For the latest SWH! podcast Ali caught up with the composer and producer Paul McGeechan to talk about the latest Starless album Earthbound, out now with Last Night From Glasgow. Paul explains the origins behind Starless and how it has developed from the initial spark, through the recording of 2016’s Starless album, bringing it to the stage, how it has progressed into Earthbound, and the plans for the future. The two discuss the collaborative process, who else is involved – an

I guess something was bound to give, and the musical roundup for February was one of those things as we just didn’t get around to posting it before now. For those waiting, especially the musicians featured, sincere apologies, but it’s here and now, and hopefully worth the wait as it features songs to make you think, to make you move, laugh, cry, and think again. There are long and eagerly-awaited debuts, superb sophomore offerings, old friends doing new things, and new friend

Tonight at Celtic Connections there is a timely celebration of Marina Records, a label responsible for some of my favourite albums over the years. Theirs is an interesting story. An indie-label founded by Stefan Kassel and Frank Lähnemann in 1993 in Hamburg, Marina Records became the home of some of the classiest Scottish pop music around. If ever a label should be celebrated for their auspicious work in promoting Scottish music and supporting musicians it is Marina, and this

“January…let us endure this evil month”, to paraphrase the French writer Colette. You may think this overly dramatic, but you know what she’s getting at. For me, a year doesn’t get going properly til Celtic Connections begins. A festival which never fails to deliver, and which continues to grow in terms of number of gigs, breadth of music, and international stature – deep, and wide and tall. As always, we’d like to point you in the direction of lesser known gems which can be

Looking back, as is everyone’s wont at this time of year, two things in particular are striking about 2016 in music. There was the continued rise and success of the independent record label, especially Last Night From Glasgow, Song, by Toad, Olive Grove Records and Errant Media, and it was a year of classic albums, from the triumphant return of Teenage Fanclub, Mogwai, King Creosote and Kid Canaveral, through the mostly excellent SAY Award nominees, to those released by the a

There is a reassuring balance between light and shade, which might lead the naive to believe that these roundups were not just thrown together, but were, in fact carefully planned and curated. First off we have a strong contender for album of the year. Due to such ephemeral matters as questions of personal taste, it may not be your album of the year, but I can guarantee you that when the nights are fair drawing in it will remain one of mine. Imagine someone writes a collectio