Here is the annual rundown on the essential 100 (or so) tunes to come out of Scotland.
This best of Scottish soundtrack for 2019 is an diverse journey into hip hop, alternative, dance, house, electronica, indie, punk, post-grunge, post-rock, nu and old folk, even hints of classical and often a combination of some or all.
It's a mix of the known, little known and the unknown, leftfield and mainstream, immediate pop anthems and challenging experimental projects.
This list has been whittled down from a not very shortlist of nearly 300 compiled throughout the year.
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2019 Part 1 (100-76)
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2019 Part 3 (50-26)
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2019 Part 4 (25-1)
Part 2- 75-51
=75 The Reverse Engineer - Hexadecagonal Septagram
Championed on this list last year, Dave House released his latest EP through Edinburgh-based Paradise Palm Records. This standout track from his Euclidean Acid EP stays closest to his most experimental off-kilter side, while embracing a more acid and trance-influenced dancefloor orientated sound, albeit the weirdest seven minutes you will ever hear at a club.
=75 SOPHIE ft Kim Petras - Reason Why
The Scots bred producer first premiered this hyperkinetic electro-pop nugget at a festival in May 2018, after premiering another collaboration with Kim Petras,1,2,3 Dayz Up.
74 Editors - Barricades (Blanck Mass Recording)
The Edinburgh-based drone-electro king aka Benjamin John Power reimagined and deconstructed tracks from indie combo Editors and gave it new machine music life. This is one of the best.
“When we initially approached Ben to work with us on Violence we gave him free reign to do whatever he wanted," says frontman Tom Smith. "It seemed stupid to try and instill any boundaries or direction to him as he has such a singular, authored sound to everything he puts his hand to… so we left him to it. The results of that process being this release. A very visceral version of our album Violence.”
73 Sacred Paws - Brush Your Hair
Former Scottish Album of the Year winning Glasgow-London afro-surf duo made a comeback with a new album and this exuberant taster.
72 Lewis Capaldi - Hold Me While You Wait
The singer-songwriter who has now become a household name said he wrote this song "about the uncertainty of being in a relationship when your partner isn't sure what they want", which he explained as "one of the most desperate places you can find yourself in" due to the "impending hopelessness" of the situation.
71 Steve Mason - The End
The Beta Band frontman returned with the most consistent album of his solo career, with the help of producer Stephen Street, best known for his work with The Smiths and Blur.
70 Illyus and Barrientos - The One (Original Mix)
Glasgow producer duo fuse gospel, house and disco on a riotous sample-heavy dancefloor banger which just oozes fun.
69 Capital WB - Will I Make It
Smoother than honey hip hop jam from the rap-soul artist featuring Patricia Kae from The Journey EP.
68 Kitti- Chasing the Crowd
The Glasgow singer/songwriter newcomer moulds nu-jazz to R&B on this infectiously funky paen to self-perception in a pressure-filled world.
=67 Black Tiles - Dead Girls
Formed three years ago, this Aberdeen post-punk quintet Black Tiles explode on this new single. They describe themselves as "an infectious gang of friends whose sound harks back to the longing of 80's indie such as The Cure, coupled with strong femme vocals from the same era".
=67 Be Charlotte - Do Not Disturb
Overa year after inking a deal with Sony/Columbia, Dundee-born Charlotte Brimner returns with a ridiculously catchy slice of pop whose premise finds the singer after an argument with persons unknown unable to talk to them.
66 Bis - Sound of a Heartbreak
The Glasgow trio who are celebrating their 25th anniversary began their new album Slight Disconnects with a spiky bubblegum punk pop bang.
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2019 Part 1 (100-76)
65 The Kidney Flowers- Every Time You Come
The little known three-piece Glasgow primitive DIY garage rockers have not just created one of the most exciting rock albums of the year in Scotland they are broke. As of December 6, they posted: "We're still in debt over the physical release, so prove you're not a Tory and buy a record."
64 Frazzle - Hattrick
Up-and-coming Glasgow producer-rapper reveals a Banghra influence on this relentless banger.
63 Rascalton - Employee of the Month
Glasgow's Rascalton become The Hives on this rifftastic pop-punk blitz of a tune.
62 Fenella - A Gift From Midnight
Comprised of Glasgow-based vocalist Mairi Fenella Whittle and pianist/guitarist Jack Boyce, who bonded over a shared love of Elektra Records output, including Love, Nico and The Doors, the duo quietly produced a breathtaking debut album and this, the title track, is typical of the jazzy-bluesy-poppy-alternative twists they produce pitched between Amy Winehouse, Billie Holliday, Lana Del Rey and Nancy Sinatra.
61 Memes - Blah Blah Blah
Noise rock Glasgow duo plough an infectious post punk-alternative furrow somewhere between Mark E Smith and LCD Soundsystem.
60 The Ninth Wave - Half Pure
The Glasgow band come into their own on this doom-laden post-punk corker about superficiality.
"Half Pure is out commentary on the fake and shallow aspects of our society that we all encounter and partake in. It's a lament about the frustrationof existing inside our plastic WW3," they said.
59 Lotus Eater - Mother
A judderingly abrasive riffola monster from the relentless nu-metal flavoured Glasgow five piece's debut Social Hazard EP that blasts the eardrums with pure hardcore swagger. The band say it is "a story of a conflicting relationship between mother and child, a relationship defined by one-sided power and neglect".
58 Franky's Evil Party - Paradise
A deranged and sleazy gothic disco anthem fit for a fictional rave in a cave taken from the Dumfries band's debut EP Leader.
57 The Kidney Flowers - Freak
Another buzzsaw pop cracker from the exciting Glasgow alt-indie band. "Whoever listened to our music and decided we are a psych and shoegaze band is aff their nut. We're obviously a teen-pop/alt. funk trio," they said in response to some badly described free advertising.
56 Bleed From Within - The End Of All We Know
A 'play it loud' riffola-screamo beast from the Glasgow metalcore combo who are one of the best mosh pit dwelling rock bands in Scotland. "The End Of All We Know acknowledges a brighter future in the face of seemingly endless oppression, the band say. "The journey of this band has been arduous, but we always find strength in each other, our music and the people who support us."
55 Romeo Taylor - The Kingdom of Scotland
Forget the dreary Flower of Scotland, let's get this hilarious bleep-bleep novelty pop anthem out of Coatbridge blaring out at Hampden and put some smiles on the faces of the long-suffering Tartan Army. Maybe.
54 Half Formed Things - The Calm
The earnest debut album by Edinburgh four piece baroque pop combo had a touch of real class right at the end.
53 The Vegan Leather- The Hit
The first single from the five-year-old Paisley-based four piece's debut album Poor Girls/Broken Boys is cute neo-disco punk that even throws in a desert rock climax.
52 The Snuts - All Your Friends
This swaggering taster from a forthcoming debut album came with a video where they literally get caught up in a shopping channel TV advert fuelled by their much loved Buckfast.
51 Anna Meredith - Paramour
The Scots composer channels an accessible multi-instrumental avant-garde on this freakily enticing tune with a tempo maxing out at a heart-racing 176bpm. It comes with a one-take video that guides the listener through Meredith and her band’s extensive instrumentation via a camera running along a Lego-built railroad.
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2019 Part 1 (100-76)
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2019 Part 3 (50-26)
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2019 Part 4 (25-1)
This is the Spotify playlist.
This is the YouTube playlist.
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