MinkyTiger preview

Occasionally people are very kind and I get the opportunity to have a wee sneak preview of works in progress.

It's like a little perk of the job, and a welcome one.

The latest that I am privileged to lend an ear to is the five tracks from a couple of local (Ayrshire) heroes - Minx McKay and Tiger Todd - whose latest vehicle for their songs is going under the moniker of Minky Tiger.

Starting off with 'Faster Carz' the duo deliver what sounds like a mash up homage to the era when indie guitar pop ruled the college airwaves.

Floating along there's a heavy REM influence that's pretty much in your face, but less obvious is among other thing hints of Mercury Rev and The Divine Comedy that keep popping up.

It's a well balanced track as it stands, and thankfully it never dips to the level of being little more than a nostalgia trip, and instead it comfortably holds its own while tipping its hat to the past.

Quality wise they claim it to be short of the finished product, but it's solidly a good few steps ahead of plenty of material that I hear week in and week out and could be released as it is right now.

Next 'Nascar Drinking' follows it and delivers a shot of blues that as the name suggests would lend itself to a sunny afternoon breathing in nitro, knocking back rye whiskey and hitting on the hotty wearing the Daisy Dukes.

It's a wonderfully evocative song, and once the winter months are behind us I can see myself dusting it off and bringing it along so that it can provide the soundtrack to a day of drinking with buddies as the sun warms my face.

'Richard Canady' marks the halfway point and sounds like a track that Paulo Nutini would give is right arm to record.

The only difference would be that he would look to get a whose who of late sixties/early seventies artists to join him in the studio with their involvement ensuring a huge cross over appeal.

In the right time and place with the support of a label with deep pockets it could very well be a hit that ended up boring the pants off everyone when it was picked up to advertise some imported beer.

Voting Day follows it, and has elements of The Faces filtered through the indie country rock of Kings of Leon with the added bonus of a twist that is purely Minky Tiger.

It's a bit of a stand out, but the closer that is 'Suicide Buses' is the killer tune in the pack.

With just acoustic guitar and vocals for most of the song it stands as a towering testament to their talents as songwriters.

At the moment it's no clear if these songs will remain as they are or even appear with the same titles.

In early 2014 they could appear as an extended ep/mini album or be part of a debut album, but it's pretty safe to say that the wait is going to be worth it.