Outbox

Armed with some highly infectious pop rock songs that wouldn't be out of place on Top Of The Pops in the 70s, Outbox may be retro but these are the sort of tracks that stand the test of time. Think Elton, Steely Dan, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and the Beatles and you get the picture. This isn't a band striving to be the cool new kids. They have transformed from a singer/songwriter affair to a more uptempo outfit - it's pop music, but not the throwaway stuff clogging up the charts. Outbox have a major show supporting Ocean Colour Scene at Aberdeen Music Hall on February 24. They play the city's Lemon Tree on February 19 as part of the Quarrier's Live tour that I am hosting. - The Sun

When Aberdeen band Outbox decided to record a cover of a new track they had heard, they had little idea where it would lead.

For the song they covered earlier this year - Break Your Heart, by Taio Cruz - went on to become the UK's number one single for the past three weeks.

And the rising chart star admired their acoustic version of his hit so much he got in touch to praise them - and even posted it on his own website.

The Aberdeen threesome are "delighted" at their unexpected internet fame, and hope they can keep up the momentum and find their own success.
Outbox
Aberdeen band Outbox have been together for four years

Outbox are Mike Macdermid, Rachael Wood and Steve Curtis, and they have been together for four years.

Singer and guitarist Mike told the BBC Scotland news website: "We sometimes do covers and heard the Taio's song before it was released.

"It went to number one, and then we got an e-mail from him. He posted our version on his main YouTube page, and gave it a Twitter post."

The e-mail read: "Love your cover of my tune guys. Keep it up!"

Mike said: "It's great - a guy with no reason to do that is obviously cool enough to let people know if he likes them.

"Obviously we're delighted to get the support of the artist who is currently the UK's number one on the official Top 40."

He added: "We will try and keep the momentum going."

Their version can be seen at www.youtube.com/taiocruztv#play/all/2/NtaXFaEVcPQ

Outbox's own single Lucy You've Got To Go Home came out earlier this month and has been picking up airplay as well as industry praise.

Their debut album is due to be released early next year. - BBC

Rather than the typical bent of this blog – to profile a new album in its entirety – this week's post will take a bit of a different tact: promoting a band that needs some additional support in order to move forward with a full-length record. However, fitting the moniker of this space – directing interested music observers to new music – this group did, in fact, release a new offering yesterday, that being the single "Cigarettes and Cellulite" by the Scottish trio Outbox.

Some of the most concentrated producers of solid new music activity recently have been the Scots, from the delicately ornate chamber pop of Belle & Sebastian to the more hard-nosed, heavily-brogued rockers Frightened Rabbit and We Were Promised Jetpacks, as well as the multi-dimensional KT Tunstall. While stylistically very different from any of these Scotians, Outbox nonetheless matches the quality in output in the limited material they have available stateside.

The aforementioned single – available through online outlets such as iTunes and emusic.com – hardly sounds like other Scottish outfits, with its Rick Springfield-esque chord progression at the outset and heartland veneer. While frontman Michael Macdermid certainly delivers compelling vocals along with both guitar and bass parts, the group's real treasure might be pianist/keyboardist Rachel Wood. Her southern rock-infused piano work here, along with essential backing vocals, transports the number from the lochs and highlands to the American interstate, the perfect compliment to a roadside attraction or pit-stop diner. And since little information is available on the band to date, whoever did the track's songwriting deserves significant credit for constructing an arrangement well-suited to the talents and temperments of the three-piece. The effort is certainly enough to justify a full-length recording on its own.

Other back-issue material from Outbox is also accessible through online media, such as their debut single, "Lucy, You've Got to Go Home." While less cohesive than the new release, the song is a solid case of pop rock, much in the Fastball or Fountains of Wayne tradition. Unlike the clean guitars and rolling piano of "Cigarettes and Cellulite," the number is more Beatles than Eagles, with layers of keyboards and bass at its foundation. Drummer Steve Curtis does admirable work here, as well as on other tracks such as "The Science in Me" and "How to Fly." With only three instrumentalists in Macdermid, Wood and Curtis, the canvas of sound is by no means sparse and the performances are technically proficient.

The most glaring need for the trio is to release more material available in the U.S. The group has a modest number samples of unreleased tracks available on its Myspace page, such as "Ivan, Can You Tell Me," which sounds like an uptempo Wallflowers outtake and the Mellencampian "Waking Up the Dense." Meanwhile, "Mine All Mine" exhibits strong pop sensibilities and well-crafted harmonies, something you might expect from a hybrid of Sloan and the Barenaked Ladies. Additionally, Outbox received favorable feedback for its cover of Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart," including from the original artist himself. These brief smatterings suggest a deeper reservoir of talent and execution that should be exploited in a full album. Should you be likewise compelled, please drop them a line on their Myspace suggesting the audience available to them on this side of the pond (or elsewhere). - New Music Tuesdays