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I couldn’t live without this podcast. I’m so addicted to it now. Mark picks great independant bands from Scotland and the UK, and his selections are usually brilliant. This has got to be one of the best podcasts out there. I hope it continues to grow in fanbase and popularity. Mark really deserves it. Well Done!!

A thoroughly enjoyable show. Great music, and an obviously knowledgeable host who knows his stuff. And the dead sexy accent doesn’t hurt a thing…

Well, shucks

Hands down one of the best podcasts on the internet. I stumbled across this podcast when there were only a handful out there and it remains my favorite podcast.

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Following the demise of the much-loved Sleepy Sunday Show, Tartan Podcast host Mark Hunter has brought the world something beautiful. Playing a carefully chosen blend of chilled out scottish music and minimal use of Mark’s soothing scottish tones, regular fans didn’t think it was possible but the Mellow Monday Show just gets better every week.

This is one of those few unmissable podcasts, and I guarantee subscribing to this show will greatly improve the hardest day of the week- and that you’ll be heaping praise on and telling all your friends about Scotland’s finest podcaster.

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Does what it says on the tin! Music to drive to work to at the start of the week. Invariably good stuff.

And Mark is the top man in UK music podcasting, and the MMS shows why.

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If you haven’t posted up a review yet, the links are below, including the tartanpodcast on Podshow +

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• John Jackson - Fifteen Minutes
• Shiny Thing - Tone Deaf Dolly
• Amplifico - All Your Sins
• Gum - Is Everybody Happy?

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The second of 2 ‘officially’ finished tracks, according to their blog, from their forthcoming debut album, an album that’s being funded through gig ticket sales, sales of their two Hometakes EPs and fan donations.

First, a wee bit of history of the song. ‘Comedy Stops Here’ was first heard on the Amplificast, the band’s podcast, where snippets of it could be heard while the band recorded themselves discussing songwriting and production at the recording studio. Rolled out in subsequent weeks at gigs around the country, it became clear it was a dyed in the wool crowd pleaser; athemic and melodic, grabbing ambivilent teenage audiences at uber-cool Glasgow venues and satisfying long-toothed fans at the same time. Speaking personally, I heard the track in it’s entirety at ABC2 in Glasgow at the turn of the year and awoke the following morning with the chorus buzzing around my head, prompting me to email the band and beg for an mp3 of it to sate my inner ear’s fixation.

Finally the song is finished and I’ve had the pleasure of playing on the tartanpodcast, and listening to it several times on my iPod.

Musically it’s much more mature than most of Hometakes 1&2, with a few expections, such as ‘10p Mix’. But that’s to be expected as it’s plain that Amplifico have grown considerably as songwriters, musicians and performers over the past year. However, classic Amplifico hooks are in place, such as Ross’s signature hard angled yet tuneful riffs nestling just behind Donna’s punctuated piano. A noticeably dirty overdubbed guitar adds a nice texture to the verses, and the lead up to each chorus echoes the middle 8; subtler and quieter, giving the chorus more bite. The chorus itself is a work of art, a thing of infectious beauty. Accessible yet profound at the same time, I defy you not to be mumbling it under your breath days after you hear it for the first time.

Repeat listening isn’t required for ‘Comedy Stops Here’, the track itself demands it.

This could we be the single that ‘breaks’ Amplifico from struggling yet gifted Edinburgh musos to A&R courted hotties.

I’ve got a page on Scotcast.net, which is proving to be a great resource for Scottish podcasts.

If you can give the tartanpodcast some love over there I’d really appreciate it - click through to my Scotcast page here, throw down a vote, write a review!

Your reward will be great….

1. Time Going By; the first track on the mini album and the first referencing a theme that seems to develop as the album progresses - time, obviously. One wonders if the inspiration for this song came from the time passing between the release of their 2003 debut album ‘Low Flying Kites’ and the decision of certain key band members to depart during the interim period, citing the length of time it takes in the music industry to make a discernable impact. As an opener the track is bright and catchy, Leigh’s multilayered vocals settling comfortably over Raymond’s rythmic chord progression. However, it doesn’t have the depth that we’re used to from Gum as per ‘Low Flying Kites’. That depth follows… 4 out of 5. SPEAKERS
   
2. Beyond the Horizon; The time references continue on the second track, the mood mellowing and darkening a little from the opener’s clear blue sky, borne out by the addition of a heavier guitar riff and horn arrangement. Leigh sings of broken promises and years going by, building to a typically Gum-esque uplifting chorus. This is the only track on the album where Leigh gets a writing credit. Gum fans will feel at home with this track, new fans will recognise immediately the tunesmiths that Leigh and Raymond are. 5 out of 5. EARPHONES
   
3. Cross Your Heart - Hope to Die; the stand out track on the album, a grabber from first listen, quickly turning into a repeat-listener. More tales of broken promises pepper the lyrics, the phrase ‘break through this prema-frost of feeble alibis’ is a cracker and the album’s best word picture. Musically this is Gum at their best, easily putting them on the plinth they should be on; peddlers of pop songs with a heart. Buy the album for this song alone. 5 out of 5. EARPHONES or REALLY LOUD IN THE CAR
4. Asleep at the Wheel - Bowman and Poole remix; ‘Low Flying Kite’s opener done to a turn by Bowman and Poole, all ethnic drums and sharp angles. I don’t have any info on B&P, but a Google search throws up some interesting clues. 3.5 out of 5. SPEAKERS
5. Falling Through Cracks; the weakest, in my opinion, on the album, although it does have some great sections, with Leigh’s voice sounding very Nina Perrson, which is never a bad thing. Lyrically its as sharp as the rest of the album, but for me it doesn’t settle completely, not knowing what it wants to be. It does have an infectious middle 8, which, coupled with the strong lyric, should make it a better song than it actually is. But the unclear opening dilutes the overall effect. 3 out of 5. SPEAKERS
6. Low-Flying Kites; funnily little track weighing in at 1.02 minutes, but enjoyable nonetheless. Leads perfectly into the secret, but ulimately, seventh of the ‘feeble alibis’. 4 out 5. SPEAKERS
7. ?; untitled seventh track. Untitled in that it isn’t listed on the album cover. Lyrically it’s the best on the album, dreamy but purposeful melodies paint pictures of hilly inner city parks on hot, windless summer afternoons. Has Gum stamped all over it without sounding like anything on the debut album. Great songwriting. 5 out of 5. HEADPHONES

OVERALL - 4.5 out of 5

Buy this album, if you love honest music with considered lyrics and you want it to be fresh, new, well produced and accessible, then Gum are for you.

Buy it here.

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