Song reviews

Dani Ivory has the commercial touch and her song “Hope” manages to hook your ears whilst still evoking that classy singer songwriter vibe of the better days of the seventies and I might even call this song uplifting. I just might.

“Blow by Blow” has a suspiciously familiar bassline but, then again, Mackenzies have been about for a long time so that might even be expected. The song is topped off with eighties style post punk angularity so your feet will most likely move.

I suppose that “Kylie’s Put A Curse On Us” could best be described as whimsically Scottish because Wojtek The Bear are Scottish and the lyrics are nothing if not whimsical. OK, whimsically Scottish, it is.

Bathing themselves in Goth goodness are Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos with their song “Witches” duly exuding synthesiser loops and post-midnight depravity. It’s a style thing and they will always wear black.

Dharma Guns wate no time in getting “King of Action Rock” going with the frenetic pace suggesting a fuel mixture made up of punk and hard rock. The song does not even hit the two minute mark but it definitely gets you there.

Somewhere in the wonderland that is Wales there is a band called Bau Cat. Their song “Silver Bangle” reeks of attitude and retro influences but the day is today and this one sounds like yesterday’s influences reinvigorated for a new generation.

If you have to go post punk then go post punk with style and throw in some deft tempo shifting to keep the listener’s attention. Hadda Be duly go all angular and arty with “New To The Office” sounding just like a band would do back when music mattered.

I don’t suppose songs like “Hit The Ground” are supposed to have a point and Atomic Fruit duly melodically meander along their chosen musical path with a near psychedelic wooziness and much in the way of drifting on their mind.

This is a joy. Kat Robichaud takes her cabaret inclinations and throws them into a song that has that oddball appeal that only something well off Broadway would ever have and “Ouija Board” is duly a love song where “the apocalypse comes with benefits”.

Precise phrasing distinguishes “Let The Light In” by Outi Karhu with her delicate and controlled voice easily enabling her to guide the politely celtic accompaniment towards the end of the song. One for late night reflection, methinks.

Paced casually, “It Comes of Shadows “plays out like a remnant from the halcyon days of early folk rock with Moon Mother proving themselves capable of generating an atmosphere that makes their song seem somewhat mystical.

Stay The Course break out their retro pop punk guitars and rock it like the eighties were only yesterday. “Pocket Sand” is the name of their song and it might well make you want to get your skateboard out of the garage.