Song reviews

A low key choice for a single perhaps but “Boom” has enough in the way of melody, scratchy guitar riffs and harmonious female vocals to keep your ears interested. Friedberg should generate some attention for themselves with this one.

Laidback is the way that Calle Hamre chooses to go with his ballad “Lovers Will Be Lovers” and it would not be difficult to imagine this song making its way on to the notoriously conservative playlists of mainstream radio. There’s even a guitar solo in there.

If you are going to do an emotionally meaningful ballad then you need a piano and Annie Drury duly does so. “You Took Me Dancing” is nothing if not conventional yet Ms. Drury shines as she balances emotion with eloquence. Classy!

Whilst those riffing chords are as you would expect of an alt-rock band, Birthday Girl show themselves to be capable of more and, with a sprinkling of psychedelic influences thrown in for good measure, they move “I Came Here To Eat” into the interesting category.

Revelling in the retro vibe, Fake Fake add more than enough of those old analogue synth sounds to make their song “Goodnightmare” seem like it could, with the help of a time machine, have been part of a radio station playlist back in the early nineties.

You can’t go far wrong with a mix of melancholy, a tunnel full of reverb and laconic female vocals and, with these ingredients, Little Night serve up a confection of emotion with their song “Last Night”. Throwing in a bit of rambling majesty on guitar allows this one to rattle your SUV.

Astrid Holiday has a distinctive voice and she uses it to good effect to deliver the necessary melodrama to make her song “Mirror” memorable. It is gratifying to find another singer who desires to sound different from the rest.

Modern day country music, like vegetables, just ain’t my thing yet when you add some soul, as Francine Honey has done to her song “Stay”, the result works so much better than it should with the poise and confidence in her voice sealing the deal.

Pop music for adults isn’t as common as it should be so “Ne m’appelle pas” by Canada’s finest chanteuse Coeur De Pirate is a welcome addition to a neglected genre. It’s a polished song but also one with enough quirkiness and charm to stand out from the crowd.

Something of an offbeat oddity, Islandman set up a loping groove and weave through enough strands from Turkish traditional musical styles to make their song “Lamani” appealing to the ears and almost hypnotic in its effects. Trippy, man!

A song that made me feel more than a bit sentimental for days gone by, “Caravan” rambles with mystical purpose and multitudinous influences whilst providing Ummagma with the opportunity to demonstrate the musical benefits of both the guitar solo and wistful vocals.

Monica Queen and Johnny Smillie return in their Tenement & Temple guise and, whilst skilfully painting “Loving Arms” in shades of Americana, duly give us a song that is sweetly sentimental, spiritual and altogether ethereal.