Raving mad

If you thought the extent to which dance music could infiltrate indie had been taken to its limit with pseudo-ravers Klaxons, think again.

Falkirk's very own IDIOTCUT have, quite magnificently it has to be said, managed to add a dose of authentic retro trance (think QFX anthem Freedom) to the usual guitar-bass-drum set-up - and it doesn't half make for a riotous combination.

The youngsters, currently being featured in XFM Scotland's Uploaded new band spot, are definitely worth keeping an eye out for. Now, where did we put that glowstick?

4 idiotCUT - DrinkDancePullRewind

b December 3, Rockers, Glasgow
b January 31, Studio 24, Edinburgh

The life of Ryan

Here's a question. If you were to listen to every official RYAN ADAMS album back to back, how long would it take? The answer: 8.5 hours (yes, we did the experiment; no, we don't get out enough). And that's not even taking into account his dozens of b-sides, album bonus tracks, EPs and countless unreleased bootlegs.

Of course, that statistic only serves to prove the boy can write a song or two hundred, and as anyone who has followed the American's seven-year solo career will confirm, quality control has never been high on his to-do list. It's all very well patting yourself on the back for bringing out three albums in eight months (as he did in 2005... and one was a double album at that), but Adams continually runs the risk of watering down the impact of each rush-released record.

The only reason we care so much is that the 33-year-old's undoubted bursts of genius deserve better. For example, while his most recent album Easy Tiger is possibly his weakest yet, he followed it up last month with Follow The Lights, an EP (repackaged as Everybody Knows EP in the UK) of staggeringly beautiful songcraft that contains some of his best work to date - yet few are aware of its existence.

The Pop Cop's message to Adams is simple: Keep up the good work... just don't neglect your duty to ditch the stuff that's not so good.

4 Ryan Adams - Always On My Mind (Elvis Presley cover)

b December 1, Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow

Josh and go

JOSH ROUSE is the kind of singer-songwriter that most singing, songwriting hopefuls would want to follow in the footsteps of.

The prolific American has released a full-length record of the folk/alternative country variety every year since 1998. He has a fiercely loyal fanbase that affords him the luxury of touring roomy venues in Europe and North America. And he recently decided to up sticks and move to the warm climes of Valencia, where he wasted no time in bagging dishy Spanish singer Paz Suay (pictured above).

Even if you've never been introduced to Rouse's charms, a pretty concise indication of his story can be found in the simplistic titles of some of his albums: Dressed Up Like Nebraska (his state of origin), 1972 (the year he was born), Nashville (Josh's home for 10 years), She's Spanish, I'm American (the missus).

Having seen the man and his band in action at The Arches on his last visit to Glasgow in 2005, The Pop Cop can guarantee you'll be left even more envious of Rouse's talents when you see just how slick a performer he is.

4 Josh Rouse - Directions

b December 1, QMU, Glasgow

Ginger nuts

Redheads have given much to the devil's music, as you'll realise if you consider the contributions of Axl Rose, the Biffy brothers and Courtney Love (trust us, she is - we've asked around). Others - see Mick Hucknall - ARE the devil.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, of course, have their own ginger-noggined superhero in Josh Homme - and doesn't he wear it well. For a heavy metal band, QOTSA don't half know how to write a damn good pop song, as the enduring appeal of Feel Good Hit Of The Summer, Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret and No One Knows proves.

Since strip-happy bald bassist Nick Oliveri (not a natural ginger) quit the band in 2004, things have gone a bit awry musically but the Californians are guaranteed to put on a blinding show when they hurtle into town and corrupt all our women. Jackie Bird, you have been warned.

4 Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit Of The Summer

b November 28, Carling Academy, Glasgow

Seven up

Whether we wanted them or not, 2007 has been the year for band reunions, with most returns from the wilderness likely to last as long as an ice cube in the Sahara. Or Ice Cube in the Sahara for that matter.

In almost every case (there aren't enough hours in the day to list such a sorry roll call), you'll find tales of sagging solo ventures and even saggier bank balances, so it doesn't take an accountant to work out what motivates a fallen star to return to past glories.

After that introduction you're probably expecting us to slaughter Britpop chancers SHED SEVEN - but you'd be wrong. You see, the Scots love the Sheds, certainly more than any other country cares to admit. And it's no coincidence the reformed York group have chosen to start and end their "Greatest Hits Reunion Tour" (that'll be the Greatest Hits album that came out in 1999 then) in Scotland.

Indeed, Shed Seven are one of only a handful of bands to have ever recorded a live DVD at the Glasgow Barrowlands, and seeing as the Barras is widely known to be the best venue in the world, that really is criminal. Somebody ought to call the Police. Oh, wait a minute, they already have.

4 Shed Seven - Chasing Rainbows

b November 27, Music Hall, Aberdeen

b November 28, Ironworks, Inverness
b November 29, Barrowlands, Glasgow
b December 22, Carling Academy, Glasgow

Breath of fresh air

The last time I cried was whilst listening to Breathe Me by Australian singer SIA. Of course, context is everything and in this case it came in the last scene of the last episode of the greatest TV show ever made - Six Feet Under.

To be honest, you won't find anything as powerfully moving or emotionally heart-tugging as Breathe Me in her back catalogue - but then again you won't find it in many others' either.

It's a song that takes you on an intense journey. There's the winding melody of the piano, the soaring drama of orchestral strings, the thumping bass drum and that vulnerable, cracked voice which she has also lent to Zero 7 on many an occasion. In some ways it brings to mind the raw emotion of Radiohead's Exit Music.

While Sia Furler's solo career hasn't quite hit the heady heights, her place in The Pop Cop's affections is assured. Lucky her, eh?

4 Sia - Breathe Me

b November 28, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
b November 29, King Tut's, Glasgow

Malcolm X-mas

You can't beat a bit of inter-blog campaigning to get into the Christmas spirit (in the absence of a gallon of mulled wine). Our friends at fellow Scottish music site Manic Pop Thrills have issued a call-to-arms to unite us, unite us, unite the clans in a bid to get MALCOLM MIDDLETON to this year's coveted Xmas No.1 slot - and already 17 Seconds, The Vinyl Villain and Your Moment Of Zen have all joined the bandwagon.

Now you might be thinking that We're All Going To Die - for that is the title of the Falkirk man's 1000/1 shot at stardom - isn't the obvious choice of song to bring some festive cheer, but bearing in mind that 2005 and 2006 have seen X-Factor muppets Shayne Ward and Leona Lewis top the charts on December 25, surely anyone but the anonymous winner of this asinine brain donor TV show would be more deserving of the accolade this year.

In order to help win this battle of good versus evil, all you need to do is spend 79p on the former Arab Strap guitarist's download-only single on the week of December 17 - you can even hear what you're getting for your money at Malcolm's Myspace.

And with Alex McLeish's warriors going for glory at Hampden this weekend, there's never been a better time to support all things Scottish.

4 Malcolm Middleton - Monday Night Nothing

b December 5, ABC, Glasgow
b December 6, Liquid Room, Edinburgh

Brave Hart

Today is a landmark day in The Pop Cop's history, being as it is our 100th post. The writer's block, the late nights, the war against HTML... it's been (almost) worth it. But we are nothing without you, the loyal reader/mp3 thief, so don't be shy in telling us what you like or don't like about the site. Your comments are like fuel for us - and we might just agree with you.

Anyway, back to business. On Sunday RODDY HART invited us (after we asked) to see him play at Glasgow's Oran Mor, and what a fine performer he is turning into. Not to mention a brave one. After making a name for himself with his strongly Americana-influenced album Bookmarks, Roddy's new material seems to herald a bold new direction in this talented young man's career... and we love it.

While whimsical, piano-based The Wilderness is classic Roddy, the more band-orientated songs such as the uptempo Look At You Now and set-closer Dead Of The Night - with its Strokes' Last Nite guitar riff and shouts of "hey" - suggest the Glaswegian is keen to extend his appeal to a broader, dare we say it, younger audience.

The show also saw West End native Eddi Reader make a cameo appearance (see picture) to sing her harmonies on My Greatest Success, but the gig will probably be best remembered for the sight of Roddy dashing to the back of a packed venue to go unplugged for a hushed cover of Big Star favourite Thirteen. In the wrong hands it could have appeared embarrassingly contrived, but Roddy has the talent to pull it off. This boy can do no wrong at the moment.

4 Roddy Hart - Flames

b November 14, Music Hall, Aberdeen (supporting Capercaillie)
b November 15, Pavillion, Strathpeffer (supporting Capercaillie)

Familiarity breeds content

We are quite privileged here in Scotland. Last week we were awarded the Commonwealth Games for the third time which, remarkably, is the same number of times THE SHINS have visited the country in the past eight months alone. That's more than Sean Connery.

And no wonder. We've already eulogised about how fortunate we are to have such a unique, genius contribution to pop music (The Shins, that is, not The Sean) and the American quintet's second visit to the Glasgow Barrowlands on Friday night proved they - or their record label? - are keen to take advantage of their rapidly growing fanbase.

The enthusiastic crowd made a decent stab at trying to sing along to the songs, which is always a tongue-twisting challenge given James Mercer's lyrical wordiness. The setlist was pretty much culled equally from all three albums, with those from Oh, Inverted World sounding infinitely better live.

While Mr Mercer seemed a tad gig-weary, the sprightliness of his bandmates made up for it and fantastic support band Vampire Weekend's appearance (see picture) for last song Know Your Onion was a wonderful way to say farewell. Again.

4 The Shins - Split Needles (alternate version)

Nifty Clyro

Regular visitors will have spotted that the site has undergone something of a cosmetic revamp, inspired (as you'll see from our picture above) by the triumphant return to Glasgow of our friends BIFFY CLYRO.

We've been following the utterly deserved rise of Kilmarnock's favourite sons since their King Tut's days and The Pop Cop had the pleasure of keeping bassist James Johnston's girlfriend company at the Barrowlands on Wednesday. She informed us that the boys were particularly keen to road-test their fancy new lights for the first time since they proved too large to use at Fat Sams in Dundee the night before.

They were greeted on stage with the sort of reception reserved for Messiahs, which was appropriate as they went on to make a godly racket for the next hour and a half.

Launching straight into the mighty Saturday Superhouse, their set was drawn from an impressively large back catalogue of four albums (bands who have been around for ages such as Coldplay and The Strokes have only made three), which is some going for a trio in their 20s who have only just started to turn cult fan worship into any real commercial success.

You could pick out any number of highlights from the gig but A Whole Child Ago and Simon Neil's solo rendition of Machines (with the fans, unprompted, cutely singing the backing vocals) stood out, while older singles Glitter And Trauma, Justboy and, of course, set-closer 57 all hit the mark with immense satisfaction.

Alas, The Pop Cop had to pass up the chance to party with the boys at their aftershow at the Brunswick Hotel but we'd had more than enough excitement for one night.

4 Biffy Clyro - Umbrella (Rihanna cover)

b November 9, Corn Exchange, Edinburgh

Vox pop

Last week was a fantastic one for gigs and The Pop Cop rounded it off with a trip to The Beat Club - the newest venue on Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street live scene - on Sunday to see VOXTROT.

The Austin quintet were far travelled, though singer Ramesh Srivastava lived and studied in Glasgow for a few years and obviously had plenty of friends in the audience. We've long been fans of Ramesh - his natural exuberance and admirable ability to sing whilst jumping up and down (despite recently having surgery for a staph infection in his leg) made this small gig a joy to see.

While Voxtrot zipped through the melody-filled songs from their self-titled debut album, it was EP tracks Raised By Wolves and Your Biggest Fan which stood out. The band were happy to exchange banter with the crowd throughout but it seemed as though it was all over too quickly.

Afterwards we managed to say a quick hello and thank-you to Ramesh and he even posed for a photo with The Pop Cop's equally far-travelled cousin (see left). We hope they hurry back.

4Voxtrot - Your Biggest Fan

Misty-eyed November

Only a band as special as THE NATIONAL could make The Pop Cop turn up at the ABC in Glasgow 20 minutes before the doors opened, walk (briskly) up two flights of stairs, then make a beeline for the centre front row and park ourselves there for the next three hours like a giddy fanboy (and girl).

And mon dieu it was worth it. Suitably warmed up by a beefed up Beerjacket (Beefjacket anyone?) and St Vincent (not really our thing), it was time for Brooklyn's finest. If ever there were such a thing as a perfect performance, this was it.

The National treated us to an incredible 18 songs - in both senses - and our only gripe was over the classics they didn't play: Wasp Nest, Karen, Lit Up, Looking For Astronauts, The Geese Of Beverly Road and Guest Room to name but six.

With The National you can never have too much of a good thing. There was the brash bluster of Secret Meeting, Brainy, Abel and Mr November, not to mention the untouchable beauty of Slow Show and About Today, the latter ending the night as they ran out of time to play scheduled closer Gospel (see setlist).

Singer Matt Berninger (below) was his usual twitchy, squirming but utterly endearing self. Clearly struggling with the repercussions of the smoking ban, he didn't seem to know what to do with his hands without a cigarette.

The opening notes of every song was greeted with ecstatic recognition, there was a terrace-like singalong to Fake Empire and by the end a mini-moshpit had developed. Even Maximo Park frontman Paul Smith had made the trip to Glasgow to cheer on from the balcony.

Leaving aside the fact The National's last two albums are the greatest pop stories ever told, what made the gig transcend to legendary status was that the crowd received them like the kings they are.

4 The National - Brainy (alternate studio version)

Ray of hope

Here at The Pop Cop we've often talked about the power of one man, a voice and a guitar. Sometimes it seems like there's no new way to describe how much pleasure and joy this combination can bring. With RAY LAMONTAGNE it's especially challenging. What to say about such a man?

Inevitably, you are drawn to a voice that's so full of pain, intensity and joy all at the same time.

You wonder why it is that during the American troubadour's gigs, even though he scarcely says a word and looks intently at his feet, his stage presence and vulnerability are so seductive they leave you with a strong urge to grab your neighbour and do whatever comes naturally. Or was that just me?

As Aberdonians and Dundonians will no doubt be testifying after his gigs there this week, Ray LaMontagne inspires such raw emotion.

4 Ray LaMontagne and Damien Rice - To Love Somebody

b November 2, Playhouse, Edinburgh