Lost Ticker Tape

Reasons to be cheerful (Part II) starts with the wonderful eagleowl as they are set to release their new single Sleep the Winter on Friday 11th December at the Bowery in Edinburgh with a Glasgow show to follow on Monday 14th December at the 13th Note. If you can make to either of these shows then please do so, you certainly won't be disappointed. If you can't make it then you can always listen to them at www.myspace.com/eagleowlattack . I would like to introduce you to a girl called Sarah who writes music and makes charming videos under the name Line & a Dot. Her songs are sweet, simple, vulnerable and honest. The videos she makes are lo-fi and all the better for it! I particularly like the video for L.O.V.E. so here it is: You can listen to Line & a Dot at: www.myspace.com/abovethevaultedsky Next up is another wonderful female singer/songwriter, Kathryn Edwards. Such sparse and beautiful instrumentation compliments her gorgeous voice perfectly

Once again time has passed faster than I can account for. Autumn seems to have passed me by, it's golden glory has faded leaving behind it the cold, bleak days of winter. But.....there are still plenty of reasons to be cheerful! First up is Christmas. You're reading the wrong blog if I have to expand on this any further. Next is the weather. You may be wondering what the hell I am talking about, you may exclaim "The weather is a reason to be cheerful?! It's winter you mad fool!" but I like it. Yes, I miss the sun as much as the next person but I think we should make the most of it! I look forward to those cold, crisp days where the sky is cloudless, cool and blue and the sun is low and blindingly bright. I will get wrapped up and get out in the kind of cold that makes your nose tingle and your cheeks rosy, I feel like I could walk forever on those days. The dreich days when it's wet and miserable and all you want to do is go home and h

I never set out to achieve anything which is just as well as I have written lots of things that mean nothing to some people and more to others. I like being able to write about music and admittedly have been a little lax about it lately. So on that note, a couple of recommendations for you now. First up are the wonderful Mitchell Museum who are captivating to see live. Using a typewriter as the sound of a cash register during a live cover of M.I.A's Paper Planes song was pretty cool I must admit! Take The Tongue Out is chaotic in the best way possible and the harmonies on Tiger Heartbeat are just plain lovely. Check them out at www.mitchellmuseum.co.uk . Next up is Chris Flew. I know it 's a cliche but he really does write the most beautiful, gentle songs that would make the coldest heart melt. Have a listen here: www.chrisflew.com/music.html . Some of the songs are also accompanied by beautiful super 8 videos and recycled footage: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD98KvrN

No, I have not lost my mind. I am not referring to the man who brought us Genesis (why oh why?!), who has sold upwards of 100 million records and reminds me of a certain scary drumming gorilla but in fact the artist Phil Collins. His first solo exhibition in Scotland is currently at The Tramway in Glasgow. The World Won't Listen was filmed in Colombia, Turkey and Indonesia and features fans of The Smiths preforming karaoke versions of tracks from the 1987 album of the same name. It is altogether beautiful, bizzare, funny, beguiling and sincere and I highly recommend seeing this exhibition while you can. I won't go into to any more detail as the whole experience should be enjoyed without knowing exactly what you are going to see but just remember to look out for the striptease! Admission is free and the exhibition runs until Sunday 31st May. P.S. Please don't waste your time going next door to the Bruce Nauman exhibition as it is simply dull.

Winter in the West of Scotland often feels like wearing a woolly coat that has become soaked in the rain, it's heavy and damp and cold and it weighs you down. Going to work in the dark, spending your day in a city centre building with tinted windows so there is no natural light and leaving work in the dark is certainly not good for your health. So it was with a big smile on my face that I had the first spring walk in the afternoon sun a few days ago. It was late afternoon and the sun was already fading, illuminating the park with a golden light. The trees cast shadows as joggers, cyclists, dog walkers, mums, dads, kids and people like me who were just taking a stroll through on our way home littered the park. It was the first time in what feels like months that the sky has felt far away. The bright blue expanse stretching over the city and lifting the dark and oppressive fog of winter. The trees are budding, the cherry blossom has started to appear and the nights are getting lig