Song reviews

I’m not sure who the intended audience for a song like “Dancing In The Afterglow” might be, but if we were back in the heyday of mass entertainment television, then Bauhofer’s uplifting lyrics and sentimental intent would be on every Saturday night special.

Icelandic post punk with arthouse stylistic intentions, GRÓA are the kind of band that exploits rambling rhythms, sharp angles and oddly discontinuous lyrics to hypnotic effect. “Cranberry” has all those things.

An ode to the privileged pond life who have made Westminster their second - or third – home, Cause of Accident use some punk powered musical larceny and a kazoo (!) to get the anger into “Opinions”. This song also has the best last line of any song ever.

Biche demonstrate, in the best European alt-rock way, that musical complexity can co-exist with solid, verging on robotic, beats and there is a swooping literacy elegance to “Déja-Vu” even if it loops on a bit. Interesting and most definitely French.

Chiara Berardelli has always done a nice line in songs that have a substantial degree of sensitive self-reflection in their lyrics and “Can I Be Me?” is no exception. You can’t pull off such a thing without musical maturity and she certainly has that.

The art is strong in the Font with “Natalie’s Song” whisking cappuccino froth through the post punk angularity in a way that is almost danceable. Solid rhythms keep the song on track and the contrived vocals fit right in.

Venice Bliss keep it muscular all the way through their song “Cockroach” with strident guitars accompanying some convincing harmonies and somewhat angry lyrics on their journey to become tomorrow’s indie rock gods. Sing it loud!

With a title like that, “Killed You in A Dream” was never likely to be a pretty pop song but there is much to admire in tempo shifting quirkiness and value added theatricality that I’MMORTAL sequences into her song. She’s slightly dangerous.

It must be summer as “Stand By Me” is a summer song. Upbeat and full of harmonies and get you going guitars, this one shows that Moving Into Tucson are the kind of band that should be on your playlist when you are driving down the open highway.

Americana from Norway? It would seem so and Amazing Space duly cruise “Parallel Dreams” along the sunshine inspired folk rock highway on their way to the chorus with a roots festival appearance on the horizon.

With her sequencer set firmly on retro, Kat Von D throws some infatuation into the lyrics of “Dead” and loops herself through love and angst in less than three minutes and more than enough mascara powered style.

Menajerie win this week’s award for coolest song with “Melt”. Female voices with sinuous symmetry evoke memories of the heyday of jazz funk while the song heads straight for the cocktail bar in a Cadillac. Thumbs up!