Bourbon Makers: Gildas DasViken YTV

26/05/15 YouTube Video

This weeks video is about a really interesting luthier from Nantes, France. He shows off some of the breath taking guitars that he has made and restored (more can be viewed on his site here: www.dasviken.com ). What really excites me about the guy is that he doesn't just use wood and other materials that normal luthiers would use when making a guitar but he uses wood that has a story or an interesting history about it and would not conventionally be used for a guitar. He also offers more than just custom guitar design, from looking at his website he can do a whole range of small custom changes and modifications, more than you could want and dream for for your guitar. Really cool guy and totally inspiring to me. Enjoy!

STORMS - Girl SCS

SoundCloud Song

Bringing back A Day In The Life into the modern era is this (free downloadable) track from London based Storms. The instrumental line has a Beatlesy vibe with the vocals including hints of Peace but they bring something extra special to it and make it sound totally unique and their own. Yet another exciting British band producing killer tracks and I hope to hear more soon from these boys. Enjoy!

The Milk Carton Kids - Poison Tree YTV

19/05/15 YouTube Video

This week has seen an influx of great albums being released like the fourth release from The Milk Carton Kids, Monterey. This track closes the album and does it in a gentle and stylish way. A simple and eloquent song needing not much more than guitars and a voice to produce such a great song. Enjoy!

Duesenberg Caribou DOTM

Design Of The Month

I would like to thank the guys at Andertons for bringing this brand back into my mind. I heard about Duesenberg Guitars firstly when they created a Johnny Depp signature model, but since then they seemed to have slipped out of my brain. Until today with the video from the Andertons YouTube channel reviewing this beautiful Duesenberg Caribou. Below are several variations on the design but my personal favourite is the second one from the top with the 3 pickups (one humbucker and 2 split coils), gold pickguard, brand own tremolo system and that sensational shade of aqua blue. From the whole design I get a real retro, cool feel and obvious well made construction that would make the guitar an absolute dream to play.

Pins - Young Girls YTV

12/05/15 YouTube Video

My final assessment was over as of yesterday afternoon. Now only the degree show to prepare for till uni is officially over. And what better way to get me excited for the summer than this Pins track. The video makes me long for an adventure with good mates and memories of having a good time in the park and barbecues. Who knows where I will end up this summer and what I will be doing but if this is sound tracking it then the times will always be great. Enjoy!

Pinact - Scars SCS

SoundCloud Song

It is the beginning of the end for me. This dreary Thursday morning I handed in my uni presentation in preparation for showing on the following Monday.What better way to round off the week that a quick dose of Scottish loveliness in the form of Pinact. The two piece have produced a catchy and heavy (without being over the top) tune to raise my spirits for the long weekend of rehearsals ahead. The two piece rock band scenario seems to be quite saturated at the moment but these guys are definitely rising to the top in my book. Enjoy!

Blur & Jimmy Fallon - Tender YTV

05/05/15 YouTube Video

It has been a while since I heard this song and upon hearing it today, it rekindled a flame in the back of my memory somewhere. Memories of good times and sing-a-longs with friends. It is nice to hear it done acoustically and I am not sure exactly if Jimmy Fallon adds much apart from the awkward high vocals but he is enough of a legend just getting this video recorded and posting it online for everyone to hear. Coxon soloing on the resonator guitar was my personal highlight. I hope you dig it as much as me. Enjoy!

Nai Harvest - Hairball AA

April Album

Another month, another shed load of great albums. The interesting thing this time is the variety of genre. It seemed to be jumping all over the place with every new album that was released. Other great albums this month come from: Waxahatchee, San Cisco, Turbo Fruits, The Wombats, Tyler Parr and many more. Nai Harvest stole the lead because of their honest, straight forward, no messing, rock and roll music. No frills and extravagance just meat and potatoes or more particularly good drums and good guitar. Thats all I need for a good time and all this album needs to hook me in and keep me loving it for the foreseeable. Great band and I look forward to hearing more. Listen to a single below!

Oh Honey - Sugar, You YTV

28/04/15 YouTube Video

The perfect blend of folk pop that is this latest track from Oh Honey. It has a really modern sound and brings the acoustic guitar sound up into this century. The boy/girl vocals also works really nicely and I particularly find the females voice supplied by Danielle Bouchard spectacular. The video may be cheesy and overly censoring with a bit of brand placement thrown in but thankfully it doesn't detract from the song. Enjoy!

Wolf Alice - Bros SCS

SoundCloud Song

This track is a bit a change from the Wolf Alice I am used to nd I for one am fully embracing it. It is not as harsh and in your face a song as some of their previous releases. It has more of a pop vibe with the gentle vocals and downplayed lo-fi instrumentation. I like both sides of Wolf Alice but what I like even more is that they push the boundaries of their "sound". Another album in the waiting that I can't wait to sink my teeth into.

Du Blonde - Black Flag YTV

21/04/15 YouTube

The uni deadline is getting closer and closer. The pressure is mounting and one of the main things that is getting me through, is tunes like this. Du Blonde was a new artist to me when I heard this track and I hadnt heard her music under her previous professional name of Beth Jeans Houghton but I really didn't need to. This song is enough of a foot stomping, head nodding good time that no one could resist tapping along to the beat.

As for the video, it features Beth in a Baywatch on mild drugs kind of world with some mesmerizing what looks like reversed dancing that randomly compliments the song nicely. Enjoy!

Stew Mac DOTM

Design Of The Month

My design, or more specifically design company for this month is Stewart-MacDonald. Through my project at Uni all I seem to be thinking about is guitars, guitars, guitars and more guitars so this company has been burned into my brain. They are based in the US and seem to produce every tool under the sun that can help luthiers produce excellent guitars.

Most recently I have been looking at some of their guitar jigs that aim to make doing certain tasks easier and give greater control to the builder such as the Tuner Pin Drill Jig (below) which makes lining up the tuner screws a cinch. I also bought a set of pickup templates from them recently and they are very high quality and should last a few decades fingers crossed.

The delivery of products from the US to the UK may be extortionate but when getting a job lot of goodies like I am going to do in the near future, it is well worth it.

Circa Waves cover Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do YTV

14/04/15 YouTube Video




Off to see Circa Waves tonight in Birmingham and boy am I pumped. Their debut album that was released in March, Young Chasers is all killer, no filler and I am looking forward to hearing some of the newer tracks this evening alongside the classic singles.


Regarding the video below. I randomly tuned in to Radio 1 whilst out driving recently which was a bit out of the blue for me but I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Circa Waves were doing a Live Lounge performance. The thing that makes this song great is that it is so far removed from the original version and it sounds like it would perfectly fit on the Circa Waves album. I highly doubt it but I would totally be up for it if they were to crack this one out tonight. Enjoy!

Tiffany Page - Suburbia SCS

SoundCloud Song

5 years since her last EP, Tiffany Page has released new music! I first heard her with her single Walk Away Slow way back in 2010 which then took me to the corresponding EP release. This track has got the same steady grunge-tinged guitar style as her previous but I think her vocals have become more gritty and some of the poppy gloss has been removed which makes for even more of an enjoyable listen. Despite the loopholes of signing up to a website to get exclusive first listen to this track, it was well worth it to have new Tiffany Page tunes back in the world. Enjoy!

Best Coast - Heaven Sent YTV

07/04/15 YouTube Video

May the 5th can not come soon enough. After hearing this new track from Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno (who are the duo that make up Best Coast) my heart pumped a little bit faster and yes my mind slightly expanded at the sheer joy I have for listening to this track. Heaven Sent is the first single to come off of the California Nights album that is out in (yes you guessed it) the 5th of May.

I first fell in love with B.C. on their 2012 The Only Place album and then went back to listen to their debut Crazy For You which had their unique sound but you can really tell how they have grown and changed throughout their musical life. I am high on anticipation for their future releases. Enjoy!

Brandi Carlile - The Firewatcher's Daughter MA

March Album

This month has had so many great country/folk music album releases, it made it really hard for me not to pick one as my album on the month. Other great albums came from Noel Gallagher, The Shires, Tobias Jesso Jr., Courtney Barnett, The Staves, Circa Waves and Laura Marling just to name a small portion out of all the brilliant releases.

I chose Brandi Carliles The Firewatchers Daughter because of the emotional ride the album as a whole took me through. She has moments when she is singing a proper uptempo, happy foot stompers of a track and on the turn of a dime she is singing about heartbreak and the transition is the magical thing. Brandi makes it so smooth and effortless, the songs just flow naturally and makes for such an exciting listen. With its ups and downs throughout, it really makes for a classic storytelling album. One of the singles from the album (below) shows how much you don't need a fancy production in a music video, just a good amount of passion and a cracking voice. My stand out track from the album has to be Blood Muscle Skin & Bone. It has a slight different musical direction compared to the rest of the tracks without sounding out of place in the middle of the album and is a nice twist up at the mid point, and having the same Brandi Carlile vocals really makes it a proper ear worm that will make you listen to it on repeat.

Easter Break

Today I am away on a small Easter trip up in Manchester. Upon arrival, the internet isn't as ideal as I first expected so there won't be the regular content today. The proceedings will return to normal on Thursday with my March Album. I hope everyone's break is going well.

Sheer Mag - Button Up SCS

SoundCloud Song

Scuzzy guitar lines seem to be my order of the day. After seeing what SXSW acts other popular music news outlets championed, Sheer Mag definitely shone out as one of the best. I have been listening to this track on repeat since the first time it infiltrated my eardrums. It is a potent mixture of hooky drum beats with snappy lyrics that is sung with a screechy (without being annoying) vocal. Great band and look forward to hearing more.

Kacey Musgraves - Biscuits YTV

24/03/15 YouTube Video

Fresh new track from Kacey Musgraves. This month has been chock full of absolutely jammy Country tracks much like this one. This song has much of the same feel/sound as that of her previous album release with bouncy, cheery songs including a moral/message sung in such a way that you don't quite realise what she is singing about till the end and by that time the chorus is well and truly in your head. Enjoy!

The Preatures - Planet Blue Eyes SCS

SoundCloud Song

I went to Nottingham last week to see The Preatures at The Bodega. It was my first visit to the venue (even the city, for gig related excursions) and I hope it won't be my last because it was fantastic. The venue is a great size for intimate performances by equally great bands such as The Preatures. They really wowed the audience and me with their music skills and they are awesome people on top of that. I chatted to them a bit after the gig and they are really nice and friendly. It is for these reasons and many more that I chose their whole debut for my SoundCloud Songs of this week. I hope you appreciate their talent as much as I do.