might have experienced one of his incredible shows. He’s a born entertainer and really HAS to be seen live, working the crowds. A star !
Ron can be contacted via Three From Leith

The soundbed was ‘Flying Home’ by Charlie North.
Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
The Electrical Language Podcast – my good friend Gabor’s parents fled Hungary 50 years ago during the revolution and came to England. This week’s very personal podcast talks about this black period in history and plays Hungarian artists. A must-listen and a fine example of what podcasting is all about.
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – November issue out soon !

Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: SE Reflexions Filter, Jette-Ives, Lauran Gangl-Plant, The GangBangs UK, Ron Joseph, Charlie North, Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, The Electrical Language Podcast, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine

The sampler podcast for Podcast User Magazine is now available – listen to what’s on offer in the upcoming issue !

www.podcastusermagazine.com for your free copy of the magazine.

Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

I knew it, I really knew it. Me joking about superstition and getting all smug again about at lack of visits from the Flat Tyre Fairy the other week was just tempting fate a little too much. I got one coming home on Friday with five miles still to go, requiring me to remove the back wheel and replace the tube by the side of the cyclepath. This meant I was even less organised when I sat down to record that night, yet from a position of having no music lined up I ended up with a playlist that I was really pleased with. See if you agree.

Isa & The Filthy Tongues – How Many Days
Originally sent to me earlier in the year by their label, the excellent Circular Records, this is a wonderfully raw yet restrained track from their Addiction CD. You can buy it now from Circular Records, or from CDBaby in the US.
Isa & The Filthy Tongues’ MySpace
Email Isa & The Filthy Tongues

Nick & Gerald – Clear Air Turbulence (Redux)

A wonderful, atmospheric track that’s been getting a fair amount of play in podcasting circles recently from the excellent Nick & Gerald. As a Mike Oldfield fan from an early age, Gerald’s guitar work is subtly influenced yet a delight to those who appreciate it. Their new album, Anomaly, is available to buy here now, or for download from iTunes.
Nick & Gerald’s MySpace
Email Nick & Gerald

Hobotalk – Me & My Mountain
A small world. An old upstairs neighbour of mine is the keyboard player in the sublime, gentle Hobotalk. Little did I know back then that our paths would cross again like this years later. Another winner on the Circular Records label, which is available to buy here.
Hobotalk don’t appear to have a MySpace 🙁
Email Hobotalk

The soundbed was ‘Transparency Of Freedom’ by Aeryal.
Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
Well Made Music – a new podcast playing podsafe ambient, electronic and lounge music from around the world hosted by a fellow Scot name Neil. If you enjoy my soundbeds, chances are you’ll love this. Show 4 is now out !
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – November issue out soon !

Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: Circular Records, Isa & The Filthy Tongues, Nick & Gerald, Mike Oldfield, Hobotalk, Aeryal, Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, Well Made Music, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine