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A Sunny Day In Glasgow, Welcome, David Karsten Daniels Reviewed

Posted on 2007.08.06 at 20:53
Current Mood: Optimistic
Current Music: Various - Girls Go Zonk (Cherry Red)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,



A Sunny Day in Glasgow – Scribble Mural Journal (Notenuf)

I once wrote a song when I was younger called A Sunny Day In Scotland, but that’s irrelevant, all you need to know is that A Sunny Day in Glasgow are a rather wonderful recent discovery of mine. Songs that merge into one pool of sticky mess, as tasty as Rocky Road is ugly and as beautiful as the rainbows stained petrol puddles that reveal themselves as the sun rises following the rain.

Each song is a mosaic of sounds, a mixing desk nightmare to some, to me a dreamy skyline. The vocals merge into the sound to the point that the human voice becomes an instrument itself somehow expressing more than is possible when we actually speak fully formed words. This one’s for the dreamers, for those who can’t express how they feel in words, for those who wonder when they speak if to the majority of people it appears only as a jumble of sounds, us mumblers and those incapable of shouting, us who insecurely think we’re being ignored when really we really should speak that little bit louder.

The sound takes in a number of influences whisked together and dished out in one delicious offering, from A Mundane Phonecall to Jack Parsons Clinic like sound to The Fields tripped electronica, embracing any number of girl pop indie bands, the much missed Empress, Tompaulin and a healthy garnish of all things ethereal…I like A Sunny Day in Glasgow a lot!
www.asunnydayinglasgow.com/
www.myspace.com/sunnydayinglasgow
www.myspace.com/notenufrecords


Sirs

Welcome - Sirs (FatCat)

Much like label mates Blood on the Wall Welcome put together a lovely racket of surprisingly melodic noise, mixing the spiky, wiry and intuitive guitar riffs with the gravel throated Kurt-esque vocals of Pete Brand or Jo Claxton’s honey like vocals on what has become my favourite song (according to last.fm) Bunky, a rival if there ever was one to Blood on the Walls I’d Like To Take You Out. Elsewhere Deerhoof comparisons are fairly justified but Welcome are a more universal taste, where many people struggle with Satomi Matsuzaki’s vocals, there is nothing to dislike about the often twinned vocals on offer here, mixing anger with pop melodies in way that McClusky do so well. Another great release from the ever reliable FatCat label.
www.myspace.com/yrwelcome
www.myspace.com/fatcatrecords
www.fat-cat.co.uk/

Sharp Teeth
David Karsten Daniels – Sharp Teeth (FatCat)

Don’t let the cover put you off, instead just sit back and fall in love with a sounds, simple and pure, envy at the way Mr Karsten Daniels can make such a beautiful song like American Pastime sound so effortlessly beautiful, modest even, no doubt he plays all the instruments too yet his sound is so sincere and naturally beautiful. The kind of sound you’d associate with such geniuses as Elliot Smith, Sufjan Stevens and on Minnows, The Besnard Lakes. Not that he mimics them, rather that his sound is pure and inspiring, clean and unadulterated, made in the mountains where the city hasn’t had chance to pollute and corrupt the naivety that exists within the simple communities that reside there, a sound that rises and falls with the sun, like the black and whiteness of Pleasantville before it was drowned and ruined in colour. Beautiful and not a million miles away from the sound that Jon Brion so frequently achieves on his exceptional film scores…don’t let the cover put you off.
www.myspace.com/davidkarstendaniels
www.myspace.com/fatcatrecords
www.fat-cat.co.uk/


An Interview with Dave Cawley of Fatcat Records
Who are FatCat and what are they best at?

There are 9 people involved in Fatcat, spread over the UK and USA……The label was started with myself and Alex but without the others we wouldn't be anywhere…..

What are we best at????? hmmm…hopefully exposing new artists and their work………

What inspired you to form a label?

We started the label when we had the shop..it seemed the next logical step for us…..we had lots of friends running labels and some were very inspirational (Irdial Discs etc..)

How do you normally discover the bands you release?

The majority come from demos…..we listen and try to respond to everyone who sends one in to us….here's a small list of some of the artists signed from a demo sent in….finding new music this way is really important to us….

the twilight sad

david karsten daniels

drowsy

songs of green pheasant

frightened rabbit

Have you discovered anything on Myspace that you’ve thought was so good you’ve released it?
We have signed one band through myspace, Our Brother the Native….amazing music…..

Other acts have either come through seeing them play live or recommendations from friends…….

Roughly how many demos do you receive?

Between 10 and 20 a day……….

I’d previously imagined FatCat as being mainly an electronic label, however particularly recent releases have fallen more towards folk and more straightforward rock (Welcome, Blood on The Wall) is there any rule or any type of music you wouldn’t consider releasing through FatCat?

I think the elecronic tag is a hangover from the shop days…….we started to put out music outside that genre way back in the early days of the label..sigur ros, transient waves, immense…etc…we still release some electronic music mind…..we were always interested in all sorts of music and never wanted to be pigeon holed to a style or sound……..that was a a big aim for me with the label to be musically "free", to release whatever we liked………….

What’s been your proudest moment since starting the label?

Phew…that’s a hard one…….there has been loads…………..i am proud of who we are and what we have released as a label…

How did you end up releasing an album by Vashti Bunyan?

She was working with A.C. on some tracks and we ended up helping her record her first record..its all seemed to slot into place very naturally…..we don’t force things here at Fatcat...she is lovely…………..its been a real honour to be involved with her and her work.

Are either of you involved in your own musical projects?

No………those days are long gone…………..

Which other labels do you admire/envy?

Don't envy anyone………...admire a lot of labels out there just trying to do there own thing, exposing new talent ..i have no time for labels with a lazy A+R policy, that chase the latest hip band 3 years too late just because they have a wedge of money to do so……lame….….

Which album last year do you wish FatCat had released?

Phew…trying to think what I bought….? just asked the office and they all looked blankly at me……there is now a big discussion if certain records were out last year………see what you have started………….. : )

What can we expect next from FatCat?

07/05/2007

FATCD55 / FATDA55

THE TWILIGHT SAD

FOURTEEN AUTUMNS AND FIFTEEN WINTERS

07/05/2007

FATLP55

THE TWILIGHT SAD

FOURTEEN AUTUMNS AND FIFTEEN WINTERS

28/05/2007

FATCD53 / FATDA53

NINA NASTASIA AND JIM WHITE

YOU FOLLOW ME

28/05/2007

FATLP53

NINA NASTASIA AND JIM WHITE

YOU FOLLOW ME

11/06/2007

FATCD58 / FATDA58

NO AGE

WEIRDO RIPPERS

25/06/2007

FATCD63 / FATDA63

MICE PARADE

MICE PARADE

02/07/2007

7FAT32 / DS7FAT32

THE TWILIGHT SAD

AND SHE WOULD DARKEN THE MEMORY

09/07/2007

FATCD64 / FATDA64

CRESCENT

LITTLE WAVES

09/07/2007

FATLP64

CRESCENT

LITTLE WAVES

20/08/2007

FATCD61 / FATDA61

SONGS OF GREEN PHEASANT

GYLLYNG STREET

27/08/2007

7FAT31 / DS7FAT31

MUM

THEY MADE FROGS SMOKE TIL THEY EXPLODED

03/09/2007

FAT-SP15 / FATSP15DA

OUR BROTHER THE NATIVE

MAKE AMENDS, FOR WE ARE MERELY VESSELS

10/09/2007

7FAT30 / DS7FAT30

VASHTI BUNYAN

SOME THINGS JUST STICK IN MY MIND

24/09/2007

FATCD46 / FATDA46

MUM

GO GO SMEAR THE POISON IVY, LET YOUR CROOKED HANDS BE HOLY

24/09/2007

FATLP46

MUM

GO GO SMEAR THE POISON IVY, LET YOUR CROOKED HANDS BE HOLY

08/10/2007

FATCD59 / FATDA59

VASHTI BUNYAN

SOME THINGS JUST STICK IN MY MIND COMPILATION

08/10/2007

FATLP59

VASHTI BUNYAN

SOME THINGS JUST STICK IN MY MIND COMPILATION

08/10/2007

FATCD62 / FATDA62

TOM BROSSEAU

TBC

22/10/2007

FATCD67 / FATDA67

FRIGHTENED RABBIT

SINGS THE GREYS

26/11/2007

FATCD54 / FATDA54

CHARLOTTEFIELD

WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR

03/12/2007

FAT-SP16 / FATSP16DA

SILJE NES

TBC


A big thanks to the Fatcat kids for taking the time to participate in this interview, it really is a great label that deserves your attention.

Here's some videos of just a few of the bands on their impressive roster.

Mice Parade - Focus on A Rollercoaster



Max Richter - Song



Animal Collective - Grass