A Howff takeaway with Cede, Jackie Leven, Goodnight Louisa and Jackal Trades
Now that the world is opening up, the summer has arrived and we start to live again, we dont really need to be hiding away in The Howff, our lockdown cellar. But we thought it would be good to highlight some of the great new and recent releases in Scotland for a ‘Howff Takeaway’ for you to enjoy in the garden, in the park or at your campsite. So whether you’re boozing in a beer garden or swimming in the wild, you can take some Jackal Trades, Goodnight Louisa, Jackie Leven and Cede with you.
Becci Wallace and Alan Kerr have come together to form Cede, a folksy pop band with great catchy melodies. Their EP Pain Sells was released two weeks ago and its an excellent debut full of love songs with a twist, earworm choruses and delightful wordplay. You can find out more and order the EP HERE and you can catch them live at the Room2 Summer Sessions next week.
Legend is a word that is used far too often in my opinion, but it does apply to the late Jackie Leven. He released some truly brilliant music over his career, often under the radar to the mainstream music press. Thankfully, Night School Records (on its Archival label School Daze) remedy that with Straight Outta Caledonia, a greatest hits of some of Jackie Leven’s most powerful work. Find out more or order the album HERE
The upbeat, synth-driven disco of Get Your Hands Off My Girlfriend contrasts the darker message in the song – the harassment of gay women in what are thought to be “safe” spaces. Its the first single from the forthcoming Goodnight Louisa album Human Danger, self-produced by Edinburgh based artist and producer Louise McCraw
Jackal Trades is back with a new album At This Point, a brilliant and often hilarious look at where we are as a society. As you would expect, Mark McGhee has brought together a collection of collaborators and covers a massive range of subjects. Its like a Charlie Brooker screenwipe of the last year, told in Glasgow hip-hop style. Get the album HERE