Who doesn't like Scotland? The small and perpetually rainy land of just 5 million has brought us great things that are twee (Belle and Sebastian, Travis), tough (whiskey and Irvine Welsh), and even strange (haggis, kilts, and the Loch Ness monster.) We won't even get started on Belhaven and Sean Connery. The latest indie rock sounds from Scotland seem to be of the emotional, anthemic, and up-tempo variety, as evidenced by the triple bill from Brighton's FatCat Records playing The Mohawk on Thursday evening. These songs deserve to be at Erwin Center, but you can see them - cheaply - on Red River, up close. Here's the bill:

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For post-psych and prog fans everywhere, Cave's Psychic Psummer (Important Records) is a dream come true. Following the Chicago outfit's Hunt Like Devil/Jamz EP, this new full-length brings the group to a new level, offering major riffs, expert jams, percussion freakouts and repeating phrases that build into throbbing crescendos that would make Explosions in the Sky pee their pants. Pulling from Can's influential horizon-focused approach to songwriting, Cave takes intricate, crunchy guitar hooks and builds each song from the ground up. There's a lot of stuff in here for the metal stoner, but for fans of phrase elevation, Reich and digression, there's even more. Don't let the tie-dye and long hair fool you: these are thoughtful, talented guys with a serious devotion to the organized, detail-oriented jam. more ›