'Battleships & Kettle Chips' EP
The year is 2010. In a time of mass unemployment and civil unrest, Randolph’s Leap quietly go about releasing what is sure to go down in history as “an adequate 5-song EP”.
However, we must look back to the previous decade in order to fully understand the music you are about to hear. ‘Battleships & Kettle Chips’ was recorded in 2009 during a 6-day spell at Glasgow’s Green Door Studio with producer Sam Smith at the ‘helm’ (a clever Battleship reference there). The songs were recorded to tape, not due to a desire for a ‘vintage’ aesthetic but due to a complete lack of understanding of modern technology.
It must be noted that the band survived solely on supermarket meal deals for the duration of recording. This EP should therefore be considered a conceptual experiment created with the intention of exploring the complex correlation between performance and diet. As such, any unsatisfactory aspects found in the recordings (wrong notes, off-key vocals, tempo issues etc.) should be understood as unavoidable and crucial elements in said artistic experiment. It would be naïve for any journalist or critic to misconstrue these occurrences as anything other than beautiful and inherently meaningful accidents.
Randolph’s Leap are a 6-piece, Glasgow-based, super-hyphenated figment of your imagination. They regularly perform live, much to the delight and amazement of themselves.
‘Battleships & Kettle Chips’ is released through Olive Grove Records on November 15th. It will be available on download through all of the major download sites and on CD. A special limited edition super dooper CD will be also be on offer to ten lucky souls.
FUN FACT! The EP was almost called ‘While My Catarrh Gently Seeps’ due to the mild cold suffered by singer Adam during the recording process. However, this somewhat vulgar title was discarded following the threat of legal action from the Harrison estate.
Saturday 2 October 2010
Wednesday 28 July 2010
Belladrum 2010
We are lucky enough to be playing at Belladrum festival this year.
Well at least I think we are. According to this update, a band named "Randolfs Leap" have been booked. I think that means us. Unless someone has formed a tribute act... In fact, that site also suggests that Julia Doogan's evil twin sister 'Julie' has hijacked her band.
The festival tickets are sold out, but if you happen to be going we're on at the Seedlings Stage at 7.15pm on the Friday evening.
Well at least I think we are. According to this update, a band named "Randolfs Leap" have been booked. I think that means us. Unless someone has formed a tribute act... In fact, that site also suggests that Julia Doogan's evil twin sister 'Julie' has hijacked her band.
The festival tickets are sold out, but if you happen to be going we're on at the Seedlings Stage at 7.15pm on the Friday evening.
Thursday 15 July 2010
COMPETITION TIME!!!
We have 5 tickets 'up for grabs' (it's illegal to have a competition and not use that phrase) for our gig at the 13th Note this Saturday (July 17th).
The gig is hosted by bloggers Peenko and AyeTunes and the bill also features We’re Only Afraid of New York and Little Yellow Ukuleles.
In order to get your disgusting little paws on a ticket (RRP £5), you have to answer the following tricky question:
Which 3 Randolph’s Leap songs feature the word ‘skull’???
Send your answers to randolphsleap@yahoo.com
We doubt that 5 people will care enough to know the answer to the above question so please also get email us
a)the name your favourite film
and
b) a link to, in your opinion, the funniest clip on the internet
Winners will subsequently be judged on taste and sense of humour.
The gig is hosted by bloggers Peenko and AyeTunes and the bill also features We’re Only Afraid of New York and Little Yellow Ukuleles.
In order to get your disgusting little paws on a ticket (RRP £5), you have to answer the following tricky question:
Which 3 Randolph’s Leap songs feature the word ‘skull’???
Send your answers to randolphsleap@yahoo.com
We doubt that 5 people will care enough to know the answer to the above question so please also get email us
a)the name your favourite film
and
b) a link to, in your opinion, the funniest clip on the internet
Winners will subsequently be judged on taste and sense of humour.
Monday 12 July 2010
Friday 2 July 2010
Monday 28 June 2010
Friday 25 June 2010
A Dream I Had
I dreamt last night that someone reviewed a Randolph's Leap gig.
I've embellished it a little bit but this is pretty much how it panned out:
Sigh.
Firstly, Randolph's Leap are not a band who will be winning any beauty contests in a hurry. Frontman Adam Ross displays a mouthful of teeth almost as crooked as his sense of rhythm. I struggled to keep my eyes on the rag-tag formation, finding their desperate and misguided attempts at 'stage-presence' nausea-inducing.
And as for the performance? More like perfor-mess. The band stumbled their way though the kind of meandering, lightweight melodies and rhyming schemes most of us abandoned at nursery school.
However, unbelievably, the pain was worth enduring for one song. 'Going Home' is the jewel in a desert of shit. A song that (keeping in mind the otherwise abominable set) I struggle to believe is not a cover. For 5 sweet minutes, it all comes together for Randolph's Leap as they bellow the glorious chorus to what is surely going to follow Auld Lang Sine, Loch Lomond and The Proclaimers' 500 Miles into the annals of Scottish DJ classics, a sure-fire foot-stomping disco staple for future wedding-goers the world over. Ecstasy.
I've embellished it a little bit but this is pretty much how it panned out:
Sigh.
Firstly, Randolph's Leap are not a band who will be winning any beauty contests in a hurry. Frontman Adam Ross displays a mouthful of teeth almost as crooked as his sense of rhythm. I struggled to keep my eyes on the rag-tag formation, finding their desperate and misguided attempts at 'stage-presence' nausea-inducing.
And as for the performance? More like perfor-mess. The band stumbled their way though the kind of meandering, lightweight melodies and rhyming schemes most of us abandoned at nursery school.
However, unbelievably, the pain was worth enduring for one song. 'Going Home' is the jewel in a desert of shit. A song that (keeping in mind the otherwise abominable set) I struggle to believe is not a cover. For 5 sweet minutes, it all comes together for Randolph's Leap as they bellow the glorious chorus to what is surely going to follow Auld Lang Sine, Loch Lomond and The Proclaimers' 500 Miles into the annals of Scottish DJ classics, a sure-fire foot-stomping disco staple for future wedding-goers the world over. Ecstasy.
Insider Festival
Splendiferous festival. Lovely location, friendly chickens.
A giant of a man, resplendent in kilt and Santa Claus hair+beard combo gifted us the most touching introduction we've ever received: "Ladies and gentlemen, mmmfghl harrrumph ggl, mumphumblas Glasgow rumphundm farvrushghlln RANDOLPH'S LEAP!"
We didn't arrive until the Saturday, thus regretfully missing Washington Irving and a few other folk.
A large dose of the thankyouz goes to Washinton Irving's Chris McGarry for joining us (our own drumsman couldn't make it) in what turned out to be a ill-prepared disaster / endearingly shambolic triumph in the face of adversity.
My personal highlights were Andrea Marini (though my quest for a baked potatiola distracted me for a song or two), Sir Alasdair Roberts (see video below) and Rachel Sermanni who I'd never heard before but boasted good songs, a cracking fiddle duo and a sense of self-awareness which I personally find refreshing when compared with some of the dullards who graze in not-so-dissimilar fields...
Alasdair Roberts - The Cruel Mother:
A giant of a man, resplendent in kilt and Santa Claus hair+beard combo gifted us the most touching introduction we've ever received: "Ladies and gentlemen, mmmfghl harrrumph ggl, mumphumblas Glasgow rumphundm farvrushghlln RANDOLPH'S LEAP!"
We didn't arrive until the Saturday, thus regretfully missing Washington Irving and a few other folk.
A large dose of the thankyouz goes to Washinton Irving's Chris McGarry for joining us (our own drumsman couldn't make it) in what turned out to be a ill-prepared disaster / endearingly shambolic triumph in the face of adversity.
My personal highlights were Andrea Marini (though my quest for a baked potatiola distracted me for a song or two), Sir Alasdair Roberts (see video below) and Rachel Sermanni who I'd never heard before but boasted good songs, a cracking fiddle duo and a sense of self-awareness which I personally find refreshing when compared with some of the dullards who graze in not-so-dissimilar fields...
Alasdair Roberts - The Cruel Mother:
Battleships & Kettle Chips
An EP/mini-album is expected to be ready be September or so.
Gary Bolam is doing the pictures n that.
It'll have the following songs on it:
Going Home
As I Lie In The Mud
Cassie O'Tone
Back To Square One
Undergod
and maybe another.
Gary Bolam is doing the pictures n that.
It'll have the following songs on it:
Going Home
As I Lie In The Mud
Cassie O'Tone
Back To Square One
Undergod
and maybe another.
Bandcamp (free downloads)
You can get your filthy little mittens on some free mp3s here:
OUR BANDCAMP SITE
Including our new super summer smash-hit single Squeamish
FACTOID OF THE WEEK - Squeamish was recorded using a drum kit belonging to sports pundit and TV personality Dougie Vipond. Why he owns a drum kit I do not know.... Sorry? Who? Nope, never heard of them.
OUR BANDCAMP SITE
Including our new super summer smash-hit single Squeamish
FACTOID OF THE WEEK - Squeamish was recorded using a drum kit belonging to sports pundit and TV personality Dougie Vipond. Why he owns a drum kit I do not know.... Sorry? Who? Nope, never heard of them.
Album with Eldifidle
I recently spent some time with the incalculably talented 'eldifidle' recording "this year's most enchanting lo-fi pop masterpiece" (Adam Ross).
I discovered the enigmatic eldifidle this year after hearing about him on the Teenage Fanclub discussion forum. His debut instrumental album 'address is approximate' is a fantastic piece of work (Gareth from Randolph's Leap will disagree with me on this point, but I won't seek to open up old wounds between these two...)
In essence, the album we created together - 'My Great Auntie Syzygy - is me singing some songs to arrangements performed and produced by eldifidle. It's lo-fi to the triple-x-treme, but I like it.
I discovered the enigmatic eldifidle this year after hearing about him on the Teenage Fanclub discussion forum. His debut instrumental album 'address is approximate' is a fantastic piece of work (Gareth from Randolph's Leap will disagree with me on this point, but I won't seek to open up old wounds between these two...)
In essence, the album we created together - 'My Great Auntie Syzygy - is me singing some songs to arrangements performed and produced by eldifidle. It's lo-fi to the triple-x-treme, but I like it.
A Letter About Soup
Dear [CENSORED],
As a loyal consumer of [CENSORED] soup, I have always enjoyed the taste and choice provided by your range.
Today I bought a tin of [CENSORED] from my local [CENSORED] store. Minestrone has long been one of my favourite varieties, given your sagacious choice to use conchiglie-type pasta shells rather than the noodle-based approach adopted by many of your competitors. However, you can well imagine my disappointment when, after emptying the contents of the tin, I discovered the soup to be completely lacking in any pasta whatsoever.
The soup, sans pasta, was tasty enough, but I'm sure you'll agree that a bowl of minestrone soup without some quantum of pasta completely undermines the ideals and values intrinsic to minestrone tradition.
I felt I should bring this to your attention in the hope that my comments might prevent such mishaps from occurring in the future. I would like to wish you continued success with your excellent products and look forward to hearing your thoughts, if any, in regards to this puzzling debacle.
Yours,
Adam Ross
ps. I have photographic evidence of the soup in question if required.
UPDATE:
This letter resulted in £3 worth of vouchers.
As a loyal consumer of [CENSORED] soup, I have always enjoyed the taste and choice provided by your range.
Today I bought a tin of [CENSORED] from my local [CENSORED] store. Minestrone has long been one of my favourite varieties, given your sagacious choice to use conchiglie-type pasta shells rather than the noodle-based approach adopted by many of your competitors. However, you can well imagine my disappointment when, after emptying the contents of the tin, I discovered the soup to be completely lacking in any pasta whatsoever.
The soup, sans pasta, was tasty enough, but I'm sure you'll agree that a bowl of minestrone soup without some quantum of pasta completely undermines the ideals and values intrinsic to minestrone tradition.
I felt I should bring this to your attention in the hope that my comments might prevent such mishaps from occurring in the future. I would like to wish you continued success with your excellent products and look forward to hearing your thoughts, if any, in regards to this puzzling debacle.
Yours,
Adam Ross
ps. I have photographic evidence of the soup in question if required.
UPDATE:
This letter resulted in £3 worth of vouchers.
Randolph's Leap Music Blogstream Launch 2010.
Never mind the world cup
The Randolph's Leap blog is now up
See them flock from far and wide
As we will finally glimpse inside
The mind of Scotland's greatest group
But first, a letter about soup...
(see next post)
The Randolph's Leap blog is now up
See them flock from far and wide
As we will finally glimpse inside
The mind of Scotland's greatest group
But first, a letter about soup...
(see next post)
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