I have always found Scottish pop to be a bit of an enigma—the earnest, heart-on-the-sleeve romanticism always seemed at such odds with the Scots of my personal experience—the ones who used to vomit on my stoop and had no qualms about hurling filthy obscenities at each other across a crowded bus. When I think of Scotland the image that sticks in my mind is one of gaggles of girls in tiny miniskirts and four inch heels drunkenly trying to cross a minefield of ancient cobblestone streets, stumbling, flashing a bit of underwear, not caring, and taking another sip of flavored liqueur. Needless to say, I didn’t run into the “Belle and Sebastian type” very often. So, you could say that my appreciation for the scads of bands coming out of Glasgow these days is colored somewhat by personal bias. That is why it is of some importance to me when I hear a new Glaswegian band that I actually like. Wake the President is just such a band; a throwback pop band that combines heartfelt lyrics with mid-’90s guitar pop reminiscent of that other Glaswegian band (you know, the one that influenced everyone). Refreshingly, lead singer Erik Sandberg hasn’t sanded off the rough edges of the dialect and his lyrics are all the more honest for their unpolished lilt. Have a listen to “Miss Tierney,” an upbeat tune about a young man’s fancy for and older bird. I am pretty sure that it’s about jacking off in the shower. It is also an undeniably catchy tune.

Wake the President “Miss Tierney” (mp3)

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