The cheapest way to keep up with these prolific indie, garage, whatever artists who williy nilly release limited edition singles in all the colours of the rainbow on all manner of labels who're happy to wantonly associate with them is to bide your time and wait for the inevitable compilation album to materialise. Whilst the title of $ingle$ 2 satirises Ty Segall's supposed money-grabbing the winner with this collection here is the consumer.

Coralling out-of-print 45s and non-album tracks from 2011-2013 it's probably not too much of a surprise how well the various songs put out on Castleface, Permanent, Famous Class & the album's home Drag City, all successfully combine to make up a satisfying album (just in case you were growing bored of Manipulator ...).

'Spiders' starts the album off in a heavy, manic riot of howls and feedback, maintained on next track 'Hand Glams'. Third on the bill comes a pretty standard version of the Groundhogs' 'Cherry Red' (The Monkeywrench's version pips it at the post for me) before the more thoughtful & sunshiney 'Falling Hair' arrives in fourth place. The generally high standard reached by the aforementioned tracks is more than maintained as the album progresses.

The album contains two further cover versions in the shape of The Velvet Underground's 'Femme Fatale' (unrecognisable & fully embracing John Peel's maxim to make a cover version your own) and GG Allin's 'Pettin' The Dog', which finishes the whole shebang off to great and rousing effect. A fine collection then and far and away not just one for the completists (hell they've already got the original 7"s anyway).

$ingle$ 2 is available from amazon & iTunes.

Brought to us tonight under the auspices of the Franklin Rock 'N' Roll Club Muck And The Mires kick off their UK tour in support of new album Dial M For Muck. Ranging through power-pop to garage they were exactly what was required on a night that had dropped to a proper November temperature - fast, raucous and energetic.

With none of the organ that graces their studio work what remained lost none of its power as they raced through an hour and two encores + a nod to Edinburgh's premier Ramones tribute act Carbona Not Glue (the benefits of playing somewhere uncommercial where the show's an integral part of the club and not an extra income stream). 

Jessie Best has probably never celebrated her birthday in a better place & Muck's harmonica playing brought that extra dollop of atmosphere and authenticity that you'd expect from a band ten years young and seven proper albums in.

Recent 45 'Double White Line', 'Hypnotic', covers of 'Open Up Your Door' and 'Lies' - the full plethora of musical possibilities from their own back catalogue and the original era they espouse so well brought dancers to the floor and well deserved applause at every opportunity. A band on great creative and performing form you need to do yourself the favour of catching them live if the option presents itself.

Support tonight was supposed to come from both the legendary Thanes and Handsome Al & The Beauticians. Unfortunately Edinburgh's greatest garage act were laid low by illness so it was up to Handsome Al & his 'girls' to warm the crowd up. Which they pretty much managed to do, despite breaking two strings in the space of their first two songs & having to resort to a variant of stand-up comedy to fill some time (the Mother joke was admittedly funny). Covers by the likes of The Cramps, The Velvet Underground and many others were raced through & hampered only by an over-use of vocal effects.

A good night all in then & worth heading down to on November 21 if you want to see the Len Price Trio. Where else, for one thing, are you going to hear Fortune & Maltese played on the decks?      

Dial M For Muck will be out on Dirty Water Records on December 1 and available from amazon & iTunes.