Seeing The Year Out With a Bang

A last minute change of plan when it dawned on me that today was actually Hogmanay - the last day of the year.
My original planned post has been re-scheduled until 2016 and instead you are getting a couple of rocky numbers courtesy of Chris Devotion and The Expectations to help you see out the year and see in the bells.

A Happy New Year to you all and I wish you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous 2016

Chris Devotion and the Expectations - Looking For Another Girl

Chris Devotion and the Expectations - Don't You Call On Me

When Your Sparkle Evades Your Soul

Being a Social Worker is probably just about the shittiest job on the planet. A totally thankless task with shortages of staff and resources, drowning in red tape and safe in the knowledge that you will carry the can should anything go pear-shaped.
Songs in praise of Social Workers are I imagine pretty rare indeed so let's hear James Allan pay homage to Geraldine.
For good measure he also takes a pop at absent fathers.
If you like your music gritty and real look no further than Glasvegas

Glasvegas - Geraldine

Glasvegas - Daddy's Gone

Equally Cursed and Blessed

For a long time I was under the impression that I had Equally Cursed and Blessed by Catatonia. Turns out I hadn't and had probably turned down opportunities to purchase it due to this misconception on my part.

However, I'm glad to say that this situation was recently rectified and it now proudly takes it's place on the CC shelves.
A bit darker that it's predecessor International Velvet particularly on these two tracks.
Cerys is keen to get out of that London and who can blame her particularly as it  sucks the life out of you and can probably leave you Dazed, Beautiful and Bruised.

Catatonia - Londinium

Catatonia - Dazed, Beautiful and Bruised

The Return of Stranraer Americana - Farmer Not So John

After the Christmas festivities we return to the fourth installment of the Stranraer America Series.
This week's offering is from the short lived and poorly named Nashville band Farmer Not So John.

Receiver from 1998 would appear to be their second and final album following on from their 1997 eponymous debut album.
They are one of the two bands in this series whom I had vaguely heard of but had no music from.
At first I wasn't too sure but they sounded much better second time around. Could be a grower.

The main men appear to be Mark Linebaugh and Richard McLaurin. The album is produced by Tucker Martine who would become one of the go to Americana producers.
Other than that I know nothing.

Farmer Not So John -Rise Above The Wreckage

Farmer Not So John - For You I Will Pretend

Some Sunday Soul

We finish 2015 with some Soul from deepest darkest Paisley courtesy of Paolo Nutini.
Wee Paolo has always been a bit of a musical chameleon dabbling in pop, rock and reggae.
On his third album Caustic Love it is pretty much exclusively Soul including many of his own compositions.

Puts me in mind of Terence Trent D'Arby in places without the arrogance.
It features a couple of covers including Let Me Down Easy. Drew featured the Betty Lavette original the other day

When they come to write the History of Scottish Soul I would imagine that it will be a pretty thin volume. Wee Paolo certainly merits a mention alongside the likes of The Average White Band and Emili Sande 

More Soul in 2016

Paolo Nutini - Scream (Funk Up My Life)

Paolo Nutini - Let Me Down Easy

Boxing Day Blue

Seconds out, round two!

It's Boxing Day and we are celebrating it in the usual manner by running about like blue bottomed flies wining and dining both sides of the family
Mrs CC, who was born the day after the baby Jesus, is celebrating her birthday today and hopefully we will get time later in the week to go for a drink or a meal to celebrate it properly.
In the meantime here are a couple of songs from Joni Mitchell's Blue, one of her favourites, including a sneaky Christmas number.
Happy birthday xx

Joni Mitchell - River

Joni Mitchell - A Case of You

Happy Shane's Day

If the family, the food, Downton Abbey are all getting too much for you and you have sneaked into a quiet corner with a glass for a quick browse please raise it and join with me in wishing Shane MacGowan a happy 58th Birthday.

I suspect not many of us thought we would ever say that.He seems to be looking better as he gets older.

The Pogues - Sally MacLennane

The Pogues - A Pair of Brown Eyes