It's been over a week since our sixth Homegame came to an end ... and i feel a bit empty.

This might be because i've not eaten anything substantial since breakfast ... but I think it's more to do with the fact that I miss you all, terribly.

Teh-webbly.

Of all Fence events, Homegame 6 was the most difficult to organise.   Maybe it just felt that way because it was the most stressful.   It didn't help that I decided to go on a month long tour in the US just before it all kicked off.  Not getting funding was a bit of an arse as well.  Not actually applying to many funding bodies was an even bigger arse.  Ho hum.

Not that money was a problem, really.  It just woulda made a few things a bit easier, i think.  I was planning on spending a good £5K on a small rickshaw boy to cart me between the venues.  And to feed me amply sauced chips at regular intervals.

Never mind.

I've had a number of folk approach me in person, by email, and by telekinesis to say that this was the best Homegame ever.  So i'm happy.  I never knew i was telekinetic.

There were some top top highlights. And i'm not talking about those in Kate Tunstall's fringe.  Although, i thought they were splendid too.  I'm talking about musical things i enjoyed.

But before i get into all of that ...

= = = = = = = = = = = = =

THE PICTISH TRAIL'S OFFICIALLY "OFFICIAL" THANK YOUS

First, to Kenners - well done and all that.  We did it. Hurrah.

Secondly, to Kate Canaveral - who ran/drove/flew around town all weekend like a blue arsed fly.  And posted out all the tickets. And played her own set.  And kept toerags out of Legends.  And kept me sane.  Kate - if you had a willy, you'd be man of the match.  I'm not going to imagine you have a willy, though.  Hope that's okay with you.

A big thank you to all the artists that played - for being patient, for not throwing diva strops, and for being part of the best Homegame line-up ever.   I'm not sure how we're going to top this year, short of getting The Proclaimers to perform with their willies out.  In the AIA Hall.

(Actually, judging from post-Homegame gossip, a lot of people had their willies out anyway. Ha!)

Sorry.  Enough about willies.

Cheers to Alan Pebble for keeping it together - sound-engineering all weekend at the Hew Scott Hall, as well as doing 3 of his own sets, and helping out on a few others.   Cheers to Graeme for his help there too.

High fives to Derek and Kat for all their help with organising the financials, and thank you to Gummi, Lyndz, Dooleydoo, HMS G, Vicster, Steenimal and Dave Canaveral for doing such a sterling job with venue management.   And thanks also to the amazing team of stewards we had.  Collectively, you were the lifeblood of this years event.

Extra special mention to Katlinel and Jess on the ticket desk, Mr & Mrs FCB for joining in on door-duty last minute, and Fudgey-D helping on the merch desk.  Cheers also to Gayle and Ben for helping out on the bar, and supplying me with a steady flow of delicious boozes.  

Continued thanks to Ade Brown for putting together the superb Fencezine programme.  It was huge!  I'm still working my way through it now!  Amazing.

A big whoop for Ben, Chloe, Eric and Jade Milne - and everyone at Fisher & Donaldson for all the donuts, sausage rolls, spinach & ricotta pies, soup, sarnies and tea.  How incredible was that?!!!  So so good.  All really inexpensive, too.  Braw.

And while we're at it - let's have a standing ovation for Mama & Papa Casino, for making the AIA Hall so special.  The secret shows are going to be a permanent fixture from now on.

Keep standing for Keys & Mark at Bootcamp recordings, and SoundMartin for jumping in behind the sound desk when all was going titz-up.  And cheers to Paul Savage and Campbell for helping out too.  

Thanks to Margaret Martin @ Waid School Hall, Lindsay Brown @ Anstruther Town Hall, Kristine Keay & Sue Myers @ the AIA Hall, Wilma Reid @ the Hew Scott Hall, Jenny @ Scottish Fisheries Museum, and Stevie @ Legends for letting us use their venues!  Thanks also to the janny's - particularly Danny and Ian.

And a MASSIVE OVERWEIGHT GUTBUSTING POTBELLIED THANK YOU to everyone who bought a ticket, and supported our event. Homegame couldn't exist without folk buying tickets - so it's much much appreciated.  There's been no complaints, either from punters or from the town.  In fact, a lot of people in the town have approached me to say that they were really impressed we had such a lovely crowd.  You all behaved very well, and i'm proud of ya.  

Oh - apart from the c*nt that ripped Vicster's arm with her nails.

Apologies for the various sound problems over the weekend.  That was my fault, and i'm gonna make sure it never happens again.  I nearly had a breakdown after my feedback ridden set on the Friday night - but it seems like most things went well over the Saturday/Sunday. Phee-yewww.

All in all, an amazing Homegame.  As per usual, I only managed to catch a handful of performances - as i was running around a lot - but i still saw an incredible array of talent.  Men Diamler's set at the Hew Scott Hall was phenomenal, as was Martin Henry's set.  I'm gutted i missed the De Rosa full band show - but Martin's solo set more than made up for it.  Meursault's full band set in the Anster Town Hall was another highlight - it sounded humungous!  Neil's voice puts the fear of God in me every time i see him perform.  Outstanding.   

Gutted to have missed Malcolm Middleton's set - but have been consoling myself with his new album, Waxing Gibbous.   Both Kenners and myself provided backing vocals for his album - and i'm blown away by how big it sounds.   It's an incredible album - and as ever, there's that perfect balance of heart-crushing and heart-warming.  F*cking brilliant.  It's out in a month, i think ... you should all buy it.

= = = = = = = = = = = = =

I'm now on a train home to Fife, after spending the last 6 days in London with Kenners.  There was a few King Creosote gigs, and some exciting meetings about some new music i've been making ... more news on that in the coming months ...

Glad to be getting back home tonight ... but i'm not home for long!  I'm off on the road on Friday (!) for a Pictish Trail / Viking Moses / Golden Ghost tour of the UK.   You can see all the gig details at the bottom of this blog ... or by CLICKING HERE!

If you think you can make it along to any of these shows, please please come along!  And bring tons of friends!  I really could use all the support I can get on this tour.   Viking Moses and Golden Ghost have come all the way over from the States, after having Rozi and myself support them on a month-long US tour ... this Pictish Trail UK tour is my way of saying thanks, so it would mean a lot if y'all turned out in droves ;)

Any other news?  

Well, there's a brand new Hot Chip compilation coming out, courtesy of Bugged Out.  And, looky here, who is track 1 on CD 2?  Why it's the Hot Chip remix of Winter Home Disco by Piddy Trail.  Woop!  Those boys do have SPLENDID taste. This is the only version of this song available on CD - and it's got some extra keyboard on it by Alexis ... so y'all should buy it.  And the Malcolm Middleton album.

And the new Bill Callahan album.  I'm not singing on that one, but it is phenomenal.

Oh ... and before i forget ...  we are proud to announce that Fence will be returning for our 7th year running to the Green Man festival!  We've been given a couple hours on the Sunday afternoon to put on a Fence afternoon - and we've got sets from Rozi Plain (full band), The Three Craws, and myself (full band) lined up.   Green Man is a proper proper festival, and definitely the best i've ever been to.  We're so chuffed to have been asked back - particularly since this year has such a stunning line-up.

Tickets are £115 for the weekend, and are cheaper if you are a student or a teenager ... go to http://www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk/tickets/  right away!

Okay, our train has nearly pulled into Leuchars, so i'll have to love ya and leave ya.  See you on the road!

johnnerz xx

Hello my phlegms,



(I've got a lot to get through today ... so you might want to print this off, and save it for bedtime, accompanied with a steaming hot mug of Horlicks and a bib.  Or take it with you to the bog.  I think this will be a good 'bog blog'. )



My my, we've almost reached the end of 2008, haven't we?  Well ... those of us that died didn't quite manage it, right enough. Poor old Eartha.  And Harold.  So close.  RIP.



Saying that, as I type, it's not quite 2009 yet - and any one of us could die before January 1st comes around.   I was saying this to one of our younger Fence acts the other day.  You have to be vigilant.  You never know when there's someone hiding around the next corner, waiting to cut your face.   Or at the very least, wanting to cup your genitals.



I trust you all had a splendid Xmas.  I'm currently in Connecticut, visiting my folks.  There's been a lot of snow on the ground.  For Xmas I got liposuction and a haircut.  And a new pair of socks.  You'd hardly recognise me.  It's part of my Beef-Stalker relocation programme.  Good ol' Santa.



Before I go any further, I want to do some housework - I'd like to say thanks to all those that came along to the shows I did earlier this month, in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London.  The shows were all really busy ... which, for me, was a big surprise!  I'm really chuffed - and I want you to know that it means a lot.   I didn't have a camera with me, but i remember all your faces, every single one - especially the gingers - and they are all I think about during these long, cold, lonely winter nights, wearing nothing but my gold suit.



Thanks also to the band - Geeko, Beesly, Rozi, JY and especially Adem, for jumping in last minute!  Kenners couldn't make the Glasgow or London shows, so Adem's help was invaluable.  Lovely man, y'know.



And, yes, I know it might be predictable - but a heartfelt THANK YOU to all those that bought an album and/or the single this year.   You're allowing me to live this lie ... I mean life ... AND I LOVE YOU FOR IT.



Oh - I'd also  like to take this opportunity to deliver 'mad props' to Blair and Beth @ Forest Of Black, who made my incredible video, and made me feel like a popstar.  Not seen it yet?  Have a goosey below, bib at the ready ...

 

In the past few weeks there's been some really nice reviews of the shows (here and here), and Dunk Le Chunk from Manchester's esteemed Red Deer Club put me at No.1 in his list of top albums of the year - which i'm extremely flattered by.   The List have got me at 48 in their run-down of the top 100 Scottish things, which is a bit odd, but ruddy nice too.





All in all, 2008 was a busy year for me.   In retrospect, I did too much, i think.   I said 'YES' to so many things without thinking about time management ...   so i've decided that next year will be my year of 'NO'.  I hereby invite you to join me in celebrating the forthcoming "Two Thousand and NEIN".



(I'm thinking of making t-shirts, branded with Göring or the face of some other famous German, emitting a speech bubble exclaiming "2housand NEIN !!".   Another idea i had involved the word NEIN set in a ridiculously large font size, followed by two thousand exclamation marks.   DISCLAIMER: i'm not actually going to do any of this).



Thing is, the whole Two Thousand and NEIN idea happened after i'd said "yes" to a billion things in 2008, all of which are scheduled to take place in the next 6 months.  Oh piss it.



I may as well list all these things I've said 'yes' to, so you can marvel at my packed schedule ... a checklist, if you will:





* HOMEGAME *



The biggest thing on my mind at the moment is the Homegame.  The Homegame is our annual festival, held in our home town of Anstruther, Fife - and the next one will be our 6th year of doing it.  We were toying with calling  it 'The Sixtival' ... but that sounds too much like a Sex Festival.  And everyone knows Larmer Tree has dibs on that.



(Just kidding.)



We're gonna be holding it over 3 days this year, in April.  A Friday evening, all-day Saturday, and finishing on Sunday evening.  There'll be music from a lot of artists on (and associated with) Fence Records, plus some very special guests.



I'll reveal the exact date in January - and a week later the tickets will go on sale.  We're probably looking around the £60 mark, as we're having to take VAT into account, and we're providing more music this time around.  I'm telling you this now, so that you can start saving.  Or stealing.



But that's all you're getting from me on the subject at the moment.  So there.





* HOMEGAME PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES *



(I'm not a football fan, but - given the title of our main event - we're stuck with this sporting analogy.  Deal with it.)



So, we're planning on doing a few bits and bobs in the run up to the Homegame.  There's going to be a series of shows entitled 'Homegame Pre-Season Friendlies'.  There'll be one in St Andrews, one in Edinburgh, and maybe one in Glasgow.  I'm thinking maybe we should do 'em on a Sunday afternoon - a la Sunday Social's of old.   The one in Edinburgh is likely to be a double launch - for The Red Well's album, and Player Piano's EP (more on this later) with a few special guests.  The one in St Andrews is gonna be a gig with De Rosa, Kid Canaveral and Come In Tokyo.  The one in Glasgow i think might have FOUND involved, promoting their new EP (again, more on this later ...).  There's a few other folk i want to ask too ...



The idea of these gigs is to act as a taster of what's to come, with the Homegame.  Plus, it's fun doing shows that are just a wee bit different.  More info to come ...





* THE AWAY GAME *



It's actually going to happen.  Probably.  We're looking at early-July.  Location to be revealed in the next month or so ...





* PICTISH TRAIL STUFF *



Like I said earlier, I'm in the States at the moment - and i'm gonna be stalking my good friends Viking Moses and Golden Ghost around the East Coast for the first couple weeks of January.  Here's a poster I made with the gigs we've got ...



I'm back in America again in March, performing at South By South West in Austin, Texas, and doing some more shows around the area - accompanied by Miss Rozi Plain.  I'm really excited, but a bit scared too.  America is BIG.  And I don't know that many people.  I'm sure it'll all work out.  Gulp.



Over the past few months i've been doing some new Pictish Trail music for a short 10 minute film directed by my friend Louise Lockwood.  Louise directed that cool Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives documentary about the-guy-from Eels and his dad.   Her new film is entitled 'A Sin To Waste It', and it's coming out in 2009.  Because it's a film, the music i've done is mostly instrumental stuff ... but i'm writing some songs around them too, which i'm planning on releasing as an EP in the next 6 months.  I've put one of the more instrumental tracks up on my MySpace player - it's called 'Pie Eyed'.



I've also spent the last half of 2008 working on a new project with my pal Adem.  I travelled down to his place in London, and we wrote and recorded together - then he did the same up at mine in Cellardyke.  We've done that a few times now, and have almost finished a full album of electronic pop songs.  They sound INCREDIBLE and I'm really excited about it.  I'll keep you posted on the details when the album is completely finished.  I might even post up some of the dance moves i've been working out.



Plans are afoot for a Three Craws album/EP ... The Three Craws are King Creosote, James Yorkston and myself.  We're gonna be doing a few shows over the summer, and - all going to plan - there should be something new for sale at these shows.



So, plenty of Pictoid action to keep y'all satisfied, i'm sure.  I'm currently writing some new songs for Secret Soundz Vol.2, and I'm looking into getting some more PT solo dates together, in the UK, for May ... hopefully there'll be a few festivals over the summer too.





* OTHER FENCE STUFF *



As if all this wasn't enough, there's so much other stuff going on at the moment.  Here's a run down of the astonishingly good music coming out on Fence over the next few months ...



FOUND - A five track E.P. from the boys - featuring all new songs.  Sounds really really great - definitely the most electronic/dancey stuff they've ever released.  Because it's a little more dancey, we're releasing it on 12" vinyl, but it'll be accompanied by a free CD so you can play it at home if you don't have a turntable.  The band will also be over at SXSW in March - and will be doing some Scottish shows before hand to promote the release, i think.   I'm so excited that we got to put out more of their music ... i think 2009 will be a big year for them. The great thing about this band is they have so many ideas, that they make me excited about my own music - creating new things, and trying new things out.  An inspiration, indeed.  I can't wait for the full album.   



THE RED WELL -  I've been a big fan of Jim Abel's songwriting for years and years, so i'm extremely happy we're putting his album out -  'Amid Storms We Arrive'.  There's some all-out 'rawk' moments - and also some really sparse, Jason Molina-esque songs too.  My favourite at the moment is Skerryvore - which i've just whacked up on the Fence Records MySpace page.   It's a beautiful record - 10 songs with some properly anthemic pop moments.   Jim's debut full length album as The Red Well is released through Fence Records on March 2nd, but is available to buy from the band at their live shows.   I urge you all to check 'em out, and listen to the songs.



PLAYER PIANO - 2009 is the year of E.P.'s it seems ... and this one is gonna blow you away. Staggeringly good songwriting from the multi-talented Jeremy Radway, aka Player Piano.  Five perfect pop songs - the drums pummel along like 60's Velvets, the guitars are all 70's scratch and chime; the vocals croon, schmaltz and sway like 80's Edwyn Collins, crossed with Beck's more ballady numbers, all collars turned up.  But far less pompous than any of that sounds.  It's sublime.  Just sublime.   Remember all that crazy hype about  The Strokes 10 years ago? ... well, if they actually lived up to the hype,  had more than one song, and could play at different tempos, that's what this reminds me of.   Actually, that doesn't do it justice at all ...  Either way, we're loving this record, and we're planning on putting this out as a double 7" vinyl set, in a gatefold sleeve, with a free CD thrown in ... so it's going to be a really beautiful thing.  



KING CREOSOTE -  This isn't technically coming out on Fence ... but the next King Creosote album is an absolute stonker.  You're in for a treat.  It's very very very good indeed.  It's amazing.  And scary.  It's the angriest thing i've heard him do.   He gave me a freshly mastered copy before i left for Xmas, and i uploaded it onto my phone/mp3 player.  I can't stop listening to it.

 I went shopping in Marshalls (which is kind of an American equivalent of Primark, except it doesn't just do cheap clothes ... it does cheap ornaments too).  Anyway, I was listening to the new KC full blast, and came across this wee angry monarch perched on the shop shelf - which is the picture at the top of this blog.  I've since appropriated said pic as the provisional album artwork for the album on my iTunes ... OOOH.



KC's vocals on this album are frightening, but - as always - heart-achingly beautiful.   So much going on this record.  There's synth-kraut rock one minute, lighter-waving anthems the next; motown stomping electronic pop,  bagpipe sampling funk freak-outs (!?!), Moz-esque balladeering and stark ambient whispering melodies that buzz in and out your ears.  I've listened to it about 20 or 30 times now, all the way through, and there's still new things popping out at me.



It's f**king brilliant.  But, then, it was always going to be.  It's King Creosote.  And i've yet to hear anyone better.





There's other stuff in the works too ... Barbarossa has got an EP's worth of stuff coming out on the Names label, Come In Tokyo are working on their debut release, Animal Magic Tricks has been busy recording with KC, and Rozi Plain wants to get another record out this year too ... so we'll be busy bunch.



This bog blog has gone on too long, and you're probably getting hungry ... so i'm gonna let you go.  I've already thanked those that have helped me out this year - but i'd like to extend that thank you to anyone who has come to see any Fence act play live, anyone who has bought a Fence record this year, anyone who has put a travelling Fence act up in their house, anyone who has got the round in, anyone who has travelled to come see us up in Fife, anyone who has told a friend about a Fence act they like, anyone who has given us a pat on the back at the end of a show, anyone who has written about us on blogs/mags/toilet walls, anyone who has given us a second chance, anyone who has given us a third chance.  You're keeping Fence alive.



Right, i'm off for an Eartha Kitt.





(too soon?)





pt x

There's some brand new Pictish Trail shows announced - for Edinburgh and London ...



Edinburgh first ... The Pictish Trail will be doing a half-hour full-band set on Sunday 30th November, at the National Museum of Scotland (on Chamber  Street).  It's part of a full weekend's entertainment to celebrate St Andrews Day and the 10th anniversary of the NMoS - all of which is FREE and non-ticketed.    I'm going to be on at 4pm on the Sunday - and it should be a good larf, so bring the family along.  



>>> FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE!



In addition to the full-band show i'm doing at KING TUTS ... I'm playing a special full-band show at BARDENS BOUDOIR, in LONDON, to promote my new single Winter Home Disco, on WEDNESDAY 10th DECEMBER.  The awesome Player Piano will be supporting ...



Here's the deets ...



THE PICTISH TRAIL (full band) + PLAYER PIANO

Bardens Boudoir, LONDON

10th December 2008

Bardens Boudoir, 38-44 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 7XJ (020) 7249 9557.

Doors 8pm. Tickets £8.50 advance from: www.ticketweb.co.uk (08700 600 100) and www.seetickets.com (0870 264 3333)

>>> CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS NOW!

My my,



What a summer it has been.



I think September 2008 was the best month of my life so far. 

 The tour, the album coming out, with some flattering reviews (even the Just Jack comparison) ... plus I saw tons of old friends, heard from pals i'd not been in touch with for years, met up with family members on my birthday, got a casiotone keyboard and a dvd of So I Married An Axe Murderer (one of the greatest films of ALL TIME).



And then, with an hour to go before the month expired, i received a remix of Winter Home Disco from Hot Chip.   Happy doesn't even begin to describe how i feel.



I've started on a tour blog ... which is becoming MAMMOTH ... i think i'm gonna have to post it in sections.   The picture above is taken from that blog.  FEAST YOUR EYES ON THE SPARROW.

I hope some of you can make it along to the Concrete & Glass gig on Friday - or Bristol on Saturday/Sunday.

I've got a big gig in Glasgow later in the year ... but more on that later ...

If you've bought the album - thank you.  If you've bought the album and come to one of the shows  - i love you.

back soon!

the pictish trail xxx









HERE'S SOME OF THE REVIEWS:



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



PLAN B - SEPTEMBER ISSUE



The Pictish Trail – Secret Soundz Vol. 1 (Fence)



The Pictish Trail is a whiskered kiln-fetishist; a mirror-and-comb stone inscriber; a reconstructed crannog-dweller. He's never left Fife.



This is a lie.



He is in fact one Johnny Lynch – a clarion-larynxed motley-pop romancer, from Edinburgh-via-Connecticut, apara – whose lineage remains remarkable: King Creosote affiliate; axe-master profligate; Cellardyke swashbuckler; Fence Collective superintendent; Keymaster of Anstruther's Homegame gig-fest treasure chest, no less.



And he just made this. A post-summer trove of sun-warped electro, anamorphic folk, Reg Perrin homages and lambent anthems – not least the wondrous 'Words Fail Me Now': never has ill-fitting Y-front falsetto sounded so thrilling. The dude is a treat.



If his songs belie an unsinkable crush on homespun electronics and Scottish alt.pop, so too do they assuredly extend the Fence tradition for ace, off-kilter mythologising – of DIY music; love; folk art; a coastline – buoyed by ideology and macaroni pies; unravelling the world from the East Neuk of Fife.



Nicola Meighan



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY



Folk review: Pictish Trail, Secret Soundz Vol.1

(Fence) ****  4 STARS



Johnny Lynch's debut as the Pictish Trail should be compulsory listening for anyone under the impression that Fence, the label he co-runs with King Creosote, is solely devoted to lo-fi folk. Indebted to Hot Chip, the Beta Band and Paul McCartney, this is charming, fresh and quietly outré.



Paul Mardles



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



MOJO MAGAZINE - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER ISSUE



PICTISH TRAIL - SECRET SOUNDZ VOL.1

(Fence) **** 4 STARS



Johnny Lynch the one man force behind the Pictish Trail, has spent much of the last few years helping friends and fellow fence members, like King Creosote and James Yorkston get their careers off the ground. Finally recording an album in his basement he reveals himslef as a powerful songwriter in his own right. Starting with a kraftwerk like electro pulse of 'Secret Soundz 2' the album moves straight into the emotive melancholy of 'All I Own', while 'I Don't Know Where To Begin', bolstered by a rhythm section from The Earlies, combines a constant folk drone with a soaring melody and Lynch's pure high vocals. He's at his best when he starts small and builds up - the glorious 'Into The Smoke' has the quality of a rousing anthem that, with its squiggles and what sounds like a toddler in the background, holds on to a sense of intamacy.  ****



Will Hodgkinson



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



THE SCOTSMAN



THE PICTISH TRAIL: SECRET SOUNDZ VOL 1

**** 4 STARS

FENCE, £12.99



"SORRY it's taken me a while," apologises Pictish Trail mainman Johnny Lynch on the sleeve of his about-bleedin'-time full-length solo album. Lynch is King Creosote's trusty sideman at Fence Records HQ in Anstruther, so he tends to get distracted facilitating other Fence releases and the annual Fence Homegame.



But at least he is not short of musician buddies to lend a hand. Members of The Earlies help flesh out Into The Smoke into an electro-tinged rampage and Lynch toys with overwrought Bright Eyes-style angst on Words Fail Me Now, but mostly Secret Soundz is a collection of lo-fi, intimate, routinely lovely introspection.



Fiona Shepherd



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



NME



THE PICTISH TRAIL

SECRET SOUNDZ VOL 1 (FENCE)



Johnny Lynch aka The Pictish Trail is the founder of Fife's Fence Collective, a cute cabal of indie-folk musicians including King Creosote and James Yorkston. You imagine them curled around the hearth of a remote famhouse, arguing about whose turn it is to mash the neeps and tatties. But this debut, despite being so lo-fi you can hear buses drive past, is more ambitious than the homely vibe suggests. Amid creaking synths and fuzzy-felt guitars, 'The Lighthouse' evokes the space-folk of John Martyn while the disheveled romance of 'Words Fail Me Now' is a cousin of Cold War Kids' tipsy fables. Like his heroes The Beta Band, The Pictish Trail has found limited resources to be no handicap for a limitless imagination.



Sam Richards

DOWNLOAD: 'Words Fail Me Now'



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



THE BIG ISSUE



PICTISH TRAIL

Secret Soundz

(Fence Records) **** 4 STARS



Five years is a ridiculously long time to take to produce a debut album but we'll let Johnny Lynch off, since he's had his hands pretty full throughout that period co-running East Neuk of Fife based micro-label Fence Records.



Not to mention the fact he has been playing live with its leading lights (King Creosote and James Yorkston included) and putting out the odd single nad EP under his own nom de plume, Pictish Trail (when he gets a spare breath).



This finally-realised full body of work was largely knocked together on an eight track in his bedroom with an ethic of spontaneity, although the gentle warmth of these recordings and neat interplay between electronic and acoustic belies its lo-fi production values.



'I Don't Know Where To Begin' and 'Ribbon (The Twist)' rustle like Paul McCartney sweeping the last fall leaves off his front porch.



Malcolm Jack



Download: 'I Don't Know Where To Begin', 'Ribbon (The Twist)' and 'Winter Home Disco'

You'll love this if you like: The Beta Band and Paul McCartney



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



METRO



The Pictish Trail: Secret Soundz Vol. 1

(Fence) **** 4 STARS



The co-founder of Fife's Fence records and musical sidekick to its biggest artist, King Creosote, The Pictish Trail is used to playing second fiddle.



With this, his first full-length album, the man born Johnny Lynch will have to get used to the spotlight. Lynch builds in keyboard loops and bleeps to his finely crafted, homespun songs, coming across more like Hot Chip's country cousin than a windswept folkster.



That's not to say these are songs fit for the dance floor, but there's something of the modern bedroom producer in Lynch's multi-tracked harmonies that sets him apart from his folky labelmates.



Tracks such as I Don't Know Where To Begin and All I Own are unashamedly pop, hinting at a songwriting strength that could see PT challenging KC for Fence supremacy.



by AARON LAVERY - Sunday, September 14, 2008



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY



Album review: The Pictish Trail



Published Date: 14 September 2008

THE PICTISH TRAIL

Secret Soundz

**** 4 STARS



Fence FNC 904, £12.99



Johnny Lynch's debut for the label he runs with King Creosote has been a long time coming, but this beautiful concoction of kraut rock electro, space age campfire songs and gentle shore shanties is well worth the wait.



'All I Own' and 'Ribbon (The Twist)' have that robust fragility of Nick Drake and John Martyn, 'I Don't Know Where To Begin' is drenched in sea salt encrusted strings, and 'Words Fail Me Now' is Beck meeting Syd Barrett at his first ceilidh.



Colin Sommerville



Download this: All I Own, Secret Sound 5

 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



THE SKINNY



The Pictish Trail - Secret Soundz Vol. 1

Rating    **** 4 STARS

Release date    8 Sep



Joyously schizophrenic



In his behind the scenes role at Fife's Fence record label, Johnny Lynch has obviously been well-placed to soak up all the best aspects of the label's varied output. Secret Soundz Vol.1 is a collection of intricate but playful electronica as colourful as its striking cover art. The album's joyously schizophrenic combination of strong pop songs and wistful experimentation are given focus by Lynch's plaintive vocals, and there's also musical accompaniment by various members of the Fence Collective, and on three key tracks The Earlies. This contributes an autumnal depth of field that perfectly complements the fairground incandescence of Lynch's own arrangements. Words Fail Me Now is a supernatural carousel with such melodic strength it could spin you off your centre of gravity; The Lighthouse might appear to emit a lasting glow of metaphorical optimism but in fact hides a darker tale of psychopathic behaviour; and Into The Smoke is a slow-burning anthem that recalls the effortless transcendence of prime Beta Band. A sterling debut.



Milo McLaughlin



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GIG WISE



The Pictish Trail - 'Secret Soundz Vol 1' (Fence) Released 08/09/08



4.5 STARS (out of 5)



"hypnotic folk-pscyh-rock gems..."





The Pictish Trail, AKA the talented Johnny Lynch, AKA King Creosote's partner at Fence Records, releases his debut album 'Secret Soundz Vol 1', on yes you guessed it Fence Records. Johnny has been very busy over the past few years recording and touring with King Creosote and James Yorkston but its his time to shine with this debut release, solo tour dates and even support slots from old fencer KT Tunstall. 'Secrets Soundz...' has 10 songs full of hypnotic folk-pscyh-rock gems. The sound draws on his influences from the local Fife artists such as King Creosote and The Beta Band.

 

Opening track 'Secret Sound 2' sets the standard's high, with synths and electronics while Johnny bellows through distorted microphones "... Secret Sounds...". The track builds in intensity as it moves sweetly into 'All I Own' which see's the use of delightful acoustic guitars and gorgeous vocals from Johnny. 'I Don't Know Where to Begin' allows the Fence Collective to pull together as Johnny is fully assisted by The Earlies and King Creosote on vocals and instrumentation. The song has essence of Fence all over it, with its Celtic and dreamy lyrics "... I don't know where to begin/I should slowly write things down/ When you were a Soldier/ I followed you around..." which blend nicely with acoustic guitars, drums, accordions and subtle harmonies.

 

'Words Fail Me Know' was previously released as a 7" Single and sits comfortably as the half way mark on the album, the song is rockier than previous tracks however the vocal being so distinct and sensual the song doesn't feel out of place, the use of synths are also present like before and the track comes together beautifully as he builds the sound up to a frenzy and again distorts his vocal to finish this live performance favourite. 'Ribbon (The Twist) see's the return from support from The Earlies and King Creosote with a short 2 minute love ditty about, the good and bad in a relationship "...you won't settle down/ you twist like a knife in my arm/ I am just out the shower now/you twist like a knife in my arm...".



'Winter Home Disco' has distinct comparisons to a mash between Hot Chip and The Beta Band, while 'The Lighthouse' returns to a folky style track. The album is closed with 'Secret Sound 5' with that now very familiar synthesiser and electronic sound, again "… Secret Soundz…" being sang through robotic sounding microphones.

 

The Pictish Trail's album is experimental in places with links back to his acoustic and folky roots. The experience he has gained from writing and touring with a wide variety of talented artists such as James Yorkston, King Creosote and Pip Dylan show through his work, yet his unique blend and the fact he shut himself away to record the album mostly in his own house shows his skill and determination. Although its taken 4 years to produce, Secret Soundz has been worth the wait!





LYNSEY URE



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BLOG CRITICS

www.blogcritics.org



Music Review: The Pictish Trail - Secret Soundz Vol. 1

Published September 08, 2008





From a remote fishing village near Fife in Scotland comes Pictish Trail's first album Secret Soundz Vol. 1. Pictish Trail is in fact Johnny Lynch who along with Kenny Anderson (otherwise known as King Creosote) runs Fence Records. His work can be found on E.P's, singles and Fence Collective compilations all released over the last five or so years.



Johnny was born and raised in Scotland's capital Edinburgh but spent his teenage years in Connecticut and out in the Wisconsin wilderness. It was here that his love of music really took hold. When he moved back to Scotland in 2000, he met up with Kenny and formed Fence Records. Heavily influenced by fellow Scots The Delgados, Belle and Sebastian, and The Beta Band, he started to write his own music. Johnny is a busy guy, not only does he run Fence Records, he organizes all their live events and is now out on the roads of the UK promoting his Secret Soundz Vol. 1.



He describes the album as a 'diverse collection of ten lo-fi pieces' and yes it is the immediacy of the album that really works. Johnny says that quite often the first take is the one that appears on the album. Recorded, on an 8-track set up, in his home studio in Cellardyke, Anstruther (get your map books out) Johnny (or Pictish Trail) is assisted on several of the tracks by King Creosote and Manchester based The Earlies. His experimentation and fascination for electronica is explored in the opener "Secret Sound 2" but it is the diversity of the album that adds to its undeniable charm. Secret Soundz Vol. 1 ranges from stripped down candle lit folk, through to nicely pitched proto-electro pop. It's an interesting yet highly effective mix.



"I Don't Know Where To Begin", "Ribbon (The Twist)" and "Into The Smoke" were the only tracks not recorded in this way and were the result of a day in the studio in Chorlton with The Earlies, King Creosote and Sara Lowes. The rest is Pictish Trail upstairs in the bedroom studio where Johnny lives. "All I Own" sets the scene perfectly, a stripped down, simple and highly atmospheric track that has such immediacy it is like it is being performed in your own front room.



Complete with hand claps, a gentle acoustic backing and various effects – it is an excellent representation of Secret Soundz Vol. 1. "Secret Sound 1" is brief but absorbing creating a host of images in your mind as, bizarrely, disjointed snippets from a Reginald Perrin novel are read out deep in the background. The sparse beginnings of "Words Fail Me Now" gradually open out as Johnny adds extra texture into the mix forming a deceptively strong song.



There are some darker elements at work in "Winter Home Disco" which tells of a private house warming party gone wrong. Also in "The Lighthouse" which is a haunting tale of a murderous lighthouse keeper, driven psychopathic by the cloying loneliness, delivered in a beautifully effective folk style. The electronic "Secret Sound 5" at the end of the album is an atmospheric six minutes that takes us back to the very beginning – with a lovely little twist for those patient enough to wait for it. Secret Soundz indeed.



The three Chorlton recorded tracks are obviously richer in production and are nicely placed within the album. The wonderfully celtic, "I Don't Know Where To Begin" is a real highlight. "Ribbon (The Twist)" and "Into The Smoke" both capture a gentle yet rich folk vibe that has you sitting in a room lit by the open fire, listening intently.



I loved the immediacy and intimacy of this album. You just know that there must be a whole load of similar material that has come out of the Pictish Trail 8-track. I hope it finds its way out onto more releases like Secret Soundz Vol. 1. Thanks Johnny.



Have a listen and find out the tour dates and news on The Pictish Trail's Myspace Profile



Jeff Perkins



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BEATMAG



The Pictish Trail

Secret Soundz Vol.1 (Fence)



Johnny Lynch runs Fence Records, Fife's renowned alt.folk label, with his partner Kenny Anderson, AKA King Creosote, for whom he also plays guitar. Some of Fence's output is a bit too round-the-campfire for Beatmag but The Pictish Trail has the best sort of lo-fi adventurism, using whatever's lying around to create the backing tracks for his plaintive songs. Tinged with electronics, it's still really about Lynch's delicate lyricism, with 'Winter Home Disco' an especial maudlin treat.



Thomas H Green



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DAILY RECORD



The Pictish Trail Secret Soundz Vol. 1



WHILE the name conjures up visions of beardy ginger haired blokes drinking whisky and spitting Scots history in your face in a Highland wood, it's actually Johnny Lynch.  He, with Kenny "King Creosote' Anderson, created Fence Records, the epicentre of Fife's spellbinding gold rush of new Scots music.



Album opener Secret Sound 2 has that Maths student feel of Eighties star Thomas Dolby. But that Fife folk isn't far away with the slow soldier step of All I Own. The Pictish Trail works best when there's a bit of electro in it.  Words Fail Me Now is Mercury Rev dipped in neon, while Winter Home Disco is like wispy Just Jack.



Even folkies should like a bit of pop. Still, when he's storytelling like The Lighthouse's killer lighthouse keeper, it could be lifted from Paul Simon. The Pictish Trail play The Caves, Edinburgh on September 17, A.I.A Hall, Anstruther on September 21, The Tunnels, Aberdeen on September 25 and Captain's Rest, Glasgow on September 26. www.thepictishtrail.com



Rik Fulton



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CLASH MAGAZINE



PICTISH TRAIL

SECRET SOUNDZ (FENCE)



Rarely does electronic music sound so organic, or acoustic music so simple, as in this debut album from The Pictish Trail, AKA Johnny Lynch. Lynch has put out a number of EPs on his own micro-label, Fence Records, that he runs from a remote fishing village in Fife. The album is a strolling, homemade blend of acoustic pop and electronica, resoundingly rural and effortlessly immediate. On one track, such is the lo-fi recording operation that created the album, a bus can be heard going past Lynch's window. All of which just adds to the charm of an album that should take this 26-year-old out of his bedroom and onto a larger stage.



Gary Cleland



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SONG BY TOAD



The Pictish Trail - Secret Soundz Vol. 1



Well well, this is rather good. Johnny Lynch has spent so long slaving away at the Fence Records coalface that it seemed he might keep his own musical endeavours on the backburner forever. Well he's pulled his finger out and spat something out at last, and the results are bloody excellent.



This record is quite Fencey in many respects, with a fairly familiar combination of acoustic balladry teased and perverted by electronic glitchery and atmospherics. The Earlies play on a few of the songs here too, as they did on labelmate King Creosote's breakthrough KC Rules OK.



It's a different animal though, Secret Soundz.  It leans more toward the bleepery of Found, and Johnny's love of Hot Chip shows through immediately on the introductory instrumental Secret Sound 2.  As if to reassure us that he's not going to do anything too weird he slips from that straight into the gorgeous All I Own, followed by the equally excellent I Don't Know Where to Begin.  In fact, this record is forever slipping back and forth between these two places, such that it's almost like a naughty schoolboy who occasionally catches himself gazing wistfully out across a misty harbour, and instantly resolves to do something mischievous immediately lest he be seen as going soft.



As with the latest/forthcoming King Creosote album, this particular gem is only going to be available at gigs until early September, when it is properly released.  KC and PT are touring together this Summer, and Johnny is playing some live shows with Bristolian Rozi Plain as well, so there's plenty of opportunity to do yourselves a favour.



It's been a while, but it's definitely been worth the wait.



Matthew Young



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PLENTYSIDE BLOG



Record Review - The Pictish Trail

The Pictish Trail

Secret Soundz Vol.1

Fence Records





Johnny Lynch, the Pictish Trail, helmsman of the good ship Fence Records is, as anyone who has heard his work will attest, a talented chap. He has been impressing, both solo and as part of King Creosote's band, for some time now, so this debut album proper is certainly eagerly anticipated. And it is worth the wait. It kicks off with Secret Sound 2, one of the electronic non-sequiturs that intersperse the album, then we have the first high point in "All I Own" – initially appearing on last year's "Don't Fudge With the Fence Made" compilation, it is an incredible song, contemplative yet full of wonder. It also gives the first glimpse of the beauty of Lynch's vocals – pitched somewhere between the aforementioned KC and Liam Hayes (aka Plush), they have a real fragility but also an instant charm that makes virtually every song immediately singalongable. Next up is "I Don't Know Where To Begin", which displays a quality of song writing that puts most "bigger" artists to shame. Other highlights are "Winter Home Disco", which signals a more upbeat change of pace and features the unmistakeable vocal talents of James Yorkston, "The Lighthouse" featuring a gorgeous opening guitar line and "Into the Smoke", a relative epic that would sound out of place on neither the biggest nor smallest of stages.



That last comment pretty much sums up the feeling that the listener gets from this album. While it encapsulates all of the finest qualities of the Fence Records output – warmth, a homeliness, lyrics that tug at your heartstrings yet make you smile and melodies to die for – it also has numerous songs that sound huge. Songs which one could imagine being heard by a great many more people. That is, of course, not to say that record sales should be equated with quality by any means, but it does frustrate that the public at large buy so much rubbish while songs of this quality might go unheard by the majority of the population. Still, it is exciting to imagine what the future holds for a songwriter of the quality of the Pictish Trail, and for now I, for one, am delighted to be in on these secret sounds.



Words: Andrew Cleary

The picture above is the front cover to the new Pictish Trail album, entitled Secret Soundz Vol. 1. Colourful, eh? I'm really chuffed with it. It was designed by my good pal Christian Ward. You should have a peek at his website for more amazing pictures: www.cwardillustration.com.



He sent me a variation on the main image about 6 months or so ago ... and, in a weird way, it kinda inspired the tracklisting of the album. It was a bit messy, but vibrant and colourful. Until that point I had been worried about putting certain tracks next to certain others ... but with this image it all seemed to work, perfectly. In fact, it made me excited about certain songs again. It really shaped the album for me ... which might sound a bit pretentious. I DON'T CARE.



Aye, so Secret Soundz Vol. 1 has ten tracks on it. As I mentioned in a previous blog, you may well have heard a few of the songs before - in some shape or form. All of the tracks have been re-mastered by my other good pal, Reuben Taylor. And some have been rerecorded / touched-up / violated. The songs i did with The Earlies, a wee while ago, are on there in re-mastered form.



My friend Rich Amino doesn't like it when artists re-release "old" songs. He thinks it's a bit of a cop out. Personally, i don't think this album is 'revisionist'. For me, it's the definitive versions of these songs - released in a proper fashion. So ner.



Here's the tracklist, then ...



1) secret sound 2

2) all i own

3) i don't know where to begin

4) secret sound 1

5) words fail me now

6) ribbon (the twist)

7) winter home disco

8) the lighthouse

9) into the smoke

10) secret sound 5



Why is it called Secret Soundz Vol. 1? Well, there are a few reasons.



1) Primarily, it's named after a record shop I used to frequent when I lived in Connecticut. It was called Secret Sounds. And it was pretty much the best record store i've been to in my life, and the main source for all the music that made me love music. Sadly, the shop doesn't exist anymore.



2) The title is also a nod to one of my favourite bands - Pavement - and their song 'Gold Soundz'. Which, you'll have noticed, has a 'z' at the end. And the song's refrain is "i keep your address to myself 'cause we need secrets we need secrets crets crets crets crets crets back right now".



3) It's also a tip of the hat to Fence, with Lone Pigeon's 28 Secret Tracks - one of the first Fence titles i listened to.



Happy now?



I'm happy. I'm relieved. I've finally got something finished. Woohooo!



Why can't you buy it in the webshop, or in your favourite independent record store yet? Well, i'm holding onto it until September, before i give it a proper release. September 8th, to be precise. I'm sending it out to press/magazine editors this month in the vain hope that it'll garner some favourable reviews come September. Gulp. We're a tiny label, with absolutely no budget for marketing whatsoever ... so my hopes aren't high ... but you never know.



HOWEVER ... if you really want a copy right now, you can buy it over the summer at Pictish Trail gigs / festival appearances. And there's a fair few of them ... starting THIS FRIDAY with Fence Club 5: The Bulleit Sessions, in Glasgow.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
06/06/08 - FENCE CLUB 5: The Bulleit Sessions - STEREO, GLASGOW
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
22/06/08 - THE LEMON TREE, ABERDEEN
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
25/06/08 - ORAN MOR, GLASGOW
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
29/06/08 - HEY! YOU! GET OFF MY PAVEMENT! FESTIVAL, GLASGOW
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
12/07/08 - CEDAR ARTS FESTIVAL, MAWDESLEY
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
19/07/08 - CAMP BESTIVAL, LULLWORTH CASTLE, DORSET
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
26/07/08 - BIG TENT FESTIVAL, FALKLAND PALACE, FIFE
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
22/08/08 - ELECTRIC ELEPHANT, ZADAR, CROATIA
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =



I'm currently putting together some live dates with Rozi Plain in September too ... so i'll let you know about those in the next few weeks.



Ok, i think that's enough for you to chew on for the time being. If you can make it along to the Fence Club this Friday, pleeease do. We've sold a bunch of advance tickets ... but could really use a good walk up on the night. If you've already got tickets, drag all your pals along! Here's a poster wot i made. If you click on it it'll go all big.



peace and chicken,



the pictish trail xxx