Southern Tenant Folk Union

The Chuck Norris Project

Johnny Rock

Concept albums cover some fairly diverse subjects – Alan Parsons’ bizarre musings on sci-fi and pyramids, Willie Nelson on divorce, and Jan and Dean on, er, rain. more… “Southern Tenant Folk Union”

Scott Twynholm

Alasdair Gray, A Life In Progress

Taken from the soundtrack to a film that documents the life and times of Alasdair Gray, ‘A Life In Progress’, despite its filmic grounding, works – like the best literature and cinema – on several levels.

Scott Twynholm has gathered together a considerable collection of musicians to score this celebration of Gray’s life, as well as incorporating the author himself, via his whimsical musings. Each excerpt is delivered in his curious, thick brogue which makes every answer sound like a question – perhaps apt for the author of some of the most challenging works of our time.

The track titles, perhaps inevitably, follow his career as well and will doubtless make more sense when the film appears. ‘Lanark’ sees Gray muse on his most famous work, and the dense backing somehow captures the claustrophobic nature of its titular location – ‘Unthank’, whose soundtrack excerpt follows and which is accompanied by a Stockhausen-esque barrage of clanks and tones.

However, Twynholm, despite his knack for scoring, has a less classical background (the musical force behind Hoboken as well as a member of Looper) and he provides dark jazz on ‘The Art School Dance’ as well mixing things up for closer ‘A Sentimental Song’, delivered in emotive style by Icelandic chanteuse Biggi Hilmar. However, it’s the loquacious Gray whose the ever-present voice, narrating his own life story in highly entertaining style.

Jonnie Common

Trapped in Amber

Song, by Toad

There’s something oddly charming and endearing about this second long-player from the former Down The Tiny Steps man more… “Jonnie Common”

The National Jazz Trio of Scotland

Standards, Vol. II

Karaoke Kalk

‘Standards’ are of course, those familiar jazz tunes you hear on adverts, sung by Sinatra soundalikes, or former boy band members. more… “The National Jazz Trio of Scotland”

Trips and Falls

The Inevitable Consequences of Your Stupid Behaviour

Song, By Toad

First things first… I thought this lot were Canadian but the singer’s accent, a cross between Ricky Gervais and Mumford and Sons, is quite bizarre more… “Trips and Falls”