The Return of Two for Tuesday

.

Anybody that follows this blog regularly will know I really rate Tuff Love, the Glasgow based duo signed to Lost Map Records. In fact, they’ve featured in my last two end of the year round-ups of the best new music – this despite the fact that Sonya Madan of Echobelly slagged them off on BBC 6 Music’s Roundtable (nah, I can’t remember any Echobelly songs either), Luke Haines isn’t sure if they’re worth the bother (I’m not sure if he is worth the bother) and some wannabe wit on the Guardian online left a comment about them looking like One Direction in drag (no they fucking don’t).

And I should point out here that the band are happy to highlight the actual quotes on their official site and, more positively, that bloggers never seem to have a bad word to say about them. Unthought of, though, somehow for instance penned a short piece in praise of them on Sunday.

Consisting of Julie Eisenstein (guitar & vocals) and Suse Bear (bass & vocals), Tuff Love formed in 2013 and after uploading some tracks onto Soundcloud attracted the attentions of Johnny Lynch (The Pictish Trail) of the aforementioned Lost Map, or Lust Mop as Tuff Love like to call the Isle of Eigg’s finest independent label.

They’ve performed at Glastonbury, T in the Park and supported Ride at the Barrowlands, and released three E.Ps which have now been collected together on one album, Resort, which is just out, a fat free collection of indie pop thrills filled to the brim with scuzzed up guitars, spiny basslines, cooing vocals and some soul-baring lyrics.

In this month’s edition of Uncut, John Lewis describes their music as ‘breathless bubblegum grunge’ and calls track seven, That’s Right, ‘2’25 of pop perfection.’

Think Elastica collaborating with Throwing Muses on that one.

If you don’t have the EPs, then Resort is highly recommended. Hopefully an album of new material will follow on in the not too distant future and I’m looking forward to it, well, there’s no such thing as too much breathless bubblegum grunge, is there?

Tuff Love take to the stage of Stereo in Glasgow this upcoming Friday.

For more on the band:

Official: http://www.reallytufflove.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reallytufflove

This is the rather Lushious Crocodile:

Last year Edinburgh based musician Leo Bargery, who styles himself as Mt. Doubt, self released his debut album My Past Is A Quiet Beast, and it has only recently come to my attention via the always worth a visit Jocknroll Ain’t Noise Pollution.

Leo describes his sound as atmospheric alt-rock/dark-pop. His songs are sometimes spartan, sometimes noisy but always sonically intriguing.

Mt. Doubt has been named by Radio Scotland DJ Vic Galloway as one of the ’25 Scottish Artist to Watch in 2016′ while The National wrote: ‘Immediate comparisons will be drawn with The National’ – in explanation, the National saying this is the Scottish newspaper and those comparisons that will be drawn are to American band The National. But you might well have realised that. Especially if you live in Scotland.

The plan is to release a single and another album sometime this year and Leo has just announced that he’ll be performing at ButeFest in July along with The Rezillos and others. Before then Mt. Doubt will be supporting his pals Bronston this Friday at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh, although if you’re thinking of heading along then don’t. Unless you have a ticket that is, as the gig has just sold out.

Featuring Annie Booth this is Soak:

For more on Mt. Doubt:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MtDoubt
Twitter: @MtDoubt

Weekends, That’s Right & One Of Us, One Of Us, One Of Us

Some critics might accuse The Jacques of trying to clone the anthemic indie/punk clatter and chaotic charm of The Libertines but, hey, they’ve only been on the go for around a year and look at how young the singer looks and sounds! (I’m guessing that the combined age of all four band members would roughly equal the age of a single Rolling Stone).

Signed to 25 Hour Convenience Store (Libertine Gary Powell’s label), the lads have a brilliantly invigorating new single called Weekends out today and here it is. Be proud, boys, be very proud of this song.

 
You expect fantastic independent labels to emerge in cities like London, Manchester and Glasgow but, remarkably, one of Britain’s best new labels, Lost Map Records, is run by Johnny Lynch (The Pictish Trail) from his home in Eigg, which, if you don’t know, is a tiny island in the Inner Hebrides with some genuinely breathtaking scenery and a population of less than one hundred.

Home to artists like Insect Heroes and Kid Canaveral, the latest LM release is the Dross EP by Tuff Love – their debut EP incidentally was titled Junk. In 2014 the band toured Britain and mainland Europe as well as finding their way onto the bill at a string of festivals including Glastonbury and Wickerman. You’ll be hearing more from Tuff Love here in the future but for now, from Dross, this is That’s Right.

Good, isn’t it?:

 
And finally, I only discovered Perpignon’s The Limiñanas a few months ago through the Franz Ferdinand curated Late Night Tales compilation, where their almost impossibly cool track The Darkside segued masterfully into the vaudeville rap of Ian Dury’s Reasons to be Cheerful Part 3. I was instantly smitten.

They have just brought out a new album Traité de Guitarres Triolectiques (à l’usage des portugaises ensablées), where they’ve been joined by Pascal Comelade, who in the past has collaborated with a interesting bunch of musical talents such as Robert Wyatt, Faust and P.J. Harvey.

From the album, this is the simply magnifique One Of Us, One Of Us, One Of Us:

 
For more on The Jacques:
Official
Facebook

For more on Tuff Love:
Official
Facebook
Soundcloud
Twitter

For the Facebook page of The Limiñanas, click here