News
Plus Death and Vanilla, James Yorkston and Nina Persson, and Peter Gabriel
Jan 06, 2023
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the first Songs of the Week of 2023. It was a quiet week as the music industry slowly awakens from the holiday break. Hence we only have six songs and no honorable mentions. More
Plus Petite Noir, The Natural Lines, Sweet Baboo, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Dec 02, 2022
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 41st Songs of the Week of 2022. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, so this week’s list covers songs from the last two weeks. More
The Great White Sea Eagle Due Out January 13, 2023 via Domino
Nov 30, 2022
By Joey Arnone
James Yorkston and The Second Hand Orchestra and Nina Persson of The Cardigans have shared a new song, “An Upturned Crab.” It is the latest release from their forthcoming album, The Great White Sea Eagle, which will be out on January 13, 2023 via Domino. They have also shared a live performance video of the song. More
Plus Mount Kimbie, James Yorkston, and More
Jul 14, 2022
By Joey Arnone
British record label Eat Your Own Ears has released a new EP today consisting of previously unreleased tracks from artists they have supported over the years. It is the first in a series of four EPs, released digitally alongside a set of limited-edition cassette tapes. The first EP features tracks by Four Tet, Ride (remixed by Robert Smith of The Cure), Sylvan Esso, Mount Kimbie, James Yorkston, and several other artists. More
Covers of Covers Due Out March 4, 2022 via American Laundromat; Also Features Cassandra Jenkins, Alex Lahey, Peter Bjorn and John, Hatchie, Nation of Language, Cults, Kevin Drew, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Girl Ray, Piroshka, and More
Dec 21, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Under the Radar is proud to announce Covers of Covers, which is the magazine’s first ever album. In honor of our 20th anniversary we approached some of our favorite musicians and asked them to cover any song by any artist who had been on the front or back cover of our print issue over the years. Covers of Covers is due out March 4, 2022 via American Laundromat, but today we are sharing two of its tracks: Grandaddy’s cover of Metric’s “Blindness” and EMA’s cover of Modest Mouse’s “Trailer Trash.” More
The New Episode of Season 2 of Under the Radar with Celine Teo-Blockey Is Out Now on Major Podcasting Platforms
Jun 17, 2021
By Celine Teo-Blockey
Scottish singer/songwriter James Yorkston is our next guest on the Under the Radar Podcast. He discusses his childhood in Kingsbarns, Scotland, how he got signed to Domino Records, and some of the recurring themes in his music—of loss, mental health, and his disdain for organized religion. More
Plus Kevin Morby, Crowded House, Django Django, and a Wrap-up of the Last Three Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 13, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 42nd Songs of the Week of 2020. We haven’t done a Songs of the Week in three weeks. Because of last week’s presidential election there were hardly any new songs of note released and we were too on edge awaiting the outcome to be decided to focus on new music. The week before was the run up to Halloween and there were certainly some worthy songs then, but for whatever reason we didn’t get Songs of the Week finished in time and abandoned it. So this week’s Songs of the Week covers the last three weeks, but mainly songs from this week and two weeks ago. More
Navarasa : Nine Emotions Due Out January 24, 2020 via Domino
Dec 10, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Yorkston/Thorne/Khan is a trio consisting of James Yorkston (guitar/nyckelharpa/vocals), Jon Thorne (double-bass/vocals), and Suhail Yusuf Khan (sarangi/vocals) and they are releasing a new album, Navarasa : Nine Emotions, on January 24, 2020 via Domino. Now they have shared another song from it, “The Shearing’s Not For You.” More
Plus Yorkston/Thorne/Khan, Graham Coxon, Jehnny Beth, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 08, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. The last three weeks we could only come up with a Top 8, instead of our customary Top 10, but this week’s choices were surprisingly much stronger once we did some deeper digging. More
Navarasa : Nine Emotions Due Out January 24, 2020 via Domino
Nov 08, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Yorkston/Thorne/Khan is a trio consisting of James Yorkston (guitar/nyckelharpa/vocals), Jon Thorne (double-bass/vocals), and Suhail Yusuf Khan (sarangi/vocals) and they have announced a new album, Navarasa : Nine Emotions, and shared its first single, the 10-minute long “Westlin’ Winds.” More
Plus James Yorkston, Telekinesis, Sneaks, TEEN, TOY, and a Wrap-up of the Last Two Weeks' Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 30, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week due to the Thanksgiving holiday and long weekend. Beyond the fact that we were taking a break from work, there simply weren’t enough songs released last week to justify a Songs of the Week wrap up. More
The Route to the Harmonium Due Out February 22, 2019 via Domino
Nov 27, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
James Yorkston has announced a new album, The Route to the Harmonium, and shared a video for its first single, “My Mouth Ain’t No Bible,” which features spoken-word vocals. The Route to the Harmonium is due out February 22, 2019 via Domino. Check out the Edwin Burdis-directed below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover art. More
Plus New Tracks from How to Dress Well, James Yorkston, Electric Youth, Wampire, Phil Selway, Ex Cops, Mr. Twin Sister, Mono, Gardens & Villa, and Others
Sep 12, 2014
By Michael Wojtas
Welcome to Under the Radar’s weekly playlist, where we compile the best and most exciting tracks to debut online in the last week (give or take). In this mix we’ve got new songs by The Radio Dept., SBTRKT, Caribou, M83, How to Dress Well, James Yorkston, Electric Youth, Wampire, Phil Selway, Ex Cops, Mr. Twin Sister, Mono, Gardens & Villa, and more. Look no further, your Friday and weekend playlist is here. More
Interviews
Track-by-Track: Each Artist on Their Contribution to the Album
Mar 04, 2022
By Mark Redfern
When hatching plans to celebrate Under the Radar’s 20th anniversary I knew I wanted to go beyond just producing a special 20th anniversary issue. Despite two decades of writing about albums, one thing we’d never done is actually put one out ourselves. Thus I came upon the idea for Covers of Covers. The concept was so perfect and simple that I’m surprised we hadn’t thought of it before. We approached some of our favorite musicians and asked them to cover any song by any artist who had been on the front or back cover of our print issue over the years, including artists that had appeared in group cover shots. More
Apr 17, 2019
By Mark Redfern
My Firsts is our email interview series where we ask musicians to tell us about their first life experiences, be it early childhood ones (first word, first concert, etc.) or their first tastes of being a musician (first band, first tour, etc.). For this My Firsts we talk to Scottish singer/songwriter James Yorkston. More
Members of Belle and Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand, Django Django, Frightened Rabbit, Ladytron, The Pastels, The Twilight Sad, The Vaselines, and Others on if They Are Voting Yes or No
Sep 18, 2014
By Mark Redfern
Today is a historic day in Scotland as it is the day the nation votes on the Scottish Independence Referendum. The people of Scotland get to vote on whether or not to secede from the United Kingdom and have Scotland become its own country. Here various Scottish musicians weigh in on the subject. More
Reviews
Sep 02, 2014
By Billy Hamilton
James Yorkston appears to be growing old gracefully. While many a middle-aged man spends his days desperately clinging to an ever-evaporating youth, the unassuming Scottish songwriter is moving through the decades with dignity. More
