Song reviews

It’s been a while since I had to look up what a song title meant but “Cognitive Dissonance” had me do just that. Brontës make their point about duality with literacy and sweet harmonies making this song really rather charming.

Frenetic in the best punk style, The Red Lite District kick their words of blue collar social discontent about with energy and conviction and “We Are All Working Class Now” duly seems like it had just jumped out of a time machine from 1978.

Now here’s a song with some muscle. “Seeing Red” is loaded with guitars with weighty purpose but balanced with some almost theatrically retro female vocals to thus make this song as much of today as yesterday.

Pleasingly commercial with that easy on the ear feel, “Push & Pull” demonstrates that commercial songwriting with a sentimental edge is well within the skill set of Chloe Styler. Even your gran will like this one.

So, what makes great music? A piano and two voices apparently. Eve Goodman and Sera use delicate harmonies to float “Cwlwm Cariad” up among the clouds and this song is proof, once and for all, that you don’t need wings to fly.

A song like “Genevieve” is a prime example of the kind of music that makes the audience happy at any roots festival with The Inadequates adding some almost poetic lyrics, an accordion and a neat tempo change to make it all memorable.

“Stay” holds a steady course as any modern day pop song on a mission for chart success would right down to the rather incongruous rap interlude. Barbara Nadas undoubtedly has a voice that deserves attention and she’s better than this song.

Interesting. “Prized Possession” starts with some pretty standard dancefloor loops before Catty kicks in the dramatic overdrive and heads off into crazy chick territory with a guitar solo and an unexpected tempo shift for company.

It’s heart on her sleeve time again for Margaux and her song “Radio Silence” eloquently reflects on relationship matters while the song builds nicely to a suitably dramatic finish. Tastefully done and 100% cappuccino compatible.

Upbeat in the modern day Nashville style, Cassidy-Rae makes a spirited attempt to put her song “Good Day” on the permanent playlist of your pickup truck. There’s even a guitar solo so I wouldn’t be surprised if her plan was successful.

There are echoes of a showtune to be found in “Stuck” by Celeste Corsano with her minor key delivery making that singer songwriter introspection seem more theatrical than most of the competition can manage.

Solid surf punk from Seattle’s 38 Coffin with “King County Blues” ticking all the style boxes a guitar led song in this genre should with, as a bonus, the laconic female vocals successfully sugar coating the social realism in the lyrics.