Song reviews

It’s yesterday once more in synthwave land with Natalie Gray giving her song “One More Night” enough of a push to squeeze it on to a VHS tape of a John Hughes’ movie. This is an endearing song that keeps to the basics but gets it right.

“Come Around” might well be low rent indie pop but Wadfah has got the retro feel sorted out and her song duly pulls its vibe from happier times. This is not only a three minute pop song but also a reminder why the world needs three minute pop songs.

Some solid rock breaking from Miss Randall with “Heaven Doesn’t Want Me” successfully reflecting all the old school rock moves with a suitable degree of deference. It isn’t 1975 any more but who cares when you have got a guitar solo to keep you company.

Doing the sub three minute angularity thing like they were born to do it are Glasgow’s Blush Club with “Birthday Hat” ticking all the style boxes for arthouse post punksters needing additional indie credentials on their playlists. This one bounces!

The mainstream is no place for surprises these days and Alex Amor cleverly weaves her voice around the safety barriers that potential radio airplay opportunities create these days to duly make “Like The First Time” less of a stab in the dark.

A bit of class from Budapest based band Nunki Bay Starship with their song “Unscramble” being full of rock solid rhythms, jazzy inflections served up with a dash of quirkiness. The female vocals lead the song with confidence and, as the inspired might say, the end justifies the means.

Plenty of processed goodness in this one with Soda Blonde adding all the coolest artificial ingredients from back in the days when such things quickened the pulse of the masses. “Bad Machine” does indeed sound like a machine but perhaps more good than bad.

What’s this? A band that sound angry at the world that engulfs them? Indeed they do, and Terry and The Good Time Boys viciously merge their Britpop influences in with old school punk lyrical motivations to make “Open Your Eyes” more than worthy of a listen.

Always a songwriter of maturity and elegance, Sofia Talvik delivers another intelligently worded and neatly performed song in “Circle of Destruction”. The quality is obvious and ears who hear beyond the melody will find that she is a protest singer for our time.

The days of proper musicianship are not over with Burn The World providing the proof in their near six minute epic “Burn The World”. There’s an environmental message in the lyrics yet it is the fluency and precision of the assembled musicians that sticks in the mind.

Taking the retro rock route, and none the worse for that, is Swaye with his song “Getting Back To You” reverberating with all the qualities that would have guaranteed radio play back in the day. Just as it was back then, easy on the ear is the way to go.

Anaklav mercilessly loops the super cool into the disco meets house beats of “Hello Darling” with the result liable to induce maximum pleasure in the ears of the dance until dawn crowd. Not just for the dancefloor either as this one also has BMW driver appeal.