Ambivalent Peaks

This is how I met and knew Ewan McLeod. Black Behind The Noise T-shirt, khaki trousers and usually a plaid overshirt. I met him through an afterschool program that I took part in, in school obviously, so around 6 years ago. I was in my final year and I didn't know what I wanted to do with myself. Well, I kind of did. I wanted to work in the music industry in some capacity. I still want to, now. 

I was introduced to him as he was conducting lessons for Behind the Noise - and you could tell he was the man. He spoke about touring and his wonderful life in the music industry. 

My eyes lit up like the star eye emoji. That's the ticket. That's what I want to do. 

I felt a bit daft being in the project because I couldn't play any instruments therefore I wasn't in the band. So I would have to be a bystander, I guess. 

Ewan showed me how not to be a bystander. I could be on the production/managerial side of things. 

It felt trivial, at the start but then I told Ewan about how I did some music blogging. He thought this was great. He even introduced me to a younger girl on the course who wanted to get into music blogging herself -- he was introducing me as someone with experience, someone who could give advice. 

Later on, he asked me to come and talk at Education days that were promoting Behind the Noise as myself, Michaela McElroy, Kieran Howe and Ibby Dikko were picked as trainees and it led to our showcase gig - Scottish Heroes. I blogged about that in 2015. 

When I went to go for my commercial music course interview at UWS, he coached me through that. I got an unconditional place. I didn't take the place in the course, but it was an achievement that he helped me with nonetheless. 

As well as being a DJ for Beat 106, a talent scout in London, Behind the Noise was really the thing that he did that made an impact, for the youth of today. Alongside Rico, Sean and the rest of the crew -- he changed lives. Here's some videos from our school band that we made up in 2014.

If it wasn't for Ewan, and the others who made it happen, there would be no Behind the Noise. There would be no confidence for younger people. Ewan saw sparks in every one of us and helped make our dreams into realities. 

Ewan MacLeod passed away on Thursday 17th December 2020. 

We will miss him, so, so much. It's safe to say there's a hole now in the Scottish music industry where he once was. 

Here's some clips of the man himself, speaking for himself in his own words and then also interviewing the Spice Girls. Man does it all. 

James Harker from the bands Joesef and Static Union posted on his Facebook:

Incredibly sad news. Ewan’s infectious enthusiasm turned my interest for music into a passion. It was powerful at a young age to be told I had the potential to do things which at the time seemed impossible. My life would be entirely different without his influence. Will be raising a glass for the big man.

Singer songwriter Cara Rose wrote: Incredibly sad. Ewan was such a vibrant character who never failed to make me smile and laugh every time I was in his company. He really was an inspiration and he will be so missed.

Life is so precious, take care.

Enthusiasm, vibrancy, inspirational. That's the kind of man he was. 

He will be sorely missed by many.

Photo by Kirstin McEwan Photography

As we enter Tier 4 in Glasgow, it's going to be considerably harder to shop for Christmas with non-essential shops closing. Finding gifts for our loved ones might be more difficult but there are always smaller online shops to support. Today I'm talking to Jenn Tapner, the owner, and curator of Rhubarb and Custard jewellery.

Why is it so important to shop local in today's climate?

I think people are beginning to recognise how important their custom is to small businesses during this difficult year, they are helping them survive. It's important for the wealth within the community but also I do think it's just nicer and more personal to shop small! I've bought all my Christmas pressies this year from Etsy. Especially as a small business owner, I know that exciting feeling you get when you receive an Etsy notification, larger retailers just don't understand that feeling. By shopping locally, you're not only helping them to survive during a difficult time but you're supporting their passion and buying into their dream, which is priceless in itself.

Tell me about your style - you seem to have a minimalist approach to your designs, is it that intentional? 

To be honest I try to experiment as much as I can with styles, shapes and colours. It depends from day-to-day. It depends on my mood, the weather, even down to the music I'm listening to - this is mainly what influenced the music album cover idea, I'm always listening to music.

Are you making jewellery that you would wear yourself or what you think other people would like? 

Mostly from my own taste, to be honest, or ideas that friends have recommended.

Where does inspiration for your jewellery come from? I saw that you draw inspiration from album covers - but what else inspires you?

I loved drawing inspiration from the album covers - it felt personal to me because I would be listening to the particular album while creating the pieces. Music is a huge, huge part of my life and to have this reflected in some way through my work felt special. Aside from that, I look at photographs, flowers, or my general surrounding to find inspiration for the colour combinations I use. However, sometimes I just grab some colours I think would work and experiment.

You offer custom earrings - how important do you think it is to offer that service and what experiences have you had with making the custom earrings? 

I think this is a hugely important service; there's nothing more annoying that when you, as a consumer, have a very specific idea in mind and cannot find what you're looking for - no matter how much scrolling on Pinterest you do. I've had the most weird and wonderful requests from customers about their custom orders - from detailed whale earrings to intricate marbled style earrings. I had a custom order for earrings for someone's hen party, which is pretty incredible.

What's the general feedback from your customers? 

I'm actually so fortunate, I'm yet to receive any negative feedback (touch wood). Everyone has been so supportive and positive, which is very encouraging. I've had people order earrings from the smallest little towns in the very south of England which is so incredible to me.

Are you looking to expand? I know you've had your work at Dumfries Market. 

I'm quite happy with how things are currently, but I'm always thinking of new paths to go down and new opportunities. I know everything is a little more difficult this year. I would have loved to have taken part in some Christmas markets in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but hopefully next Christmas. And the amazing thing about social media is that there are an abundance of virtual markets this year! I've loved taking part in the Dumfries Market twice this year and I'm fortunate to be involved in the Guild's Pop Up Shop this year - my work will be exhibited from 28th Nov - 12th Dec alongside some other incredibly talented markers from Dumfries and Galloway, and further. The Dumfries Guild do wonderful work in the town and have created a little community of crafters and creators from all walks of life, which is so important right now.

Talk to me more about life outside R&C - you've said that you do marketing and were working in the music industry. Are you itching to get back to post-COVID life?

Outside Rhubarb 'n' Custard, I am a freelance marketer - I work with a few different small companies doing their social media management, website design/upkeep, visual communication and design, and much more. Like many others, I was devastated to lose my job due to the virus this year - inevitable as I was the marketing exec. at a music events company. I loved my job so much but in the grand scheme of things, I'm one of the fortunate ones. I'm very happy with how my life is at the moment. I recently read back my diary from January and my two goals were to spend more time with my family and begin making jewellery again... little did I know how much time I'd have for these things. But yeah, I'm very grateful. I've somehow still managed to gain more than I've lost this year. Although, I do miss live music like crazy. I hope post-COVID life will still include Rhubarb 'n' Custard for me because it's been a lifeline for me to keep busy and creative through a really strange time.

These are my favourites of the collection. HEARTS EYES.

The time has come. 

McFly are BACK BACK BACK again with a new album. Their first studio album in 10 years. Young Dumb Thrills. 

McFly, back on their bullshit.

According to the i, it got 2 stars and was said to "not be profound." Yikes. 

Now, this is coming from a fan. This is coming from someone who when I was around 12 or 13 said to myself I would get this tattooed on my wrist to show how much I loved and adored this band: 

I never got the tattoo but my love for the band remained fierce throughout my teenage years. I had my fair share of taunts about how McFly were 'gay,' or 'gayboys,' (Meant to mean bad, in early noughties insult language). I brushed it off, because I loved them and that was that. Their music spoke to my soul. 

Songs about falling in love with Uranus really got me, you know? 

Joking aside, the band is what really got me into music and through them, I managed to explore greener pastures and other genres. But it always came back to them. 

When they released their singles prior to the album, I was crestfallen. Happiness sounded like a George Ezra reject song. 

Growing Up was another one of those fucking songs where the singers in their thirties sing about a jaded adolescence. Stop doing that. Mark Hoppus jumped on the song, someone pushing fifty -- also singing about "not giving a f....". Don't get me wrong, Mark Hoppus is one of my favourite humans on the planet but it just puts a bad taste in my mouth when millionaires are singing about being unemployed because "they slept in." 

"So lets get in, get in the van" - what van? They'll tour right enough but they'll be on luxury buses. C'mon now, you're fooling no one here.  The song just really rubs me the wrong way and songs like it do it too. 

Then there's Tonight Is The Night -- now I can't take this one seriously because of a John Mulaney bit. 

"Cause all the new songs are about how 'tonight is the night' and 'we only have tonight.' That's the message in 90 percent of songs. That's such 19 year old garbage."

You heard it here! 19-year-old garbage. Written by real adult men. 

The rest of the album doesn't get any better. 

It sucks, it really sucks, because I didn't have high hopes perse, but I had hopes. They were my favourite band that I grew up on when I was younger, and I was hoping they had matured so that at 24 year old me would enjoy it too. 

It's... just.... bad. 

It feels like they're trying to play catch up to pop music now. I had seen some people saying that they hear 1975 vibes. That I get -- but it doesn't make sense for McFly. 

Happiness, despite what I said, is a solid opener. 

Another Song About Love is self-aware -- it's another song about love because what else are they going to write about? They're all either married or in relationships (Dougie isn't married but he's 32 and in a relationship with a 24-year-old model, also a 24-year-old that isn't me, I'm not mad. Nope.)  It's pretty stale. We get it. 

You're Not Special flips positivity on its head. We're not special because everybody dies like you. Dark stuff, boys. It's irrevocably upbeat and poppy that it's kind of annoying. 

But the most annoying of all comes in the form of Head Up. It's no secret that the McFly boys have written for One Direction which, you know, worked because it was pop stars writing for mega pop stars. This sounds like a run off - or an attempt at writing a One Direction track. Immediately as the song starts I get cringe shivers. "I get one love to keep my head up," repeats in the chorus and it's nauseating. It sounds like they should be doing a choreographed dance to it.  Please, just make it stop. Jesus God. 

Tonight is the Night we've been through. It's promising at the start - it's ironically probably the best song on the album. No doubt a Tom song. But when the chorus bursts in -  I just laugh. EVERY SONG IS ABOUT TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT AND HOW WE ONLY HAVE TONIGHT. Oh John Mulaney, how you can ruin a song for me like this? It's uptempo and rhythmically good. Very Beatles-esque. I'll take it. 

Then comes the dreaded song with RAT BOY. This is their attempt at being young by working with a 24-year-old. What's with this band and 24-year-olds in particular? Anyway. It's a throwaway track. Only Danny jumps on to say the buzzwords of Young Dumb Thrills and that's about the gist of the song around RAT BOY's verses. 

Mad About You is another love song, I think? It's getting to the point where I just want this journey of an album to be over. It's another filler about love. We get it. You guys are mad about someone. Cool. 

Now Sink or Sing is interesting. It starts off with a guitar and Danny Jones' vocals - promising. It sounds like something that could come from his solo stuff, not amiss from his EP charmingly entitled EP. It doesn't sound like a McFly song at all. I could stretch and say it harkens back to songs like She Falls Asleep, Bubblewrap, or That's the Truth. 

After that is Like I Can. It's another song about love. It's a carbon copy of the other songs about love, but with different words. It's saccharine dribble at this point. 

Now here's the kicker. Wild and Young. WILD AND YOUNG. Another song about being young but TWIST it's also about love. It's extremely repetitive. 

The last song you'd think would be one of the best. Save the best for last, please god. With Not The End, instead, I am accosted with high octave singing styles that follow a lengthy introduction. It's sparkly. Heavy on the drums and twinkles. I only make it to halfway through the song when I have to turn it off. It's too much.

What happened to my favourite band?

They've not matured, they've not tried to reinvent themselves the way Busted did, they've just... floundered. They're the product of a pop machine and it's like they got back inside it and got stuck. There's no bangers, there's no heart, it's just pretty... bleak. It's background music, if that.

It's safe to say |'m very disappointed. What happened to you, McFly? Who hurt you?

Meanwhile I'm going to go cry over Wonderland, which is the undisputed best work by these four men. 

  

 It's no secret that The Front Bottoms are one of my all time favourite bands in the universe. I haven't reviewed their albums, but I've reviewed their shows, so I thought giving this a bash would be cool. Don't let me down, lads. 

The record opens with a song that has already been released - everybody blooms - so you get a sense of what the record is going to sound and which direction they're taking for this record. It's noted that all of the songs are written in lowercase, except for Fairbanks, Alaska due to obvious reasons.  The first song is hopeful, in its own way given that the lyrics are 'everyone blooms in their own time.' 

"don't worry, you're gonna be fine, fine, fine." rings out, and I am inclined to believe them.

The second song camouflage starts a bit wavey with ominous piano, ufo, and phone call sounds that cascade into Brian Sella's vocals. "I don't know who I am, they're probably calling the cops on me. They could tell I was having a nervous breakdown." Shit - so maybe things aren't okay. This shift is a dramatic one. Wearing camouflage to blend in is Brian's or I guess the band's way of doing it to survive. 

jerk seems to be a new kind of TFB sound - mixed with how they've always sounded. Echoing vocals with brash guitars, and then a smattering of beats. The vocals start to harmonise, and it builds upright to the end. 

the truth is reminiscent of their song Peach, citing that the person they're singing about is in fact 'the truth i choose to bend myself around,' It's a love song. It's sweet. I really like it. 

montgomery forever is a bop. I don't know who or what montgomery is, but I want it to live forever. Classic TFB sound on this one, with full band instrumentals. Lots of 'heys' to punctuate the song. The end of the song drifts to a piano part - with Sella performing a soliloquy about being not being on drugs, and that someone he knew fell in love with someone else - and that he would be happy if they were happy. 

the hard way is a hard way in the album. It drops and gets slower here. It feels dreamy, almost. violins come in, and the song crescendos.  

leaf pile does not fuck around. The intro is mighty - Manchester Orchestra scales of mighty. It's so glorious.  The mighty sound continues throughout the song to punctuate the words. "I feel anxious, do you?" "Montgomery forever. First, you get hurt then there's healing," This song is a journey -- a blur, but a journey nonetheless. The protagonist (Sella) is struggling here - he doesn't want to talk - he just wants to look out a window. He's removing himself from whatever situation he's in and getting space in order to look at it from another point. 

The longest song on the album, new song d opens with a Coldplay-esque beat, then into synthesizers and then the voices come in. "It seemed like a good day - a good day to be alive." - it then changes into a one-sided conversation between Sella and someone else. There's a lot of spoken word/singing going on in this song. Lots of harmonising voices. At the end of the song, there's another soliloquy with Sella - he wonders if he's ready. There's piano playing in the background. Ominous stuff.

Fairbanks, Alaska is a song about seeing the northern lights in surprisingly, Fairbanks, Alaska. This song is another sonic journey that flows and ebbs and it's pretty tight.  

love at first sight is an amalgamation, much like the other songs on this album are. You can tell they're trying to be experimental with all the sounds that slide in together under Sella's voice. Then there's an evangelical sound blended with a drum beat to finish the song.

bus beat has Sella proclaiming that love has no bounds, then in comes Sella's spoken word type singing about how he does things because that's the way his baby likes it. I wish I could be the baby in person talking here but sadly, no. The hook of the 'because that's the way my baby likes it' is prominent throughout the song. 'Whether in sickness or in flames' - WAHEY WE HAVE THE ALBUM TITLE. Excellent. 

make way slows the fuck down, there's violins, piano, and a light drum beat. It turns into a great toetapper. The album starts in a hopeful note but then this seems to change into insecurity. "it's like i'm wearing a mask" "My name is Stephen but that doesnt make it right." Because his name isn't Stephen - I swear. He's said this in another song but it's been debunked. So what is he hiding behind? The violin in this song is beautiful and adds to Sella's vocals. 

I'll admit - I never caught on to the Creeper hype. I don't know what they sound like. What they're supposed to sound like. All I know is that... they're supposed to be creepy. Right? They're called Creeper. I've seen the back patches and merchandise, I've seen the book that was published with 404 INK. (Now £5! What a bargain.) They're a multifaceted band indeed. So this will be my unfiltered, honest review of their second album, and of what I think of the band in general. 

Opening with the song Hallelujah - it's the sound of rain and thunder and then an echoing "hallelujah for the devil almighty rains..." you get the jist. It's the introduction. 

Be My End is the second in a 16 song run this album has. It sounds...indie? It sounds like an alternative indie rock band that got bitten by vampires. It definitely sounds indie. If Skins was still around today - this would be on the soundtrack. Born Cold is similar, an indie-pop vibe that teases out into a piano-laden sound with overlapping vocals.  I can hear My Chemical Romance's influence in this as if Gerard Way had something to do with the record personally. Maybe not early MCR in the sound specifically, but in the creepy-vampiric sort of way. 

Cyanide opens with a blend of guitars and piano - it's a floaty affair, spooky but still modern. "Black lipstick on a coffee cup," sounds English - you almost forget the band are from Southhampton until you hear the word cup. They're crafty. Between this song and the next, there's a spoken word bit that breaks up the record nicely. It's like something out of an Edgar Allan Poe poem. 

Annabelle is a jovial number, citing about how they're both going to hell. Belle, Hell, I get it. It rhymes! I want to believe they're going to hell, that there's actually going to be a trip but the upbeat tempo of the song makes me just want to dance instead, forgetting all mention of a trip at all.  

With Paradise, finally, FINALLY, the 80's inspired sound I want to hear. The Cure inspired, anyone?  There are wispy guitars and a steady drumbeat that envelopes you into the sound. It's the longest song on the album, but one of the best. The vocals are low and menacing until the chorus hits and then he belts it out. G'wan, son. Then -- there's a saxophone?! That's lit. It's like I can imagine this song being played in a speakeasy in the dead of the night. 

Poison Heart comes in the Elvis-esque vocals, in the beginning, then opens up again in the chorus.  Similarly, Thorns of Love is very rockabilly, similar to the song before but it crescendos into more modern sounding, and then dives back. I could hear this being played at the Cathouse. I miss the Cathouse. Yes, I'm 24 but I'm not ashamed to admit that. It would fit on either floor - the first floor being the classic rock floor and the second floor being the pop-punk, more modern day floor, if you were unaware, which shows the range that this band has. 

Four Years Ago is a duet, and it's pretty and sad. It's enough to make you want to sit at a rainy window and think about a conquest from years past.

Naplam Girls is a great song. "We met at a strange time in my life," a line from Fight Club, is sang by the feminine vocals over and over. It has a banging bassline - very dancey. Hell yeah. I know I've linked the album above - but listen to it below. I know you're lazy. This is a certified BOP. A definite highlight for me. 

Another eerie tune is Black Moon, definitely indie with the Creeper flair. "Let love kill me," is the stand out lyric that repeats, with "ohhhs," building up to a sick guitar solo. It's a definite toe-tapper. 

All My Friends is a piano ballad about how they - or us, I guess - all hurt. It sounds like it could be an Alkaline Trio song, but it's given the Creeper touch with strings and feminine vocals. It's a definite lighter or phone torch moment in a live show. Hey, remember live shows? I'm not crying, you are. Shut up. 

Cutting up the album is four separate spoken word soliloquies, and the album ends on a lengthy one.  

I'm not sure if I should give these albums ratings, but if I did -  this would be a solid 4/5. 4 stars? We'll say 4 stars. Whatever way you look at it, this is class. Creeper are unlike anything in the scene at the minute, especially in the UK and they should be commended for their unique nature. I'll be revisiting this in the coming Autumn months, while I prepare for the ultimate in holidays -- Halloween. I think that's appropriate. 

There's no doubt that this is a stellar album, but why do you need me to tell you? You don't, but I want to. So there. 

 It opens with DVD Menu, an ambient collection of strings and sounds. Fitting, as it lulls you in. At around 1 minute 10 seconds, it feels like a dream. There are ebbs and flows like this throughout the album. 

Garden Song, a single from a while ago, is a gentle ebb into the album. With the vocal harmonies of someone who sounds like Charles Bukowski, it's haunting. Lighter is Kyoto, a more upbeat song lamenting about her time, surprisingly, in Japan. I've always wanted to go to Japan thanks to the movie Lost In Translation - one of my favourites of all time - but this song has really done a number on me. Thanks, Pheebs! 

Punisher is punishing. Why? It's just so goddamn sad. 'I love a good place to hide, in plain sight,' reverbs in this really beautiful, sad way. GOD DAMNIT. The piano is enough to put a dagger right in your heart, but you welcome it because the blood tastes so sweet. 'Either I'm careless, or I wanna get caught,' is another killer line. 

Moving on to Halloween, one of the longer songs on the album, Am I going overkill on the word haunting? Well the songs about fucking Halloween, so suck it. It's pretty haunting, and perfect for a hipster Halloween playlist when you don't want to play Monster Mash again and again. Just play this. Please.

Talking about ebbing and flowing, the next song definitely ebbs - Chinese Satellite. It's GLORIOUS. It flows into Moon Song, which is also stunningly beautiful. Slower, with ambient sounds and guitar. It's heartbreaking. It's like this gif in a sad song form:

It's a sad, sad love song. Listen to it, and cry.

Now Savior Complex is another ebb, it only has two verses. There's prominent strings on here that, cliche, tug on your heart ones. It does what it says on the tin - it laments about having a saviour complex, and what that's like. It's about vulnerability and it's wonderful. 

My favourite next!! ICU or I See You is a big, big bop. It hypes up with drums and guitar, and then slides into vocals, and it all melts together beautifully. My favourite line is about hating someone's mom. That's iconic. It's pessimistic, it notices that there's good in something but acknowledges that things might get fucked up, because why wouldn't they? All good things must end, right? 

Right?!? 

Graceland Too has celtic-y, country sorta vibes about a girl 'who could do anything she wants to.' Is she talking about herself or is another being? Who knows. She's thinking about Elvis, anyway. A rebel without a clue. 

Big mood. 

I Know The End sounds frightening. The title, I mean. It's the longest by a mile, clocking in at 5 minutes and 45 seconds. It's a solid end of album song, it crescendos midway through and triumphantly erupts into 'The end is here,' with what sounds like a thousand - okay I'm exaggerating - voices. Then, a scream. Pianos, drums, trumpets, the lot. It's madness. I've inserted the video where Phoebe makes out with an older woman (I'm not jealous, one bit. Nope). 

It's a perfect album. Throw all your other albums in the bin. In the bin. They're not necessary anymore. 

Well done Phoebe Bridgers, you've finally broke me.