Introducing Stirling’s ‘Death Collective’

Introducing your friendly neighbourhood… DEATH COLLECTIVE Working as a clumsily cohesive unit; a flurry of non-blood-related kinship; a deeply spiritual, deeply sarcastic swarm of interconnected sentient beings; Stirling is home to The Death Collective. Formed out of the desire to build a home for the various lost souls of the singer-songwriter community, the doors were opened (unhinged and permanently removed) to those writing left-field, unusual, progressive or down-right weird music off their own backs. It serves as a warm embrace to those floundering around solo, confusing audiences while sharing bills with acts playing covers, or playing originals that sound like covers, or playing covers that they try to make sound original by re-appropriating pop songs in that sorta ‘acoustic live lounge’ style (shudder). Then came the news that changed everything. Kieran got a week off work. And so the idea was hatched that the Death Collective would set up camp in Kieran’s studio, recording a compilation around the lesser-known/scarcely-observed holiday of Swamp Day (red wine and answers) with all and any Deathies available. About 20 turned up over the course of the week, laying down 15 tracks from 15 acts, fleshed out with contributions from one another – a mixture of artists at the relative beginnings of their careers, and those no strangers to BBC Scotland & Radio 6 airplay. Everyone in. Let’s dae it. The end result is something truly special, a testament to how rich the scene is through here. Recorded, mixed, mastered, physically released and promoted in-house, the comp was released 31st May with a cosy launch show at the Tolbooth in Stirling. So we now cordially invite you to gorge yourself online. You’ll find a tasting menu of everything from freak folk, post-punk and spoken word, to indie pop, Americana, hushed folk and gypsy romp. Sample em all via the link below, and keep an eye on new developments via our Facebook page. Stream / Download in full here

‘Swamp Day’ Compilation 1. Gilleon Blamford – ‘Separate Ways’ 2. lefthand – ‘Bert, I’m Searching For Oblivion’ 3. Brazil Exists – ‘Victorian Values’ 4. December ’91 – ‘Death Song’ 5. Death Bed – ‘Mowgli’ 6. Thurmpy – ‘Drunken Adventures’ 7. Kieran Hughes – ‘First Time That I Die’ 8. Scott William Urquhart – ‘Wren (part 2)’ 9. Jason Riddell – ‘Had Enough Of That Baby’ 10. The Narcissist Cookbook – ‘A Story About A Band Called Nirvana’ 11. Jamie Flynn – ‘Live. Die Young’ 12. Norrie McCulloch – ‘When She Is Crying Too’ 13. Niamh Baker – ‘Sailor’ 14. Trenchfoot – ‘Little Drones’ 15. Constant Follower – ‘On Old Shorelines’ Recorded and mixed by Kieran Hughes. Mastered by Matt Johnston (The Narcissist Cookbook) Artwork by Peter Russell & Chloé Maurice.

Previous Death Collective-affiliated releases December ’91 – ‘Dark Autumn Nights’ lefthand – ‘Commuter Town’ Thurmpy – ‘Happy Thurmpday’ The Narcissist Cookbook – ‘Moth’