Lost Ticker Tape

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...

It's Hogmanay and time to say goodbye to 2008 and welcome 2009 with whisky at the bells, a whole lot of laughter and plenty of dancing. Wrap up warm and remember your whisky/shortbread/coal/black bun if you are first footing tonight! All the best for the New Year!

It's been a while, too long in fact. I have finally stopped working hundreds of miles away from home and I am back north of the border for good! Life has been hectic and some of the things I wanted to write about have fallen by the wayside so this will be a quick post about a couple of Glasgow based bands. First up are Y'all Is Fantasy Island. They write songs that are in equal measures both beautiful and bleak, discordant , dark, intricate, difficult, catchy but all together brilliant. Their recent release No Ceremony is their most immediate record to date and after a few listens you will find yourself singing With Handclaps in your head because it is one of the most infectious songs you will have heard all year. YiFi get better each and every time I see them live which is where they truly show what they are made of. Adam is a fantastic front man , his howling, tortured vocals will grab your attention and will not let you go until he is done and your ears are ringing. All o...

The Edinburgh music scene has been bolstered in recent years by the folks who run some of the less mainstream musical events in the capital and by the tight knit community of artists regularly getting together to play in each other's bands and to put on shows. The most recent example of this was Retreat! During the madness of August in Edinburgh, the brains behind The Gentle Invasion, Tracer Trails and Hollow Heart Parlour gave a home to some of the city's finest bands. The line up included The Pictish Trail, Emily Scott, Wounded Knee, Meursault and My Kappa Roots among many others. Retreat! also hosted the launch party for the long awaited release by eagleowl. eagleowl are a lo-fi post folk trio who are just getting better each time I have had the pleasure of seeing them play. They "believe in doing things right, rather than doing things fast" and this is obvious with the release of their EP For The Thoughts You Never Had. The songs are quite simply beautiful, they...

The leaves are starting to turn and fall and I am already lamenting the loss of another summer. We will go from summer where it might only rain every other day to autumn where you are lucky if the Glasgow rain stops at all. Gone will be the languid walk home where getting off the bus two stops early to stroll through the leafy green park will be replaced by the rushing through the dark and rain to get home as fast as I can. The tall trees that line the street will no longer hide the houses on the hill, instead they will shed their green coats, lay bare their branches and reveal the neighbours' lit windows. There will be no more evenings spent at the table in the window, watching the changing light as the sun sets, instead I'll draw the curtains so I can huddle up under a blanket on my sofa with a cup of tea and a good book. It will no longer be light more hours than it is dark. I may lament the loss of the summer but only for a short while, soon I will start to become excited a...