Music :: Heads Up :: Preview 01 Oct 2008
Ted Maul: With a sound that is only slightly edgier than Bob Holness in oven gloves, much touted Sheffield lads Little Man Tate nevertheless look set to provide a polished set of crowd-pleasers at Fat Sam’s in Dundee on 3 Oct. Bouncy riffs, cheeky lyrics, ...
Music :: Heads Up :: Feature :: Features 30 Sep 2008
Paul Mitchell: This month sees the launch of Ten Tracks, a new platform for the marketing and retail of music for which ten bands provide a track each per month. All ten are available to listeners for £1 per month (or £10 per year, with the added option ...
Records :: Album Review 25 Sep 2008
Milo McLaughlin: The Aliens clearly believe in the art form of the album - not as a collection of separate, well-defined singles but as an epic, sprawling magnum opus of Pink Floyd proportions. And Luna is a retro beast, each song reminiscent of something from the past...
Music :: Feature 19 Sep 2008
Paul Mitchell: With one sentence John Maclean denies any extra-terrestrial motivation behind the naming of his band, The Aliens, instead suggesting the moniker as metaphor for their craft; “We’re not really interested in the ‘little green men’...
Records :: Single Review 11 Sep 2008
Wilbur Kane: The Aliens’ first release from their second album Luna takes up where their debut LP left off. Magic Man is a psychedelic pop stomper, layered with vocal harmonies and melodic guitar riffing. It sounds for all the world like Architecture in Helsi...
Music :: Feature :: Label 09 Sep 2008
Milo McLaughlin: Given the shared ethos and sound of the artists involved, Fence could almost be classed as a sub-genre in itself. For example, there's no doubt that Fence's relative success is to some extent down to the fact they are a collective as much as a record l...
Music :: Comedy :: Feature 16 Jul 2008
Dave Kerr: Julian Cope - Uncut Arena (Friday) Who are you most looking forward to seeing at this year's festival? I don't go to festivals to see anyone in particular. For myself, what makes a festival great is not who you saw but who you missed, as it is eviden...
Music :: Preview 28 May 2008
Pete Ballantine: The Kingdom of Fife’s musical heritage used to be limited to Auchtermuchty superstars such as Jimmy Shand and the Proclaimers. Nowadays it boasts a burgeoning troop of critically acclaimed purveyors of sound from across the county. Rising from th...
Live Review 13 Apr 2008
RJ Thomson: Dysfunctional is an overused word, particularly in relation to individuals, families, bands – anything that involves humans seems to qualify on a regular basis. It’s worth remembering, then, that it’s also possible to be functional, h...
Records :: Single Review 10 Jul 2007
Finbarr Bermingham: Taken from their highly acclaimed debut Astronomy for Dogs, Robot Man ticks all those Beta / Aliens boxes… eccentric, unpredictable and this time it's downright joyous. Swimming in psychedelia and floating in funk, this possesses arguably the most b...
Records :: Album Review 11 Apr 2007
Milo McLaughlin: If you're expecting Astronomy For Dogs to be the fourth Beta Band album in all but name, you'll be disappointed. There is a great deal of sonic experimentation going on, but it's generally within the confines of much more traditional structures, and so...
Records :: Single Review 12 Mar 2007
David Coyle: The shadow of the Beta Band looms over this group like a spectre of death. Without Steve Mason's influence, The Aliens have thus far lacked that distinctive difference which made the Beta Band so accessible. But in this single, something seems to have ...
Music :: Live Review 12 Dec 2006
Rhona Macalister: Bursting onto the Tut's stage in over-sized shades to the sounds of a whirring spaceship, The Beta Band were reincarnated as The Aliens before our very eyes. With two BB members - Robin Jones and John Maclean - and founding member Gordon Anderson AKA L...
Records :: Single Review 13 Sep 2006
Caroline Hurley: If the first minute of insistent jangling and 'la la las' isn't enough to have you reaching for the whisky and sleeping pills, you might think again after being smacked over the head with a chorus that consists of 1129 mentions of the word 'happy'. Bri...
Records :: Album Review 16 May 2006
Billy Hamilton: Rising from the smouldering ashes of the much revered Beta Band is the intergalactic sound of The Aliens. This four-track EP combines the warped experimentation of The Betas with lucid grooves and an unprecedented sense of direction. Seamlessly fleetin...
