Song reviews

A modern take on that old time funk sound, “Sunlight Vampires” has all the modern day polish you would expect combined with a solid bass line and even a bit of vocoder action. Alex Fernet gets down on it with this one.

Tide Lines stamp their Scottishness all over their song “Better Days” with their indie sensibilities being mixed in with a traditional Scottish vibe to festival audience pleasing effect. Without a doubt, it’s one for a communal singalong.

“Yuma” is a thoughtful song from Lisa Oribasi that has enough credibility and complexity to make it seem much more than just another addition to your favourite coffee shop soundtrack. It’s worth that second listen.

Purrses clearly have plenty of musical influences and they duly throw rap, pop punk, and grrrl power into their neo arthouse song “??” with the result being endearingly different. The whole is certainly more than the sum of its parts this time.

Some spirited alt-rock with a side order of venomous bounce in the lyrics from California’s Plastic Rhino and “Takeitall” duly riffs, and even raps, past the three minute mark with the convincingly obsessive female vocals making it real.

I’d almost call “Why Do I Wake Up Every Morning?” by Michel Ducci quirky and, now that I have listened to it again, this one is actually quirky in that playful way that songs of long ago used to be. A feel good song.

“The Green” is straight down the line rock from Greek band Honeybadger and their song duly lays down the powerhouse riffage and macho vocals that will tick all the style boxes that fans of the genre expect.

I had it in my mind that Quad90 were some sort of dance duo but their song “Sentimental Sunday” ramps right up with harmonies and melody reminiscent of a chartbound seventies pop song. Sugar sweet all the way to the bridge.

Complex yet catchy, “Sgleinio” shows that long time indie favourites Melys haven’t lost their ability to engage your ears and take them on a worthy three minute journey to happiness. Andrea Parker’s voice is the sugar on top.

The ghost of Britpop haunts “You Always Come First” but, fear not, Marionette are more than mere revivalists and their song very nearly overloads itself on a combination of raw energy and edgy guitar work.

A Psalm, it says here. Whether it is or not, I would not know but what I do know that the purity of Ruth Campbell’s voice would make any song, secular or otherwise, sound just fine. “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place” duly runs straight and true.

An odd one, this. Heather Pierson’s voice has both purity and honesty and the words to her song “We Will Take Care of Each Other” are both simple and direct so this song seems not of today but of some better time and place.