Ally Kerr - Calling out to you
TETRA 003

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Midst of the storm

And all the stars above us will remember

Another winters day

Without you

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Ally Kerr








Melodious, heartfelt, beautiful, sad and quirky are adjectives that could be easily blurted out when listening to Calling Out To You, the gorgeous debut album from Glasgow's Ally Kerr. Although echoes of Belle & Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub, Nick Drake and many other artists' resonate, Ally's style is singularly distinctive. The Scotland on Sunday newspaper recently recognised Ally as"one of the most interesting and creative musicians working in the country right now" in its rundown of the hottest new Scottish talent.

Ally's album follows the critical success of his limited edition debut EP Midst of the Storm, released on 7-inch white vinyl by cult Spanish label Elefant Records (Lambchop, Ladybug Transistor, Camera Obscura) which garnered airplay around the world. BBC Radio 1's John Peel was one such DJ who fell in love with the record and championed Kerr on his shows. Fittingly, the legendary venue King Tuts in Glasgow was to be home to his first ever live performance.

Production on Calling Out To You came from David Scott (the creative force behind The Pearlfishers), Duglas T. Stewart (of respected Glasgow popsters BMX Bandits) and Duncan Cameron (best known for his work with The Delgados, Teenage Fanclub, Arab Strap).

Much of the album was written on planes, trains and automobiles as Ally travelled between the East Coast of the USA and the West Coast of Scotland. Ally is currently one of the fastest-rising songwriters in Scotland and Calling Out To You is surely destined for great things.

Ally Kerr is presently rehearsing for a summer tour of Japan where Calling Out To You was released last year on Quince Records to widespread acclaim and glowing reviews. Calling Out To You has also just been included in a top Japanese music magazine's top 20 albums ever to come out of Scotland sitting alongside Franz Ferdinand and Travis.

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Album Reviews

Ally Kerr - Calling out to you
The next big thing? Certainly in Japan, and waiting to happen here in the UK. Ally Kerr, who is already ‘big in Japan”, is touted as one of this year’s rising stars in songwriting. His debut CALLING OUT TO YOU actually sold out of stock in Japan, (although we no information how many they started with) and he’s had a nomination for single of the year in Germany and the blessing of John Peel as further good signs. Combining the watercolour lovelorn pop of the likes of fellow Scots, Belles and Sebastian, the sweet folksy melodies of Donovan, and fair sprinklings of jangle rock along the lines of Teenage Fanclub, Kerr indeed strikes a winning formula in my book.
His thirteen strong collection of tracks is above all, incredibly hum-able, with the positive feel of the best songs by the Bluetones. A boy meets girl, sweet and innocent romance ensues and eventually they break up and miss each other. But nothing really bad happens. The bright ’hey ho” of Someone’s got a crush on me is a particular highlight, showing romance doesn’t have to be painful. If only! These are simple love songs for sensitive indie kids, and ones to go quietly wild about.
HK, MAVERICK MAGAZINE 4/5

NET RHYTHMS
Ally Kerr - Calling Out To You (Neon Tetra)
Evocative of fellow Glaswegians Belle & Sebastian and Cosmic Rough Riders, newcomer Kerr's debut has already jangled and sparkled its way into the hearts of thousands of Japanese punters and now makes a fair bid to do the same with the rest of the world. It's a summery affair that conjures images of dusk falling over Glasgow's rooftops, of lovers hand in hand in the park and the sun spraying over suburban streets and swaying fields.

Mostly acoustic with moments kindling to skittering electric guitar flourishes while Kerr's soft brushed voice soars across the dreamy 60s pop melodies and songs that pretty much limit themselves to extolling the highs and lows of love. Even when he's had his heart bruised or has walked 10,000 miles to see his girl (as on the cheery Sore Feet Song), there's still an irrepressible air of optimism to Kerr's songs;

Someone's Got A Crush On Me he sings with the grin of a schoolboy while even All Alone Again, the skippingly jaunty Dream #4365 (reminiscent of early Lloyd Cole perhaps) and the quite lovely Without You all have rays of sunshine peeking through the clouds.

Ally Kerr "Calling Out To You", (Neon Tetra 2005) 
A Boy Names Ally Loses Nothing In Translation. From the ludicrous likes of UFO and The Scorpions, to lied meisters such as Gene Clark and Push, there are some artists who are mysteriously big in Japan, and Ally Kerr is one of those- this record is already out there and a second pressing is under way. "Calling Out To You" now has a UK release, and you can see Ally playing a gig near you- whether you live in Aberdeen, Glasgow or Osaka- anytime soon, though it appears that those of us in England and Wales may have a longer wait than his more rabid fans in Tokyo. Production is by a range of luminaries including Duglas T Stewart of the BMX Bandits (bless ‘em) and Duncan Cameron who has worked on projects with The Fannies, Arab Strap and The Delgados; even our very own John Peel was also known on occasion to spin a Kerr disc. So, What’s The Fuss About, you may be inclined to ask?  Well, ain’t no doubt that the boy’s got soul, if after a rather gentle jangle-pop-skinny-white-boy fashion. Style wise he fits firmly into the pantheon of Scottish indie shoe (and sky) gazers, with most of the above coming to mind, but also our old favourites the Cosmic Rough Riders, maybe a bit of The Sundays and even cheery Merseysiders Shack. ?The Sore Feet Song? is particularly charming- a tale of wandering, searching and fighting to get to a loved one- and here we’re seriously in dreamy late ‘60’s acoustic pop mode- a songwriting cliché to be sure, but who cares when it’s this well arranged (dig the last minute strings) or the wanderings are this sincerely conveyed. ?Future Mending? is truly satisfying end to the affair- the flute bringing to mind the deft touches of Love- and mellow though it is, you never find yourself flagging or reaching for your Chemical Romance / Lost Prophets CDs which sometimes happens in this kind of territory. Excellent songs, played with nuance and grace, maintain a groovy and chilled folk vibe throughout, and all that can said is: when you’re tired of that Jose Gonzalez or Willy Mason record, come and get some of this, because it’ll be just what you need.
Mark Phillips, Americana UK 7/10

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If someone tells me they have heard better-written songs this year, I will duel with them at dawn?
Dominik Diamond, XFM Scotland

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Soundsxp - May 2, 2005.
Is Glaswegian Ally Kerr the Sound of Young Scotland (revisited)? There’s a long tradition of melody-obsessed, heartfelt Scottish pop music and AK taps right into it, from Aztec Camera and BMX Bandits (Duglas T Stewart produces some of this) to the Bluebells, Belle and Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub. Like the Fanclub, there’s a Byrds and Big Star love of jangly guitars, possibly inspired by his Scotland-US commuting, during which much of the album was written.
‘Without You’ is a typically lovelorn tale, with echoes of Elliott Smith but also an enduring optimism. As he sings on the closing track, a home demo called ‘Future Mending’: “hope…is what I live for and it’s the air that I breathe”. ‘Midst of the Storm’, which has already drawn notice as a limited single on Spain’s cult Elefant label, sounds a little like Aztec Camera, while the best track ‘Another Winter’s Day’ is reminiscent of a Gerard Love penned Teenage Fanclub song, with a downbeat melody topped by a glorious chorus. It’s not the finished article by any means, and the slightly fey voice and shy manner won’t be for everyone, but a few plays confirm the potential in Ally Kerr. One to watch.
Article written by Ged M

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ALLY KERR - Calling out to you (Neon Tetra; 2005)
To a diagnosed pop nerd (me included :-)), the involvement of names such as Duglas T.Stewart, Duncan Cameron or David Scott, might be enough to get interested. Another reason, just as strong, could be the fact that the man comes from Glasgow. The thing is that, after mentioning references so distinctive as the above, the idea of how the album actually sounds like becomes pretty clear even before hearing it, and what you see really IS what you get here. There’s more than enough Pearlfishing Wilsonian harmonies, mixed with equal volume of folk-rocking Byrdsy jangle right from the very opening of “Midst of the storm”, just as much BMX Bandit-rides such as the upbeat title tune, though the thing is that the familiar Scottish charm is everpresent throughout the whole thing, one way or another. One of the non-Hihgland-but-VERY-Scottish-sounding references must be the Portsmouth based band Ricky, which is clearly audiable in the sunshine-harmony drenched tunes like “I feel fine”, “Another winter’s day” or the super catchy “Someone’s got a crush on me”. Another thing that characterises the overall vibe is the semi-acoustic production, contributing to the kind of an intimate feel, which sometime makes him sound like the male-fronted Sundays, or at times like another soulmate, Francis McDonald, on his solo pop opera “Sauchehall & me”, as heard in “All alone again”, but the one that kinda stands out for me is “Without me”, which makes me think that Nillson’s song of the same title wouldn’t be any lesser known if this was actually the one he’d written instead.
Just for the good measure, there’s also a bonus home demo included, which might as well be a classic “trackarack” in the making.
Goran Obradovic / POPISM radio show; Serbia & Montenegro

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PRAISE FOR ALLY KERR

Wonderful John Peel, BBC Radio One.

One of the most innovative and creative musicians working in the country right now Scotland on Sunday

Sweet pop gems - Sunday Mail

A sparkling tunesmith Metro

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