Written during Olney’s Ph.D. in algorithmic algebraic geometry in Edinburgh, Scotland and Clark’s lost months of limbo and relocation from Los Angeles to Texas following the death of his father and grandfather, best friends Grant Olney and Barry DeBakey wrote the songs that would become their self-titled album with hints of Bryter Layter-era Nick Drake and Scott 4 era Scott Walker. But with echoes of McCartney, a la Ram, Lennon circa-Sometime in NYC, and After the Gold Rush Neil Young in their orchestrations.

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Hotly tipped by a handful of soothsayers to take 2009 by storm, Trembling Bells are an altogether different and refreshing musical experience to much of what seems to excite people at the moment. On first listen, it’s fairly easy to ignore — one could casually shrug it off as some limp take on Scottish baroque folk. Yet, there is something more to it. Rarely do you hear that high-pitched, warbling voice in mainstream music. Likewise the marching band cacophony going on in the background is both daring and highly intriguing.

Stretchheads were a great, spazzy punk band from Erskine just outside of Glasgow. They were a group of merry pranksters for the nuclear age, crunching out frantic, sproingy squall with a demented sense of humor, predating the Boredoms and transcending the spikes-and-leather punk scene that had begun to wear out its welcome in the UK in the late 80s.

Thanks to our friends at Inertia, we have five copies of the awesome new Frightened Rabbit CD — The Midnight Organ Fight — to give away to randomly selected Australian Lost At E Minor subscribers. If you aren’t already a subscriber to our weekly email newsletter, sign up for free now. To win a copy, just tell us why Scottish music is the bomb or why this album will change your life (whichever comes first). Entries close Tuesday morning Australian time.

FRIGHTENED RABBIT are an unconventional three-piece with a defined personality, and a gift for being able to nail a near perfect pop song, Frightened Rabbit convey candid tales of ordinary folk with a wry, acerbic wit via an eloquent, emotive, modern garage-pop aesthetic.

‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ is produced by PETER KATIS. Who is know and loved for producing INTERPOL (the 1st two), THE NATIONAL (the last two) THE GRATES etc and who also engineered MERCURY REV’s opus ‘Deserter Songs’)

An incredibly accomplished live outfit, seemingly without any effort whatsoever, their performances at times recall the ragged, muscular energy of emo/punk (when emo was a credible phrase) three pieces such as early SEBADOH or MISSION OF BURMA, but Frightened Rabbit’s ouvre nevertheless harbours a far more universal agenda. They mix the punk power of the PIXIES with the pop emotion of SNOW PATROL.

In my next life, I want to sing like Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison. Oh, and grow a lush beard, so I can play in their band. Better start cracking.

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Hooray! Scottish troubadour Malcolm Middleton is touring Australia and we have double passes to his shows in Sydney [May 8], Melbourne [May 9] and Brisbane [May 10] to giveaway.

To win one, just be the first reader in one of those destinations to leave a message under this post. It’s as simple as that! First in, best dressed. Oh, and we’ll throw in a copy of his Sleigh of Heart EP for each winner as well.

There was a lot of fuss about former Arab Strap frontman Malcolm Middleton’s recent single, We’re All Going to Die, and the timing of its release around Christmas. We asked him if it was a publicity stunt, a reality check, a coincidence, or all three wrapped up into a two minute fifty slice of classic, introspective pop. ‘It wasn’t a publicity stunt I’m afraid. That would imply that I cared about publicity. It was simply a joke that got taken out of hand and then avalanched a bit. I’m glad it only got to number 31 over here as it could have ruined the nice little rut of miserablism that I’ve carved for myself. Ho-ho-ho!’ Four Cigarettes has been played over and over on my Ipod. A wonderful track. Do you recall writing it and then playing it for someone the first time? ‘I remember writing it and then immediately recording a pretty detailed demo the same day, including all the string and brass parts. The demo is slightly rockier, with louder choruses and distorted guitars. I felt it need softening a bit though. I can’t remember playing it to anyone. I tend to work in a vacuum’. Has it been a challenge moving away from the sound you created so successfully with Arab Strap? Though there are parallels to be drawn obviously. ‘It hasn’t been a challenge — more like fun. I now get to do all the bits that were good in Arab Strap but also stuff that I like without having to compromise or fight about it. I miss being in the band, though we did end it at the right time’ Does Australia [where he's about to tour] hold fond memories for you? If so, which part in particular? ‘I played on a boat in Sydney harbor in 2002 with Mogwai, Arab Strap, Machine Translations and myself. That was good fun. Most memories involve alcohol fueled youthful jet-lag. I’ll hopefully make some more memories like that, except without the youthful, of course’.

Malcolm Middleton’s new EP, Sleight Of Heart, is out now on Pod through Inertia. Malcolm will be touring Australia between 7th and 10th of May.

Formerly of Arab Strap, Scottish songwriter Malcolm Middleton sings with all the integrity and smoky purity of someone who has spent way too much time puffing away in the back corner of a sketchy Dundee pub. Four Cigarettes is a devastating track – sparse in the verses, lush in the choruses, and majestically organic in the delivery. I discovered it quite by accident on a wet New York morning whilst working away at a Soho cafe. It kinda shimmied into my headphones, the crackling wickedness of Middleton’s Scottish lilt ripping me straight out of my cappuccino induced haze. ‘Oh man!’, I thought to myself. ‘This is the greatest song most people will never know about’. Until now. Well, for a few of us anyway.

Listen to Malcolm Middleton’s track, Four Cigarettes.