In the seminal Henry Williamson novel Tarka the Otter, Tarka is said to mean ‘wandering as water’.  It’s a phrase and a concept that Michael Cassidy has long held dear, and in his new single Tarka his voice dreamily drifts resembling the slow steady brook.  At first the lyrics pull from Williamson’s novel, the gentle guitar melody the watery body that Michael’s voice floats atop, nosing into reeds and riverbank; while with a steady and calming effect double bass notes break the surface; the aforementioned otter padding the water’s surface, each note sustained as ripples circling outward. 

“If I could live this day again, I wouldn’t live it any other way” sings Cassidy, turning his focus to more human affairs, ‘don’t need anybody else, but you”.  Tarka celebrates those perfect moments; when life slows, and love grows, and the world just seems to make sense.

Wandering As Water

Tarka

Michael Cassidy - Tarka

Songwriting is intrinsically linked with identity, either searching for or asserting one.  In his latest single, Michael Cassidy probes into our values and our identity, directly asking “tell me who you are”.  It’s a question that in this day and age can often be polarising, as answers get whittled down to 280-character tweets where nuance and debate can be lost.  Yet in Tell Me Who You Are Cassidy alludes to the power of sticking to your own sense of identity despite the challenges, all while strings and mandolin weave atop of a rousing melody.

Tell Me Who You Are

Michael Cassidy - Tell Me Who You Are

Scottish Fiction are delighted to present 'I Am Free', the brand-new single from Glasgow’s Michael Cassidy, and the first track to be taken from his forthcoming album 'Wandering As Water'.  'I Am Free' will be released to stream and download on 4th March 2022 and will be made available to download alongside pre-orders of the album.

Michael Cassidy’s ear-pleasing brogue Scottish voice has always been front and centre of his music, and with 'I Am Free', the opening track and lead single from his new album, he returns with just that – voice front and centre.  Complimented superbly by soaring harmonies, he ponders the nature of beauty, life, and life lived through the journey of a metamorphosing caterpillar.  The track rouses warmly as a solitary organ drone builds beneath Michael’s musing voice, reconciling life’s plans gone awry with the need for patience.  With producer Chris McCrory (Catholic Action, Siobhan Wilson, wojtek the bear, Annie Booth) at the helm the track undergoes the aforementioned metamorphosis as violin swirls the air, each note hanging and gliding; a butterfly free to fly.  One further verse sees Michael exclaim, joyfully and thankfully, “I am free”, a sentiment anyone constrained by their past can share.

I Am Free

Michael Cassidy - I Am Free

Scottish Fiction are delighted to unleash 'Freakbeak', the brand new single from Glasgow trio Mitchell Museum.  'Freakbeak' is the first track to be taken from the experimental pop band's third album 'Skinny Tricks' which is due for release on 8th May.  

Three years since their last release, album 'Everett Trap', Mitchell Museum find themselves back with renewed purpose, a whole bag of new tracks, fun, and innovative use of conversations with the bands family and friends weaved throughout.  Speaking of the album's origins, frontman Cammy Macfarlane explains, “'Skinny Tricks' features my friends and family as cut up, reversed samples from loads of WhatsApp or Facebook videos and the like.  I kind of warped a lot of spoken audio to turn everyone into a collective instrument; we've got nephews as synth chords, and mums as percussive loops all over the album.  The original idea was to do with the fact that we are all constantly documenting our lives via social media apps and I wanted to somehow emulate that constant chatter throughout the album.”

'Freakbeak' slaloms through its gloriously meticulous arrangement, fusing itself into an art-pop gem that at once bewilders and fascinates. A track teeming with creative vitality, lending itself to repetitive listening; and succeeding in becoming instantly an earworm that amasses greater depth upon each individual encounter.

Backing up 'Freakbeak' is b-side 'Workstation 12', a musique-concrete inspired piece that layers its many elements in a manner not dissimilar to experimental pop pioneers The Flaming Lips.  Its percussive motif is reminiscent of industrial machinery, as the track hones in on the drudgery of repetitive working environments.  The track is an apt b-side to 'Freakbeak', providing the shade to its sister track’s light – the gloom from which the listener escapes into experimental wonder.

'Freakbeak' will be released digitally on all platforms on 29th February 2020 and on 10” vinyl housed in hand-printed sleeves via Scottish Fiction.

Freakbeak [Single]

Mitchell Museum - Workstation 12

Scottish Fiction are delighted to unleash 'Freakbeak', the brand new single from Glasgow trio Mitchell Museum.  'Freakbeak' is the first track to be taken from the experimental pop band's third album 'Skinny Tricks' which is due for release on 15th May.  

Three years since their last release, album 'Everett Trap', Mitchell Museum find themselves back with renewed purpose, a whole bag of new tracks, fun, and innovative use of conversations with the bands family and friends weaved throughout.  Speaking of the album's origins, frontman Cammy Macfarlane explains, “'Skinny Tricks' features my friends and family as cut up, reversed samples from loads of WhatsApp or Facebook videos.  I warped a lot of spoken audio to turn everyone into a collective instrument; we've got nephews as synth chords, and mums as percussive loops all over the album.  The original idea was to do with the fact that we are all constantly documenting our lives via social media apps and I wanted to emulate that constant chatter throughout the album.”

'Freakbeak' slaloms through its gloriously meticulous arrangement, fusing itself into an art-pop gem that at once bewilders and fascinates. A track teeming with creative vitality, lending itself to repetitive listening; and succeeding in becoming instantly an earworm that amasses greater depth upon each individual encounter.

Backing up 'Freakbeak' is b-side 'Workstation 12', a musique-concrete inspired piece that layers its many elements in a manner not dissimilar to experimental pop pioneers The Flaming Lips.  The track is an apt b-side to 'Freakbeak', providing the shade to its sister track’s light – the gloom from which the listener escapes into experimental wonder.

'Freakbeak' will be released digitally on all platforms on 29th February 2020 and on 10” vinyl via Scottish Fiction.  For the physical release the band were keen to marry the punk/DIY spirit with a green ethos, using old 10” vinyl sleeves and repurposing them with screen-printed 'Freakbeak' artwork.  Hiding in the vinyl is an extra surprise, including bonus download tracks, only available with the physical release.

Mitchell Museum - Freakbeak

'Footsteps 101' immediately pulses with spiky synth lines, through which noisy vocal harmonies reverberate around like a sonic whirlwind held together by a tight rhythm section. The track was conceived as a concept when frontman Cammy Macfarlane had to re-learn how to walk, following a short hospital stay. “I couldn't walk normally, and there was a point when I was asking my brother if he could show me how to walk like a normal person” he explains. “I remember very clearly watching my brother and trying to emulate the way he was walking.”

Footsteps 101

Mitchell Museum - Footsteps 101

Fuelled by the belief that if you want to discover something new, the best place to look is right on your doorstep, Scottish Fiction focuses on discovering, showcasing, and promoting new music from Scotland to a wider audience.  Playing out music from alternative to hip-hop, from folk to electronica, and from major artists to the unsigned and underground, Scottish Fiction champions new music from Scotland in all it’s forms.  We have one simple rule: if it excites us, we’ll feature it.

Hear us every Thursday's between 8-10pm on the radio at www.pulseonair.co.uk, and check out our links for more info.