Song reviews

Whilst ticking all the fashionable downbeat and retro boxes, Miami based band Tremends nonetheless manage to stamp enough urban style on to their song “Now We Know” to make it radio friendly.

Lines keep it routine within the electro pop confines of their song “Lockdown” whilst displaying the kind of musical persistence that would make any sequencer jealous.

I suppose that “Undone” by Art of Shades can be regarded as a song from the streets of today with that laidback urban beat providing an appealing post-midnight vibe that is sympathetically balanced by the voice of Sylo Nozra.

A song that is nothing if not melancholy, “A Pit” is nonetheless blessed with an attention to detail seldom seen these days and a melodramatic vocal performance that could easily be that of a tortured poet.

Right on trend for yesterday and today, “Take Your Name” should bring Martha Ffion some welcome attention with her sonorous voice sailing upon a glorious sea of reverb and retro intensive style towards the port that is my wallet.

There is something antique about a jazz flavoured instrumental and “Cascade” by The Lydian Collective does seem more of the past than the present but, as with fine wine, those with a few too many years on the clock will find this song much to their taste.

Coolly hypnotic, “Heat” nudges Austrian duo Leyya one step further up the ladder to Euro electropop success and there is a certain wistfulness to the female vocals that provides more than sufficient Justification to avoid any accusation of a robotic takeover.

A song that does what it says on the tin, “Feeling Good” by John the Martyr relies on that old-time soul groove for motivation with Bill Hudson’s voice having the mark of a man who tells it like it is. The song might well sound like yesterday but it still works today.

An insistent post midnight dancefloor beat drives “Wolf” forward with DYLYN’s voice matching the rhythm and maxing out the assertive vibe exuded by the lyrics. It’s undoubtedly a pop song for our synthetic times.

Given the song’s downbeat style, “Hollow” would have been an odd choice for a single anyway and, with NAIIVI giving a somewhat uncertain vocal performance, the opportunity for exposure is duly lost.

“You Are My World”, remarkably, arrives courtesy of a Latvian singer called Agnese Stengrevics although this accomplished song is so transatlantic in its electropop influences that even the trained ear would think this song a product of the good old US of A.

If modern day urban pop is your thing then joy will be found in “Commit” by Paulaa with the song being the polished to a fine shine so that it can slip straight into your iPhone playlist.