Song reviews

Everybody likes kittens so it is no surprise that American pop psychologists Kitten mange to turn their angst ridden song “Memphis” into something that anyone with dystopian taste in music would like. Take them to the river if you like but please bring them back home.

It might be old school to have soul but that’s what The Living have, or has, as this might be a one man operation. Nonetheless, “It’s In All Of Us” tells it like it is and contains more than enough humanity in the words and music to make the song feel real.

A British band apparently but Swim Deep seem to have their finger on the pulse of European synth pop and they use their song “Sail Away, Say Goodbye” to get them approval to jump on the retro style wagon. Permission is granted.

Making retro the new black comes easily to Swiss duo Waterglow and, duly, their song “Not Your Lover” is seasoned with enough analogue style synth riffs to make the sequencer seem fashionable once more. Sunglasses are optional when listening.

Interesting. On the surface, “Royal Pigs” seems like the kind of song that would tick all the boxes on any alt-rock radio station but Broken Baby are way too polished and lyrically astute to have taken the easy way in. A band with a future, methinks.

Despite utilising the oppressive perfection of the loop to make her point, Elodie Rêverie then click tracks her words with uncommon fluency into metaphors that provide the real substance for her song “Gold Rush”. Deeper than the night.

Taking post punk Didacticism back to its roots, Roxy Girls walk on the angular arthouse side of the street with their song “Spanners For Hand” being clearly armed with the edgy guitars and the sunglasses in daylight vocal posturing needed to make a point.

Pleasing alt-pop from The Sums with their song “Here To Say” strolling confidently between playful melodies and musical maturity in pursuit of the nirvana that is generally referred to as ear candy. Their influences are obvious yet the song works out rather well.

Taking her song boat named “Almond Milk” for a cruise on a sea of dramatic melancholy, Louise Lemón establishes, or rather reestablishes, herself as the siren of choice for broken hearts and emotional catharsis.

Girls. Guitars. Reverb. That’s about all you need to make my ears happy. Big smiles therefore for Desert Sharks as they crank it up and make some noise with their song “Sorceress”. I am now officially under their spell.

It is somewhat ironic for blues revivalists like ElectroBluesSociety to revive an Amy Whitehouse song yet they have chosen to do just that with “Back To Black” and guest vocalist Karin Roerdink uses her voice to keep the song on the straight and narrow.

Yes. It seems like there will always a place for some good time rock ‘n’ roll revivalism with Glasgow’s Awkward Family Portraits greasing back their quiff and taking their song “Ring Ring Angus” on an energetic time travelling trip back to the fifties.