THE ALMOST PREDICTABLES 2015 NO.1 - BEST NEW BAND

Every year, I hand out awards to artists who have made my musical year. Whilst these awards don't carry any cash value or even physical prize, they are designed simply to say thanks to the bands and musicians that I've featured - thank you for the music as Abba might say. Anyway, instead of one big post this year, there are going to be five over the first five days of December and the first one is Best New Band.

One thing this blog tried to do this year was take a look at new bands as they popped up on the blog's radar. Scotland, and Glasgow especially, has had a remarkable year for new music and the number of acts I've come across and the sheer talent of those acts, has been quite stunning. The bands I've featured in our New Bands 2015 (or at least new to the blog) section have been:

Twi§ted http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/new-bands-2015-1-twissted.html

Malmo http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/new-bands-2015-2-malmo.html

Fiona Soe Paina http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/new-bands-2015-3-fiona-soe-paing.html

Kill The Waves http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/new-bands-2015-no-4-kill-waves.html

Tongues http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/new-bands-2015-no5-tongues.html

Kloe http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/new-bands-2015-no-6-kloe.html

Shards http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/new-bands-2015-no-5-shards.html

Turtle http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/new-bands-2015-no-8-turtle.html

vvsi http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/new-bands-2015-no-8-very-very-small.html

Stillhound http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/new-bands-2015-no-10-stillhound.html

Monogram http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/new-bands-2015-no-11-monogram.html

Miracle Strip http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/new-bands-2015-no-12-miracle-strip.html

Aquafaux http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/new-bands-2015-no-13-aquafaux.html

Bunny & The Invalid Singers http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/new-bands-2015-no-14-bunny-invalid.html

HQFU http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/new-bands-2015-no-15-hqfu.html

Smash Williams http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/new-bands-2015-no-16-smash-williams.html

Our Future Glory http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/new-bands-2015-no-17-our-future-glory.html

Eyes Of Others http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/new-bands-2015-no-18-eyes-of-others.html

Add to that list the likes of Mt Doubt and The Deadline Shakes and you have quite a collection of acts. There can only be one winner however and we're delighted to award this year's Almost Predictable to HQFU an act that has had a ridiculously successful year. Despite only having released two, admittedly outstanding, singles (Dust & Dirt and Ca$hle$$ Lip$), HQFU has attrracted plaudit after plaudit and ultimately ended up supporting Chvrches in London in September at their album launch show. HQFU's music has been one of this year's standouts for me and a really fresh take on electronic music and so it's a pleasure to name HQFU Best New Band.  Sarah Stanley a.k.a HQFU kindly took the time to answer some questions for me.

APA: Congratulations on winning the Almost Predictable for Best New Band. How's 2015 been for you?

HQFU: Thanks so much for the award and for giving a shit! I appreciate it hugely. 2015 has been a very busy year for me, especially after the release of Dust & Dirt mid-year. It gained a lot more attention than I expected and things kind of took off from there music wise and since then I've just been gigging my ass off trying to get a feel for my new live act and get some people interested in live sows I guess. I've also been on a steep learning curve with everything the "industry" has had to throw at me over the past few months. I'm just glad no-one has told me they hate me and my music is shit and my fragile ego has managed to remain intact so far.

APA: How have you found the reaction to HQFU?

HQFU: It's been very positive and I seem to have fooled many into thinking I'm 22 or something so for that I'm very lucky! I think I'm old enough and stubborn enough not to come across as a cookie cut performer. I hope, and I feel I like maybe people think it's something new, I don't know. It's very hard to perceive your own self and your own work because of the angle at which I'm making it, and the angle others are consuming it at. I'm glad, though, that there have been things said that sound like people don't see me as a run of the mill construct, as I don't think I am. I'm not just a musician and I'm also very serious about the integrity of my work, regardless of how people perceive it.

APA: Both Dust & Dirt and Ca$hle$$ Lip$ are stand out tracks for me this year. What or who are your influences when writing?

HQFU: Well they are the only tracks I was "allowed" to release right now! I'm learning to take the PR advice of more seasoned experts haha! I've no idea what influences me day to day or when writing. If I'm being honest, I both dread and pre-empt this question in every interview. I don't have time to sit and note down what influences me. When I write, I might have a different person in mind per line, or I might be imagining something from someone else's perspective, but in my words. Making inspires me more than anything. I'm a maker at heart, and so when I start making the rest comes into focus. Then you hone and edit and get rid of the redundant content. I know I'm diverting from the question here - if I gave a list of musicians or artists who I like, it would merely be to pacify this question and it wouldn't mean shit to me so I won't. Sorry for maybe seeming antagonistic! (APA - not at all!) I just don't know who has time to sit and think to remember what influences them. I think we're all just inspired by our surroundings and environment and if you have the type of mind that turns that into music or art, that's just consequential.

APA: What's been your highlight of the year?

HQFU: Maybe Sandi Thom's youtube video of her crying because Radio 2 wouldn't play her track. That was fucking hilarious

APA: What are your plans for 2016?

HQFU: Well it's shaping up to be a busy year by the looks of things. My new extended EP goes to press this month, so should be ready to pre-order bang on 2016, the I'm doing Vic Galloway's first Quay live session of 2016 on January 4th so that's nice. Then it's really gigging and punting the vinyl once it's made. There will be a few wee tours outside Glasgow, starting with my first London headline show. I think I'll be kept plenty busy - I'll also be working on the album. I'm quite a prolific writer, so there will hopefully be some studio time in there as well so there will be plenty to select from when compiling the album. Other than that, fuck knows what I'll end up getting up to.

APA: Finally, given how this blog began, there's an obligatory Depeche Mode question - what's your favourite DM track?

HQFU: Maybe, Master & Servant. I do like to play games and master and servant sounds like a lot of fun ;)

Thanks very much to Sarah for taking the time to have a chat. I'm really looking forward to the EP and album and you'll hear all about them here next year. Thanks too to all the bands listed above for the time you gave me this year. Look forward to hearing lots more from all of you very soon

HQFU Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HQFUHQFU/?fref=ts

HQFU http://www.sarahjstanley.com/HQFU.html

NEW BANDS 2015 NO. 14 - BUNNY & THE INVALID SINGERS

Bunny and The Invalid Singers are a project of Edinburgh based singer/artist Bunny and their new release on Bearsuit Records, The Invalid Singers, is my first taste of Bunny's unique and rather enjoyable music. From what I can hear, there are elements of sixties style pop, electronic music, industrial music and even classical music contained within this album. The album itself may well be bewildering in places on first listen, but repeated plays reveal more and more and, ultimately, you end up with something rather special. There are certain bands who I think this record shows traces of like Pavement or Einsturzende Neubauten whose work has a similar effect on this listener and that's no bad thing at all. 

The opening track from the album Ask The Man Inside Your Head recently featured on Almost Scottish Fiction Vol 4 (here) and was a welcome addition to the e.p. It seems to swerve between around 6 styles over its 4 and a half minutes but don't for a second let that put you off. It's a superb track as you can hear below

Throughout the album there are moments that are so inventive you can't help but love it and tracks like the title track itself (with vocals by Japanese singer Asuka Tanaka), Hallucinating Felt Beasts and The Putty Legs of Dusty McGuire are definitely among the most unique things I have heard in a long, long time. The latter surely has Song Title of The Year 2015 sown up too.

Go and check out The Invalid Singers on the links below and let Bunny into your world. It's an adventure you don't want to miss out on

The Invalid Singers by Bunny & The Invalid Singers is out now on Bearsuit Records and is available on cd and the usual digital outlets

Bearsuit Records http://bearsuitrecords.bandcamp.com/

NEW BANDS 2015 NO. 12 - MIRACLE STRIP

My ability to miss Glasgow based electronic bands never fails to amaze me. Rather than speaking to my failings however, I think it speaks more to the city's current remarkable stream of electronic or electronic influenced bands the most recent of which to grab my attention are Miracle Strip. I was delighted to be a guest on proper Scottish music blog Scottish Fiction's radio show on Pulse 98.4 on Thursday this week and, as I sat in silence watching Neil Wilson run around doing several hundred things at once including hosting a radio show, I heard Took A Running Jump by Miracle Strip which blew me away. Listen to it right now...

Combining hook laden music with deep, almost soulful vocals, Took A Running Jump is an instant hit and the whole Magic Milk ep is filled with similarly wonderful tunes. The duo, comprising Fergus Christie on vocals and synths and Malcolm Bruce Jack on synths, guitars and programming, have something quite special about them and, as belated as my discovery of them might be, they are yet another hugely welcome addition to this blog's New Bands 2015 section. They'll be appearing with blog faves Apache Darling, Le Thug and AmatrAnt at King Tut's on 21 July as part of that venue's Summer Nights programme and that is surely bound to be a marvellous evening, especially when topped off with a DJ stint from Podcart. Go and check out Miracle Strip immediately.

Magic Milk by Miracle Strip is out now and is available from their Bandcamp page https://miraclestrip.bandcamp.com/

Miracle Steip http://miracle-strip.co.uk/
Miracle Strip Facebook https://www.facebook.com/miraclestrippp?fref=ts

NEW BANDS 2015 NO. 8 - TURTLE

Ok so this is more new to me than new in general as Jon Cooper a.k.a. Turtle has rightly been making waves for some time with his beautiful brand of electronica. His new e.p. Colours comes out on Monday May 11th and the whole thing is streaming on Soundcloud. Have a listen below

As well as the digital release next Monday (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/colours-ep/id958694522), the e.p. is available on limited edition white vinyl 12" which you can pre-order here (https://beatnikcreative.bandcamp.com/album/colours-ep)

The e.p. itself is a wonderful thing. Songs like The Floor and Lavender simply exude electronic beauty whereas Us and Silent Weapons are more ambient in places but still have an edge to them that is quite brilliant. Hugely inventive and inspiring stuff all in and something that you all must check out 

NEW BANDS 2015 No. 7 - SHARDS

Shards are an Edinburgh based duo consisting of Stephen McLaren and Sean Ormsby who produce a what they deem melancholitronica, a melancholic take on electronica. Their debut track, Just To Get Something Started is available as a free download from their soundcloud page (link below) and it's a really cool track that's well worth checking out. Combining an ambient feel and experimental electronics with pop sensibilities, Just To Get Something Started is a hugely promising debut track and we're looking forward to hearing much more. Watch the video below then head to soundcloud to bag your self the song. The band will be releasing more tracks throughout the year.

Shards Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/shardsmusic/just-to-get-something-started

Shards Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shardsmusic.band