great scottish bands on the rise

I thought I'd give some people a heads up to what's happening in Scotland right now...Most of you have heard of Franz Ferdinand, right? Okay. Good. Let's go a little less well known, eh?There's some fantastic bands just under the radar right now, maybe not getting the type of acclaim that's afforded to some of the more popular bands, but certainly worth digging out.Employee Of The Month are an assured jazz/rock band based in Edinburgh. A cross between Jaga Jazzist and GY!BE, their musicality is absolutely superb and they really are a top class act.Call To Mind are Glasgow based ambient types taking after Sigur Rós and Elbow, and have been doing very well recently, playing the Airwaves Festival in Reykjavik and In The City in Manchester. Their accomplished songwriting is gathering momentum and it's certainly worth checking out their next show.Some angular pop riffage from Glasgows Futuro is not to be missed, either. These boys have been together less than a year but have masterminded a superb rise in form, and their fans are right behind them. Labels in the UK must be champing at the bit to get a grip of this self-styled and self-sufficient outfit, and the professionalism is there for all to enjoy.One more for now, Avast! fill in the blanks where McClusky and Far refused to tread, melodic guitar work and some impressive drumming are the back bone to this Stapleton-esque project from Dundee. Already a favourite for post-hardcore afficionados up and down the Forth, their new album Faultlines is one general release next week and promises to be a belter. Pick it up.All these bands can be found online, myspace links are below.www.myspace.com/eotmbandwww.myspace.com/calltomindwww.myspace.com/wearefuturowww.myspace.com/avastuk