A Taylor-made day for fans of new music - Kevin Buckle

This week is a big one for releases and I’m not talking Record Store Day. Sure there is a new Fontaines D.C. album but there is also some exciting Scottish releases both old and new.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Top of the pile is the new Kathryn Joseph album on Rock Action Records – For You Who Are The Wronged. Always got to love her album titles and her song titles stand second only to The Twilight Sad.

Released on flesh coloured vinyl as well as CD it won’t disappoint fans and deserves to reach new ones. I’ve always sold Kathryn’s albums to the many Joanna Newsom fans at Avalanche but I’ll tell the kids it’s a bit Lana Del Rey.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Older customers are more than a little excited by the three CD release from Billy Mackenzie coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the iconic vocalist’s passing. Satellite Life Recordings 1995-1996 highlights his collaborations with Steve Aungle along with others.

Taylor Swift is this year's Record Store Day ambassadorTaylor Swift is this year's Record Store Day ambassador
Taylor Swift is this year's Record Store Day ambassador

For Scottish music historians there is a reissue of the incredibly hard to find seven inch from Article 58 on Optic Nerve originally released on Rational Records and with a host of connections to other well known Scottish artists of the time.

Read More
It looks like it’s stall over for the High Street - Kevin Buckle

All these releases follow on the back of last week’s three-album reissues from The Pearlfishers on Marina Records. I also discovered this week that eighties indie band This Poison! from Perth are having their 2004 compilation album Magazine released on vinyl for the first time by Firestation Records.

We sold loads of their two seven inches in the early days of Avalanche on West Nicolson Street and they kept good company sharing a label with The Wedding Present.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Normally there would be little point saying what was out on Record Store Day as it would all be gone before this column was read but I’m pleased to say there are two releases from Frightened Rabbit this year and I’m sure we have enough to last the day at least.

The band’s debut major label release comes as a red vinyl ten inch cunningly titled A Frightened Rabbit EP. The following year’s EP State Hospital comes on silver vinyl. The final track has guest vocals from Aidan Moffat so will apeal to Arab Strap collectors too.

Camera Obscura have a b-sides and rarities album available on transparent mint vinyl and The Associates have an EP which collects together their cover versions.

Edinburgh has six shops taking part this year and they can be found using the Record Store Day store locator. As a founder member I never did agree with opening at 8am so we have always opened at 9am.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Record Store Day can get in the way of normal Saturday trading and if things go to plan we will have a busy morning and by early afternoon will be getting in shoppers with no idea of what day it is.

This year Taylor Swift is the Record Store Day ambassador and has a seven inch single out on the day. We have a fair few but I fear I am going to spend the day telling Swifties we sold out in the first hour.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.